How to extract HTS-ready fields from a commercial invoice

TL;DR

• Build one source-referenced worksheet from the commercial invoice. Capture header, party, line-item, origin, quantity, price, currency, charges, and discount fields without silently filling gaps.
• Add the product facts an industrial buyer holds outside the invoice: drawings and specifications, material and function, manufacturer identity, purchase-order terms, origin support, assists, royalties, commissions, and supplier certifications.
• Treat every supplier-provided HS or HTS code as a hint unless the importer has a reviewed classification for the same product facts. HTS keyword search is research, not classification.
• Tandom does not currently offer public invoice upload, OCR, document extraction, or classification tools. After human review, its public read-only tools can provide HTS context, duty calculations, PGA and Chapter 99 signals, AD/CVD screening, and data-freshness checks.

The goal is not to create an “ACE-ready” payload automatically. It is to give the US industrial importer and its reviewer a complete, traceable fact set before a supplier award, first shipment, or entry instruction.

Build the field set

Start with the statutory and regulatory invoice requirements in 19 USC 1481 and 19 CFR 141.86. Then extend the sheet with the product and sourcing facts needed to review classification, origin, valuation, trade remedies, and agency requirements.

Document and party fields

• Source control: file name, document date, page count, version, source email or folder, and reviewer.
• Invoice identity: invoice number, invoice date, purchase-order number, currency, payment terms, and stated Incoterm and named place.
• Parties: seller, buyer or importer, consignee or ship-to party, exporter, and manufacturer where shown, with legal names, addresses, and countries kept distinct.
• Shipment context: ship-from location, mode, package or marks information, and any export or departure date shown. Do not turn ship-from into country of origin.
• Totals: subtotal, freight, insurance, packing, discounts, other charges, tax or duty shown, and grand total in the source currency.

Line-item fields

• Identifiers: line number, supplier part number, buyer SKU, purchase-order line, model, and drawing or revision when present.
• Commercial description: copy the invoice text exactly, then add a separate reviewed-description field rather than rewriting the source.
• Technical facts: material, composition, manufacturing process, function, dimensions, grade, rating, and end use. Pull these from controlled specifications when the invoice is vague.
• Quantity and value: invoice quantity, unit of measure, unit price, extended value, discounts, and any second quantity required by the reviewed HTS provision.
• Origin and manufacturer: capture the declaration shown per line, then record the importer's reviewed origin and evidence separately. Country of shipment is not a substitute for origin under 19 CFR 134.1.
• HS or HTS hint: preserve the code exactly as written and label its source. A 6-digit HS hint or foreign tariff code is not automatically a 10-digit US classification.

Facts commonly missing from the invoice

• Valuation additions and deductions:assists, royalties, license fees, selling commissions, packing, proceeds, freight, insurance, and eligible discounts under 19 USC 1401a.
• Relationship facts: whether buyer and seller are related and what support exists for the selected valuation method. Do not infer this from a shared address alone.
• Metals evidence: material value and, when applicable, country of melt and pour for steel or smelt and cast for aluminum. These may be on mill certificates or supplier declarations, not the invoice.
• Regulated-product facts: intended use, composition, model or certification identifiers, and other details a Partner Government Agency may require.
• AD/CVD facts: complete product description, origin, manufacturer, exporter, relevant case numbers, and any scope or rate records from prior reviews.

Create a reviewable worksheet

Keep source values, reviewed values, and missing facts in separate columns. That distinction prevents an OCR guess, supplier assertion, or analyst inference from becoming an approved entry input by accident.

field,source_value,source_page,reviewed_value,status,evidence_or_note,owner
invoice.currency,USD,1,USD,verified,invoice header,Avery
line[1].origin,CN,1,,needs evidence,supplier origin declaration requested,Avery
line[1].hs_hint,7307.91,1,7307.91,source only,not a final US HTS classification,Avery
line[1].filed_hts,,,7307.91.50.10,reviewed prior filing,entry record 2026-0142,Trade compliance
line[1].assists,,,unknown,open,buyer tooling review,Finance

Useful status values are source only, verified, needs evidence, not applicable, and approved. Every approved value should point to a source, prior decision, or named reviewer.

Manual extraction workflow

1. Freeze the source

Save the invoice as received, preserve the email or supplier portal context, and note the page count. If a revision arrives, keep both versions and identify which one supports the shipment.

2. Transcribe before interpreting

Copy names, codes, countries, currencies, quantities, prices, and descriptions exactly. If OCR is used, visually compare critical values with the source image. Put normalized names and codes in separate reviewed fields.

3. Reconcile the arithmetic

Check quantity times unit price against each extended value, sum the lines, and reconcile charges and discounts to the invoice total. Record unexplained differences instead of forcing the worksheet to balance.

4. Add buyer-side product facts

Join the line to the purchase order, drawing, material specification, approved supplier record, and prior classification decision. This is where an industrial importer can turn a vague label such as “flange” or “bracket” into reviewable facts about material, process, function, dimensions, grade, and end use.

5. Separate origin from routing

Preserve the invoice's declared origin and ship-from country as different fields. Ask for manufacturing-process evidence when origin is material. The nonpreferential substantial-transformation analysis under 19 CFR 134.1 is fact-specific; a transshipment route does not decide it.

6. Review classification and valuation

For a previously filed product, confirm that the facts and legal notes have not changed. For a new or changed product, use HTS search only to research candidates and route the record to a qualified reviewer. Separately collect valuation adjustments and relationship facts; an invoice total is not automatically the final customs value.

7. Screen and calculate

Once the code, origin, value, date, and conditional product facts are reviewed, use point-in-time tools to check HTS context, PGA and Chapter 99 signals, AD/CVD exposure, and a duty scenario. Preserve the request inputs, response, freshness timestamp, and reviewer decision.

Use public tools carefully

Tandom's 13-tool public MCP allowlist is read-only, and the public API calls used below are point-in-time decision support. They can help after manual extraction and human review. They do not expose public document extraction, OCR, invoice ingestion, product classification from prose, CBP form generation, filing, or workflow automation.

• Data freshness: GET /v1/regulatory-data/status is an auth-optional public signal for the underlying datasets.
• HTS research: GET /v1/hts/search, GET /v1/hts/hierarchy, and GET /v1/hts/notes help a reviewer understand existing provisions. Search results are candidates, not conclusions.
• Entry-related signals: GET /v1/pga/check and GET /v1/chapter99/applicable identify flags for a known code and facts. They do not decide final admissibility or legal applicability.
• Trade-remedy screening: GET /v1/adcvd/check uses code, country, and optional product and party facts. Written order scope controls.
• Duty scenario: GET /v1/duty/calculate uses a reviewed code, origin, value, date, mode, quantities, and any conditional facts requested by the result.

curl https://api.tandom.ai/v1/regulatory-data/status

curl https://api.tandom.ai/v1/hts/hierarchy \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tk_live_..." \
  -G -d "code=7307.91.50.10"

curl https://api.tandom.ai/v1/adcvd/check \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tk_live_..." \
  -G -d "htsCode=7307.91.50.10" -d "country=CN" \
  --data-urlencode "productDescription=forged stainless steel flange"

Consult the current API reference for parameters and response schemas. The API helps an industrial sourcing team compare an import decision; it does not replace the importer's final classification, origin, valuation, scope, admissibility, or filing decisions.

Worked industrial example

A US equipment manufacturer is preparing a first order for 200 forged stainless steel flanges from a candidate supplier in China. The commercial invoice shows:

• Invoice V-204, one page, USD, FOB Shanghai.
• Supplier part FLG-4-316; buyer SKU P-884; 200 pieces at $50 each; $10,000 extended value.
• Description: 4-inch forged stainless steel flange, ASTM A182 F316, ASME B16.5 Class 150, raised face.
• Declared origin China and supplier HS hint 7307.91.
• Seller and manufacturer names are both present, but the invoice does not address buyer-supplied tooling, relationship, or mill evidence.

The importer preserves those values as source text. It then joins the line to a drawing, purchase order, supplier approval record, and a prior broker-reviewed classification of 7307.91.50.10. The reviewed code is stored separately from the supplier's 6-digit hint so the evidence trail stays clear.

review_item,result,evidence,next_action
invoice math,200 x $50 = $10,000,invoice page 1,complete
HTS hint,7307.91 source only,invoice page 1,retain as hint
US HTS,7307.91.50.10 prior reviewed,entry 2026-0142,recheck facts and notes
origin,CN declared,invoice page 1,obtain manufacturing evidence
assists,unknown,buyer records,finance review
AD/CVD,screen required,code + origin + product + manufacturer,review written scope
duty,not yet approved,reviewed HTS + origin + value + date,calculate after open facts close

The team checks dataset freshness, retrieves the HTS hierarchy and notes, screens AD/CVD with the full product description and manufacturer, checks applicable Chapter 99 and PGA signals, and runs a dated duty scenario. If a screen returns a possible match, the importer does not convert that flag into a purchase-order rate; it sends the written scope and product evidence to the qualified reviewer.

Importer-owned handoff

A broker may prepare the entry, but the importer owns facts that the invoice does not contain. Organize the handoff around four evidence packets:

• Document packet: original invoice, revisions, packing or transport records, and the page-referenced extraction worksheet.
• Product packet: drawing, material, process, dimensions, function, end use, manufacturer, and supplier certifications.
• Commercial packet: purchase order, Incoterm and named place, freight and insurance details, tooling, assists, royalties, commissions, discounts, relationship facts, and payment records.
• Decision packet: reviewed HTS and origin, source citations, AD/CVD and PGA review, duty-scenario inputs, qualified approver, and date.

In a Tandom sourcing project, this same structure helps US industrial buyers compare manufacturers across Asia and Latin America, close missing technical and commercial facts, and prepare for a first order. Supplier development is a separate paid service; the public import-decision tools remain point-in-time reference and calculation aids.

Common pitfalls

Presenting a private extraction endpoint as public

Tandom's public API and MCP connector do not accept invoices or expose document extraction. Build the manual control around tools available today and check the public API reference before publishing or integrating any endpoint claim.

Letting OCR replace source review

A misplaced decimal, transposed country code, or confused unit can materially change value and duty. OCR output is working text; the source image and human verification remain the record.

Trusting a supplier's 10-digit code

The supplier may have copied a foreign tariff code, a prior customer's code, or a code for different product facts. Preserve it as a hint and keep the reviewed US classification separately.

Treating ship-from as country of origin

A routing country does not decide origin. Keep routing and origin in different fields and obtain manufacturing evidence when the substantial-transformation analysis is material.

Using Incoterms as the valuation rule

Incoterms allocate specified costs, risks, and obligations between buyer and seller; they do not by themselves determine US customs value. Itemize charges, identify whether each amount is included in the price, and apply the governing valuation rules.

Ignoring facts outside the invoice

Tooling, assists, royalties, commissions, relationships, mill data, and origin evidence often live elsewhere. A perfectly transcribed invoice can still be an incomplete customs-value or trade-remedy record.

Treating invoice quantity as HTS quantity

The invoice may use pieces while the tariff provision requires kilograms, square meters, or a second quantity. Store source quantity and approved tariff quantity separately, with the conversion basis.

Treating search as classification

Keyword matches do not apply the General Rules of Interpretation, legal notes, or competing headings to the complete product facts. Use search to research candidates and preserve the qualified review.

Skipping AD/CVD and PGA review

A base duty estimate can look complete while written AD/CVD scope or agency requirements remain unresolved. Screen early enough to affect supplier qualification and first-order readiness.

Glossary

Commercial invoice

The seller's billing document for goods sold for export to the United States. Invoice-content requirements are addressed in 19 USC 1481 and 19 CFR 141.86.

Source value

The text, number, or code exactly as it appears in the document, stored with its page or image reference and without normalization.

Reviewed value

A normalized or supplemented value supported by evidence and a named reviewer. It does not overwrite the source value.

HS hint vs HTS code

HS is the international 6-digit nomenclature foundation. The US HTS extends it to tariff and statistical detail. A supplier's code is a research input unless confirmed for the same product facts.

Customs value

The dutiable value determined under 19 USC 1401a and applicable regulations. The commercial invoice is important evidence, but additions, deductions, relationships, and other records may matter.

Incoterm

A standardized commercial term allocating specified delivery, cost, risk, and customs responsibilities between buyer and seller. It is an input to fact gathering, not a standalone customs-value rule.

MID

Manufacturer identification information used in US entry data. Preserve the manufacturer name and address and have the importer or broker verify the code used for the entry.

Melt and pour / smelt and cast

Metals-origin facts that can be relevant to Section 232 analysis for certain steel or aluminum products. They are often supported by mill records rather than the commercial invoice.

AD/CVD scope

The written product coverage of an antidumping or countervailing duty order. HTS and text matches are screening signals; scope language controls.

Decision support

A reference lookup, screen, or calculation that helps a human review an import decision. It does not extract a document, classify a novel product, or make the importer's final filing determination.

FAQ

Practical questions from US industrial sourcing, procurement, finance, operations, and import teams.