Tariff Wolf is an AI classification tool, launched in July 2025, that suggests a 6-digit HS code for a product from its title, description, image, URL or AutoCAD drawing. With each code it gives a commodity description, a confidence score and a legal justification based on official tariff documentation. It is built to help classifiers work faster; the final code is still their decision. This post describes the tool as it was at launch, how it was built, and where its limits are.
Tariff and HS code classification is still largely manual work, and manual work produces errors. Tariff Wolf uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to take over the search for a code and the first draft of the reasoning.
See it in action
The demo below shows the tool classifying products from a few inputs.
Features of the tool
Tariff Wolf uses AI models to automate HS code classification. It is meant for customs brokers, exporters and compliance officers who need a first answer quickly and a record of why that answer was given.
The tool accepts several input formats: commodity titles, descriptions, product images, URLs and AutoCAD drawings. Users can combine inputs, which gives the model more to work with and a better chance of a precise result. For each submission the tool returns a 6-digit HS code, a detailed commodity description, a confidence score and a legal justification based on official tariff documentation, so the user can check the result and keep it on file.
How the tool came about
The project started with a question I asked during the pandemic: can AI do HTS classification? The main steps, as I have recorded them on this site, were these.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Mar 2020 | The COVID-19 pandemic begins. Working from home gives me time to explore automation alongside my classification work. |
| Dec 2020 | I complete a course on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) using UiPath. |
| Mid-2021 | First experiments with OpenAI’s beta to see how AI handles commodity classification. |
| Jul 2022 | Project paused after I leave my job at Avalara. |
| Nov 2022 | Work restarts after ChatGPT’s public release. |
| Dec 2023 to mid-2024 | Seven months between jobs spent on research and development; the model is trained on HTS Chapter 82 and the GRIs. |
| Oct 2024 | First test report (Chapter 82). |
| Feb 2025 | Second test report. |
| Jul 2025 | Third test report, and the public version of Tariff Wolf is launched, in line with Make in India. |
I wrote about the obstacles along the way in challenges in developing AI-based HS classification tools.
Technology used to build Tariff Wolf
The tool uses open-source intelligence (OSINT) methods to collect commodity-related data. Alongside that data, it draws on tariff schedules, classification logic structures and references to legal rulings. It uses 5–7 types of specialised databases for context-aware classification, but no pre-classified database is used for training.
The application is built with React and TypeScript and styled with Tailwind CSS. It runs mainly on Google Gemini AI, with several AI agents handling text, image, database and URL analysis. The backend uses Python, Node.js and JavaScript, and the frontend uses HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
The tool automates the search for a candidate HS code, which is slow when done by hand, and that saves time and cuts down on manual mistakes. It accepts text, images and URLs, so it fits different ways of working. The confidence score and the short justification show the user how sure the tool is and why, which helps them decide whether to accept the code or look further.
Limitations
Results from a commodity URL can be less precise than results from a well-written description or an image, because AI still has trouble reading dynamic or incomplete web pages.
Like any AI system, the tool can misclassify products in subtle or ambiguous cases. That is why human review matters for anything critical: Tariff Wolf is an assistant, and expert judgment makes the final call.
Who can use this tool?
Tariff Wolf is designed mainly for tariff classification professionals, customs consultants, exporters and compliance teams. It is a supporting assistant, not a final decision-maker. It suggests HS codes at the 6-digit level, the international standard, and does not give full country-specific tariff codes. Because pre-classified data is limited, it may not always be 100% accurate. Use it to speed up classification and reduce manual effort, and rely on expert judgment, grounded in the General Rules for the Interpretation of the Harmonized System (GRIs), for the final code.
What it cost to build
In cash terms, the development cost was zero: the team behind Tariff Wolf has worked for free since day one. The real cost was the research and development, which I paid for from my entire personal savings, along with a great many late nights.
Thank you, and what comes next
Building this tool came down to determination and the words I kept repeating to myself: “I finish” or “I will finish.” There were many obstacles, from money problems to technical dead ends, and I lost a lot along the way. I kept going, one step at a time, because reaching the goal mattered more to me than how hard the road was.
The launch is a beginning. There is still refinement, expansion and adoption ahead. Building an AI product needs strong financial support, and I did not receive any. I am not disappointed.
What I lacked in funding, my team made up for. They stood beside me for the vision, not for money, and gave their time, energy and talent freely. I will always be grateful to them.
I’ll close with lines that sum up how I feel:
“जो खोया उसका ग़म नहीं,
जो पाया वो किसी से कम नहीं,
जो नहीं मिला वो ख़्वाब है,
जो मिला वो लाजवाब है।”
(I don’t grieve what I’ve lost; what I’ve gained is second to none. What I didn’t get remains a dream, and what I did receive is truly extraordinary.)
This is just the start. This post describes Tariff Wolf as launched in July 2025; for the current product range, see tariffwolf.com. The conversational version of the tool is described in Ask Tariff Wolf, the HS classification chatbot.