API Reference

Trade Compliance API

Integrate HTS classification and tariff calculation directly into your systems. Send a product description and country of origin, receive the HTS code and the complete tariff stack breakdown in a single REST call.

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Performance

Throughput Your Ops Team Can Plan Around

Hundreds of SKUs? Thousands? Ginger classifies them all in minutes.

Single Product Classification

Classify a single product with one API call.

Response Time

Response times measured across production traffic. Lower percentiles describe the typical experience, higher percentiles the worst-case tail.

Average

36s

Mean response time across all production requests.

Median (p50)

30s

Half of all requests complete within this time.

p95

79s

95% of requests complete within this time, the typical worst case.

p99

108s

99% of requests complete within this time, even under load.

Batch Classification

Classify up to 200 products in one API call.

Throughput

Built for catalogs at scale. One request processes the whole batch in parallel and finishes within minutes.

Items per Call

200

Maximum products per batch API call.

Completion Time

3-5 min

Typical time to process a full batch end-to-end.

Daily Capacity

200K+

Production-tier daily classification volume. Custom enterprise tiers scale up to 100K classifications per hour.

★

Split-Code Composite Tariff Calculation

Chapter 91 products such as wristwatches are dutiable by component, not as a single unit. The API automatically splits them into their constituent parts and returns a components array, each part with its own HTS code and duty calculation. Most classification APIs simply skip this, but real trade compliance means every product gets the correct duty treatment, no exceptions.

One Call In, the Full Tariff Picture Out

The GingerControl OpenAPI is a REST interface for automated HTS classification and tariff calculation. Send a product description and country of origin; one call returns the HTS code and a complete duty breakdown.

Classification results are research output for your team: in our internal benchmark across 1,000+ products the engine reached 99.86% accuracy, and every result is designed to be reviewed by a licensed customs broker before filing.

Single-Product Endpoint

One product per request, with full tariff detail.

Batch Endpoint

Up to 200 products per request.

Split-Code Support

Component-level tariffs for split-code products.

Full Tariff Stack

General (MFN) and Special rates, Section 301, 232, 122, and all applicable Chapter 99 entries.

From API Contract to Production in Four Steps

Step 01

Read the API Contract

The contract below covers request patterns, response structures, error semantics, and rate limits. Twenty minutes of reading saves days of debugging.

X-Api-Key: ••••

Step 02

Request a Test API Key

Warning

Test keys carry a small quota and expire in 7-30 days. They are for development and debugging only, never production.

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Step 03

Develop and Debug

Most teams complete the basic integration quickly, then spend the remaining time wiring the returned data into their own systems.

Step 04

Go to Production

Request a production key when you are ready to go live. We size it to your calling patterns, IP allowlist, and peak QPS.

Warning

Keep your production API key secure. At the current stage, the API key is the sole basis for billing.

Single-Product Endpoint

Method: POST

Path: /openapi/v1/tariff

Base URL: https://api.gingercontrol.com

Request Headers

Header	Required	Description
`Content-Type`	Yes	Must be `application/json`
`X-Api-Key`	Yes	Caller credential issued offline by GingerControl. Used for authentication, rate limiting, and quota control.
`X-Request-Id`	No	Request trace identifier for troubleshooting and log tracing. Server generates one if omitted.

Response Headers

Header	Description	Purpose
`Content-Type`	Always `application/json`	Indicates the response body format
`X-Request-Id`	Echoes the caller-provided value, or a server-generated value	Recommended for logging and troubleshooting
`Retry-After`	Returned only with `429 Too Many Requests`	Tells the caller how many seconds to wait before retrying

Request Body

Field	Type	Required	Description
`description`	string	Yes	Product description. Must not be empty; max 10,000 characters.
`country_of_origin`	string	Yes	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code. `EU` (European Union) and `UK` (United Kingdom) are also accepted; `GB` is accepted and processed as `UK`.
`extra`	object	No	Additional input. The current version only consumes `steel_pour_country` and `aluminum_pour_country`; all other fields are ignored.
`extra.steel_pour_country`	string	No	Steel pour country. Same rules as `country_of_origin`.
`extra.aluminum_pour_country`	string	No	Aluminum pour country. Same rules as `country_of_origin`.

Request Example

{
  "description": "Cotton knit short sleeve T-shirt",
  "country_of_origin": "DE",
  "extra": {
    "steel_pour_country": "IT",
    "aluminum_pour_country": "FR"
  }
}

Response Example

{
  "hts_code": "6109.10.0012",
  "tariffs": {
    "general_rate": "16.5%",
    "special_rate": "Free",
    "Section 301": [],
    "Section 232 - Metals": [],
    "Section 122": [
      {
        "code": "9903.03.01",
        "rate": "10%"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Successful Response

Field	Type	Meaning	Notes
`hts_code`	string	The HTS code determined for the product	Normally a 10-digit code; a split-code product may return an 8-digit parent code such as `9101.11.40`
`tariffs`	object \| null	The set of tariff-related data for the product	May be `null` for split-code products
`tariffs.general_rate`	string \| null	General rate	This may also be understood as MFN
`tariffs.special_rate`	string \| null	Special rate	The raw text is lightly normalized, for example by removing a trailing parenthetical note
`tariffs.<module_key>`	array	List of Chapter 99 entries for the module	Each element is `{code, rate}`
`tariffs.<module_key>[].code`	string	Chapter 99 code	For example, `9903.85.08`
`tariffs.<module_key>[].rate`	string	Rate	Percentage string such as `25%`
`components`	array	Component list for a split-code product	Omitted for ordinary products
`components[].hts_code`	string	Component HTS code	Always 10 digits
`components[].tariffs`	object \| null	Tariff data for the component

Error Response

Field	Type	Meaning	Notes
`detail`	object	Error object
`detail.code`	string	Error code	Intended for programmatic handling
`detail.message`	string	Error message	Intended for logging and troubleshooting

Error Response Example

{
  "detail": {
    "code": "invalid_request",
    "message": "Invalid request body."
  }
}

Error Codes

HTTP Status	Code	Description
`401`	`missing_api_key`	X-Api-Key was not provided
`401`	`invalid_api_key`	API key validation failed
`403`	`api_key_revoked`	The API key has been revoked
`403`	`client_disabled`	The caller account has been disabled
`422`	`invalid_request`	Request body is malformed or fields do not satisfy the contract
`429`	`request_rate_limited`	Request-level protection was triggered
`429`	`item_rate_limited`	Item-level quota protection was triggered
`500`	`classification_failed`	HTS identification failed
`500`	`calculator_failed`	Tariff calculation failed
`500`	`internal_error`	An unclassified internal error occurred

Quick Test

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the key issued to you, then run:

curl -X POST 'https://api.gingercontrol.com/openapi/v1/tariff' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'X-Request-Id: manual-single-001' \
  -d '{
    "description": "Cotton knit short sleeve T-shirt",
    "country_of_origin": "DE",
    "extra": {
      "steel_pour_country": "IT",
      "aluminum_pour_country": "FR"
    }
  }'

Batch Endpoint

Method: POST

Path: /openapi/v1/tariff/batch

Base URL: https://api.gingercontrol.com

Headers

Request and response headers are identical to the Single-Product Endpoint: Content-Type, X-Api-Key, and optional X-Request-Id on the request; X-Request-Id and Retry-After (on 429) on the response.

Request Body

Field	Type	Required	Description
`items`	array	Yes	List of products. Up to 200 items per request.
`items[].item_id`	string	Yes	Caller-defined unique identifier for result reconciliation. Must be unique within the request.
`items[].description`	string	Yes	Product description. Must not be empty; max 10,000 characters.
`items[].country_of_origin`	string	Yes	Same rules as the single-product `country_of_origin`.
`items[].extra`	object	No	Same rules as the single-product `extra` object.

Request Example

{
  "items": [
    {
      "item_id": "SKU-DE-001",
      "description": "Cotton knit short sleeve T-shirt",
      "country_of_origin": "DE",
      "extra": {
        "steel_pour_country": "IT"
      }
    },
    {
      "item_id": "SKU-FR-002",
      "description": "Cotton crew neck T-shirt",
      "country_of_origin": "FR",
      "extra": {}
    }
  ]
}

Response Example

{
  "items": [
    {
      "item_id": "SKU-DE-001",
      "status": "ok",
      "hts_code": "6109.10.0012",
      "tariffs": {
        "general_rate": "16.5%",
        "special_rate": "Free",
        "Section 301": [],
        "Section 232 - Metals": [],
        "Section 122": [
          { "code": "9903.03.01", "rate": "10%" }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "item_id": "SKU-FR-002",
      "status": "ok",
      "hts_code": "6109.10.0004",
      "tariffs": {
        "general_rate": "16.5%",
        "special_rate": "Free",
        "Section 301": [],
        "Section 232 - Metals": [],
        "Section 122": [
          { "code": "9903.03.01", "rate": "10%" }
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "total": 2,
    "succeeded": 2,
    "failed": 0
  }
}

Successful Response

Field	Type	Meaning	Notes
`items`	array	List of batch processing results	The response order matches the request order
`items[].item_id`	string	Caller-provided unique identifier	Used for result reconciliation
`items[].status`	string	Processing status	Either `ok` or `failed`
`items[].hts_code`	string	HTS code for a successful item	Normally a 10-digit code; a split-code product may return an 8-digit parent code; present only when `status = ok`
`items[].tariffs`	object \| null	Tariff data for a successful item	May be `null` for split-code products; present only when `status = ok`
`items[].tariffs.general_rate`	string \| null	General rate	This may also be understood as MFN
`items[].tariffs.special_rate`	string \| null	Special rate	Lightly normalized before being returned
`items[].tariffs.<module_key>`	array	Module entries	Each element is `{code, rate}`
`items[].tariffs.<module_key>[].code`	string	Chapter 99 code
`items[].tariffs.<module_key>[].rate`	string	Rate
`items[].components`	array	Component list for a split-code product	Omitted for ordinary products; present only when `status = ok`
`items[].components[].hts_code`	string	Component HTS code	Always 10 digits
`items[].components[].tariffs`	object \| null	Tariff data for the component
`items[].code`	string	Failure code for a failed item	Present only when `status = failed`
`summary`	object	Summary information for the batch request
`summary.total`	integer	Total number of items in this request
`summary.succeeded`	integer	Number of successful items
`summary.failed`	integer	Number of failed items

Error Response

Field	Type	Meaning	Notes
`detail`	object	Error object
`detail.code`	string	Error code	Intended for programmatic handling
`detail.message`	string	Error message	Intended for logging and troubleshooting

Error Response Example

{
  "detail": {
    "code": "item_rate_limited",
    "message": "Item quota exceeded."
  }
}

Error Codes

Batch-Level Error Codes

HTTP Status	Code	Description
`401`	`missing_api_key`	X-Api-Key was not provided in the request headers
`401`	`invalid_api_key`	API key validation failed
`403`	`api_key_revoked`	The API key has been revoked
`403`	`client_disabled`	The caller account has been disabled
`422`	`invalid_request`	The top-level structure is invalid, item_id values are duplicated, fields are missing, field types are incorrect, or field values do not satisfy the contract
`429`	`request_rate_limited`	Request-level protection was triggered
`429`	`item_rate_limited`	Item-level quota protection was triggered
`500`	`internal_error`	An unclassified batch-level internal error occurred

Item-Level Failure Codes

Code	Description
`classification_failed`	HTS identification failed for that item
`calculator_failed`	Tariff calculation failed for that item
`internal_error`	An unclassified internal error occurred for that item

Quick Test

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the key issued to you, then run:

curl -X POST 'https://api.gingercontrol.com/openapi/v1/tariff/batch' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'X-Request-Id: manual-batch-001' \
  -d '{
    "items": [
      {
        "item_id": "SKU-DE-001",
        "description": "Cotton knit short sleeve T-shirt",
        "country_of_origin": "DE",
        "extra": { "steel_pour_country": "IT" }
      },
      {
        "item_id": "SKU-FR-002",
        "description": "Cotton crew neck T-shirt",
        "country_of_origin": "FR",
        "extra": {}
      }
    ]
  }'

Rate Limits & Quotas

All API calls are subject to request-level protection. When request frequency is too high, the system returns 429 Too Many Requests.
Quota is consumed by the number of products processed. The single-product endpoint consumes 1 item, while batch consumes based on the number of items.
Both endpoints share the same item-level quota under the same API key.
Production API keys are sized to each customer's traffic model. Contact us for tier sizing.

Development Recommendations

Validate request bodies

If you receive 422, the request body structure, field types, or field values usually do not match the contract. Check the request body first.

Handle rate limits gracefully

If you receive 429, implement retry behavior using the Retry-After response header.

Log request IDs

Keep request logs and record the X-Request-Id for each call. This significantly reduces troubleshooting time.

Configure timeouts and retries

Configure reasonable timeouts, retries, and failure alerts so that network fluctuations can be handled robustly.

Security Recommendations

Do not embed your API key in frontend code, browser code, or any environment exposed to end users.

Do not use production API keys in test, development, or temporary debugging environments.

Store your API key in a secure configuration system, such as a secret manager or tightly controlled environment variables.

If an API key is lost, suspected to be leaked, or needs to be rotated, please contact us as soon as possible.

Contact

For integration support, testing, production rollout, or ongoing operations, please contact us:

Email: chen@gingercontrol.com