Is my product on the tariff list?

This question has a definite answer, but getting to it requires working at the level measures are actually written at: tariff headings, not product categories.

Step one: classify the product properly

Measures are written against Harmonized System headings and subheadings. Until you know your product’s classification, you cannot check it against anything.

"Apparel" is not a classification. A specific subheading for, say, a knitted cotton garment of a particular construction is. Products that look similar on your shelf can sit in different headings, and that difference decides whether a measure applies.

If your Shopify variants have blank or six-digit stub codes, this step is where the work is. Do it once, document the reasoning, and every subsequent question becomes answerable.

Step two: read what the measure covers

Trade measures include a schedule listing the covered headings. Your job is to check whether your classification appears in that list — at the level of specificity the list uses.

Watch for exclusions and carve-outs, which are common and which are frequently reported inaccurately in summaries. A heading that appears covered may have an exclusion that applies to your exact product.

Step three: check the CUSMA interaction

Whether a measure applies to goods that qualify for CUSMA preferential treatment is a separate question from whether the heading is covered, and it changes the outcome completely.

This is the single most misunderstood part. A brand can be told its category is tariffed, panic, reprice, and discover later that its qualifying goods were never affected.

Step four: work out what it costs you

Multiply the rate delta by your monthly units for the affected SKUs. That number decides whether you reprice, absorb or re-source.

And note the effective date against your in-transit inventory, because goods already moving may be treated differently from goods you ship next week.

Doing this once per announcement, across a large catalogue, by hand, is the problem TariffPulse removes — the mapping is maintained continuously so the answer is ready when the announcement lands.