Automate Customs Tariff Number Research with n8n Workflow

Automate Customs Tariff Number Research with n8n

If you have ever tried to look up customs tariff numbers by hand, you know it is not exactly a fun way to spend an afternoon. Lots of clicking, copying, pasting, and second-guessing. The good news is that you do not have to do it manually anymore.

In this guide, we will walk through an n8n workflow template that automates customs tariff number research for you. It connects an external Customs Tariff API with Google Sheets and even sends you an email when everything is done. You can use it for quick one-off lookups or to process long product lists in bulk.

Let us break it down in plain language so you know exactly what this workflow does, when to use it, and how it can make your life a lot easier.

What This n8n Workflow Actually Does

At its core, this workflow is all about turning product descriptions into customs tariff numbers without manual research. It does this in three main ways:

• Single item lookup – Type in a product description and instantly get the top tariff suggestion from the Customs Tariff API.
• Bulk processing from Google Sheets – Take a whole list of products from a sheet, send each one to the API, and write the result back into the same sheet.
• Completion email – Get a notification in your inbox once all items have been processed.

You can use the parts together or separately, depending on whether you need a quick answer or a full batch of results.

When You Should Use This Template

This n8n workflow template is perfect if you:

• Handle international shipments and need customs tariff numbers regularly.
• Maintain product catalogs that must include accurate tariff codes.
• Are tired of copying descriptions into external tools and then pasting results back into spreadsheets.
• Want to automate repetitive customs classification tasks using Google Sheets and APIs.

If you ever thought, “There has to be a faster way to match these products with tariff numbers,” this workflow is that faster way.

How the Workflow Is Structured

The template is organized into three main branches that work together:

1. Manual Single Query – for quick, on-demand lookups.
2. Batch Query from List – for processing many items from a spreadsheet.
3. Completion Notification – for getting an email summary once everything is done.

Let us walk through each part so you know exactly what is happening behind the scenes.

1. Quick Lookups with the Manual Single Query

Sometimes you just want to check one item, right? No spreadsheets, no batch jobs, just a fast answer. That is where the Manual Single Query branch comes in.

How it works

This part of the workflow uses a Chat Trigger in n8n. Here is what happens step by step:

1. You open the workflow and use the Chat Trigger to enter a short description of your item, for example, “wireless Bluetooth headphones.”
2. n8n sends that description to the Customs Tariff API.
3. The API responds with one or more suggested customs tariff numbers, along with additional details.
4. The workflow takes the first suggestion and outputs that as the main result.

This is ideal when you just need a quick customs tariff number for a single product, without setting up or editing any spreadsheets.

2. Bulk Automation with Batch Query from Google Sheets

Now for the more powerful part. If you have a long list of items, doing one query at a time is not realistic. That is exactly why the workflow includes a Batch Query from List branch that works with Google Sheets.

What this branch does

This branch starts with a manual trigger and then processes each item in a Google Sheet, one by one, using the Loop Over Items node in n8n.

Here is the flow in simple terms:

1. The workflow is started manually.
2. n8n reads product descriptions from a specific Google Sheet and sheet tab that you define.
3. Using Loop Over Items, it goes through each row in the sheet.

Step-by-step processing for each row

For every item description in your sheet, the workflow does the following:

1. Calls the Customs Tariff API with the current item description as input.
2. Extracts and prepares data from the API response, including:
   • The suggested customs tariff code.
   • The description that matches the tariff number.
   • The match score or relevance indicator returned by the API.
3. Updates the Google Sheet by writing the customs tariff number (and related details, if desired) into the row next to the original item description.

The outcome is a neatly enriched spreadsheet where each product now has a corresponding customs tariff number, all generated automatically.

This approach is ideal when you have large datasets, product catalogs, or shipment lists that need consistent and accurate customs classification without manual data entry.

3. Stay in the Loop with Completion Notifications

You probably do not want to sit and watch rows being processed one at a time. That is why the workflow includes a Completion Notification branch.

What happens at the end

After the batch process finishes, the workflow:

• Collects and aggregates the overall results from the batch run.
• Sends a notification email to the address you configured.

The email confirms that the process is complete, so you know it is safe to go back to your Google Sheet and start using the enriched data. It is a small touch, but it makes managing the workflow much smoother, especially if you are processing a long list.

Why This Workflow Makes Your Life Easier

So why bother setting this up instead of sticking with manual research? A few solid reasons:

• Huge time savings – No more looking up each item individually. The workflow handles both single and batch queries automatically.
• Fewer mistakes – By relying on a dedicated Customs Tariff API, you reduce the risk of typos or choosing the wrong code from memory.
• Flexible usage – Use the Chat Trigger for quick checks or the Google Sheets integration for full-scale data enrichment.
• Smooth integrations – It works directly with Google Sheets for input and output, and uses your preferred email service for notifications.

In short, you get a more reliable, repeatable process for customs tariff number research, without extra manual work.

Getting Started with the Template

Ready to try it out? Here is what you need to set up before running the workflow:

1. Connect Google Sheets

• In n8n, connect your Google Sheets account.
• Specify the target spreadsheet and the exact sheet tab that contains your item descriptions.
• Make sure the column with product descriptions is clearly defined, so the workflow can read from it and write results back.

2. Configure the Customs Tariff API

• Set up your API credentials inside n8n if the Customs Tariff API you use requires authentication.
• Check that the endpoint, parameters, and any required headers are correctly configured in the API node.

3. Set Your Notification Email

• Connect your email service in n8n, such as SMTP or another supported email provider.
• Enter the email address where you want to receive completion notifications.

Once these pieces are in place, you can:

• Run a single query using the Chat Trigger to test the API connection.
• Start the batch process to enrich your Google Sheet with customs tariff numbers.

Wrapping Up

This n8n workflow template gives you a practical, low-friction way to automate customs tariff number research. Whether you are classifying a single new product or updating an entire catalog, it helps you:

• Streamline your customs classification process.
• Improve accuracy with consistent API-based results.
• Save time by automating manual lookups in Google Sheets.

If customs tariff numbers are part of your daily work, this automation can quietly take a big chunk of that load off your plate.

Give this workflow a try and see how much smoother your customs classification can be.