The Harmonised Commodity Code (*NHM) is based on the international standard Harmonised System (HS) used to describe and code goods in international trade published by the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
(*From French "Nomenclature harmonisée des marchandises")
Harmonisiertes Güterverzeichnis / Nomenclature harmonisée des marchandises
The Harmonised Commodity Code (NHM) is based on the international standard Harmonised System (HS) used to describe and code goods in international trade published by the World Customs Organisation (WCO). It also contains railway-specific content in chapters 27, 98 and 99.
The NHM is an important basis for conducting international freight traffic. It is a standard and compatible commodity code and thereby facilitates compilation, comparison and analysis of data exchanged between customers, railway undertakings (RU) and administrative bodies. At the same time, it assists the RUs in monitoring the market.
The NHM enables tariffs to be differentiated based on the type of commodity and contributes to the harmonisation of the tariff systems applied by RUs.
For goods with dangerous goods characteristics the "Regulations governing the international carriage of dangerous goods by rail" (RID) shall prevail and shall be observed. There is no reference to the respective UN numbers in the NHM.
On 1 January 2026, the updated Harmonised Commodity Code (NHM) will come into force.
Chapter 99 remains valid for transports inside the same customs area. For further explanation and guidance on its usage outside customs areas, please consult the support documents and notes in the NHM file. The NHM code is now fully aligned with the Harmonised System (HS), with one exception: Chapter 99 – Railway-Specific Headings.
Certain Chapter 99 codes may still be used in consignment notes for standard rolling stock outside the customs area. Please refer to the PDF and NHM file (see the "In Customs Declaration" column) for detailed information.
The NHM files are now merged into a single document, containing all language versions.
For more information, please consult the available documentation or contact us if needed.
nhm2026_multilingual.xlsx 2026-12-05-nhm2026_multilingual.xlsx
The UIC leaflet 221 on NHM is available on the ETF web site here
nhm_difference_en_2026.xlsx nhm_difference_en_2025.xlsx
Definition: A country's DIUM (Uniform Distance Table for International Freight Traffic) comprises various data concerning international rail freight transport u
ExploreTake advantage of best practices, and: Increase customer satisfaction through better information quality Optimise dispatching and information provided to cust
ExploreIRS International Contingency Management handbook In 2020, UIC standardised the handbook into International Railway Solution 20240. As such, it is available for
