Vague Commodity Descriptions
"19 CFR § 4.7a, 122.48a, 123.91, 123.92 and 128.21 require a precise, or specific, description of merchandise regardless of value. A precise cargo description is a description of an item that is clear and concise. The description should be in plain language and detailed enough to allow U.S. Customs to identify the size, shape and characteristics of the commodity. Only the cargo description should be included in the field of transmission. Superfluous information, not relevant to the commodity description e.g., personally identifiable information (PII), type of packaging, carrier disclaimers, etc., should not be transmitted in the commodity description field."
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/e-commerce
See our comprehensive list of past and current commodity descriptions from manifests which are considered "vague" by many international customs agencies.
Visit CBP's E-Commerce webpage for suggestions on acceptable descriptions for many of the vague commodities listed below. Note that the below incorporates all unacceptable terms as identified by CBP as of April 11th, 2024.
A-D
A/C Parts
AC Parts
Accessories
Advertising Material
Air Manifest
Aircraft Parts
Aircraft Spare Parts
Aircraft Spares
Animals
Antibodies
Antibody
Apparel
Appliances
Art
As Per Attached INV
Assorted Merchandise
Assorted Produce
Auto Parts
Automotive Parts
Bag
Bathroom Products
Battery
Bearing
Belts
Bill of Lading
Biologicals
Box
Boxes
Brake
Brake Parts
Brand names by themselves
Business Correspondence
Cable
Caps
Carton
Cartons
Cases of Food
CD
CDs
Cell Line
Cells
Chemical
Chemicals
Chemicals, hazardous
Chemicals, non-hazardous
Chip
Christmas Gifts
CI Attached
Civil Aircraft Parts
Civil Aircraft Spares
Cleaning Products
Clothes
Clothes / Textiles
Clothing
Clothing and Accessories
Comat
Commercial Invoice
Company Business
Components
Computer Parts
Computer Peripherals
Connector
Consolidated (unless MBL/MAWB)
Consumer Goods
Cosmetic Products
Cosmetics
Crafts/Craft Supplies
Culture
Cuttings
Daily Necessities
Dangerous Good
Dangerous Goods
Data Processing Part
Data Processing Parts
Defective Goods
DESC N
DESCRI
DG
DGs
Disk
Disks
Display
DNA
Doc
Docs
Document
Documentation
Documents
Drug
Drugs
Dry Ice
DVD
DVDs
E-L
Electrical Parts
Electronic
Electronic Component
Electronic Components
Electronic Equipment
Electronic Goods
Electronic Part
Electronic Parts
Electronics
Equipment
Fabric
Fabric Samples
Fabrics
FAC
FAK
FAK (Freight of All Kinds)
Film
Fish
Flooring
Food
Food Items
Foodstuffs
Frames
Freight Of All Kinds
Freight Prepaid
Garments
General
General Cargo
Gift
Gifts
Goods
Handicrafts
Hardware
Haz Mat
Haz Material
Haz Materials
Hazardous Chemical
Hazardous Chemicals
Hazardous Good
Hazardous Goods
Hazardous Material
Hazardous Materials
HazMat
Household Goods
HS #
HS NON
HS#
I C
IC
ILLEDG
Illegible
Implants
Indecipherable descriptions
Industrial Equipment
Industrial Goods
Industrial Plastics
Integrated Circuit
Integrated Circuits
Iron
Items
Jeans
Jewelry
Laboratory Goods
Laboratory Reagents
Ladies Apparel
Ladies' Apparel
Leather
Leather Articles
Letter
Liquid
Luggage
M-Q
Machine Part
Machine Parts
Machinery
Machines
Meat
Medical Device
Medical Equipment
Medical Parts
Medical Spare Parts
Medical Supplies
Medicaments
Medication
Medications
Medicine
Medicines
Meds
Men’s Apparel
Men's Apparel
Metal
Metal Work
'Misc/Miscellaneous'
Miscellaneous Items
Mix Veg
Mixed produce
Necessities
NES (Note Elsewhere Specified)
New Goods
No CI
NO COM
NO DES
No Description Provided
NOI (Not Otherwise Indicated)
NON-G
Non-Hazardous
NOT GI
Novelty Items
Oil
Online Retailer
Online Retailer Shipment
Ore
Packaging
Packaging Supplies
Palletized Shipment
Pants
Paper
Paperwork
Part
Parts
Parts Of
PC Hardware
PCB
PCBA
Peripheral
Personal Effects
Personal Item
Personal Items
Pet food
Pharmaceuticals
PIB
PIBs
Pipes
Plants/Flowers
Plastic
Plastic Goods
Plastic Parts
Polyurethane
Powder
Power Supply
Precious Metal
Printed Circuit Board
Printed Material
Printed Materials
Printed Matter
Printed Matters
Produce
Promo Item
Promo Items
Promo Material
Promo Materials
Promotional
Promotional Item
Promotional Items
Promotional Material
Promotional Materials
Pump
R-Z
Receivers
Records
Refer to CI
Refer To Commercial Invoice
Report
Rod
Rods
Rubber
Rubber Articles
Said To Contain
Sample
Samples
Scrap
Sea Waybill
See Attached
See CI
SEE CO
SEE IN
See Invoice
Serial Number only
Shingles
Shirt
Snacks
Software
Spare Parts
Spare Parts for Machine
Spares
Sporting Goods
Sportswear
STC
STC (Said to Contain)
Steel
Stuff
Supplements
Supplies
Surgical Instruments
Swatches
Tape
Tapes
Taxable Groceries
Textile
Textile Samples
Textiles
Textiles Samples
Thing
Tiles
Toiletries
Tools
Toy
Toys/Games
Trade Mark names by themselves
Training Material
Training Materials
Tubes
UNK
Unknown
Unlist
Used Goods
USMCA/T-MEC/CUSMA
Various
Various Goods
Vehicles
Video
Video Tape
Video Tapes
Videotape
Videotapes
VISA MDR Table
Wafer
Waste
Wearing Apparel
Wire
Wires
Wood
XX
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