TariffWatch Docs

TariffWatch calculates your business's actual dollar exposure to the 14 new Section 232 tariff categories proposed in Federal Register notice BIS-2026-15961, ahead of the public comment window (docket BIS-2026-0331) closing at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday Aug 27, 2026. This page covers running your first exposure check, common questions, how the comment-letter process works, and what to do if something looks wrong.

1. Run the free exposure checker. Go to /tariffwatch and enter your HTS codes and annual customs value. The checker returns your current total annual exposure and your proposed additional annual exposure under the BIS-2026-15961 categories specifically.
2. Read your exposure breakdown. Results show which of your HTS codes fall inside the newly proposed categories, how many codes are at risk, and the dollar delta between current and proposed exposure — this is the number that matters for deciding whether to submit a comment.
3. Check the countdown. The landing page's countdown clock tracks the exact comment-window deadline; once the window closes, the site's copy automatically shifts from urgency framing to ongoing-exposure framing (see the roadmap for the mechanics of this pivot).
4. Submit a comment letter (optional). If your exposure check shows material impact, /tariffwatch/submit-letter walks through a verified, identity-checked flow to generate a comment-letter draft for the regulations.gov docket. Verification (domain match, free-email-provider flag) exists specifically to keep the public docket free of spam submissions.
5. Review sample letters. /tariffwatch/samples shows real example comment letters generated by the same drafting process, so you know what to expect before starting your own.

Is this legal or trade advice? No. TariffWatch calculates exposure based on publicly documented Federal Register and HTS classification data; it is not a substitute for advice from a licensed customs broker or trade attorney, particularly for a comment-letter submission with legal weight on the public docket.

Does TariffWatch submit my comment letter for me? The flow is verified and assisted — it drafts your letter and prepares it for the regulations.gov docket (BIS-2026-0331) — but final submission currently requires you to complete the one-click regulations.gov step yourself, per the honest scope noted on the roadmap; fully automated API submission is a planned, not yet shipped, capability.

What happens after Aug 27 2026? The comment window closes, but tariff exposure from whatever BIS finalizes doesn't disappear — it usually takes effect on a subsequent timeline. TariffWatch's landing and checker copy is pre-staged to pivot from "the window is closing" urgency to "here's your ongoing exposure" framing automatically once the deadline passes, rather than leaving stale countdown copy live past its relevance.

How is this different from Descartes CustomsInfo or Gaia Dynamics? Those are broader trade-compliance platforms. TariffWatch is narrowly focused on this specific Section 232 proposal with a free, no-signup exposure calculator built around the exact HTS categories in play — see the comparison pages linked from /tariffwatch/best-section-232-tools-2026.

What data does the free checker collect? The HTS codes and customs value figures you enter, plus a hashed IP for abuse prevention — no payment information required for the free check. Comment-letter requests additionally collect business name/context and a verification email; see /tariffwatch/privacy for full detail and the 30-day retention window, which is enforced automatically.

• Federal Register / regulations.gov — the exposure calculation and comment-letter drafter are built directly against docket BIS-2026-0331's live data, refreshed daily via an automated snapshot cron.
• HTS classification — the free HTS Code Lookup tool is a standalone companion for classifying products before running an exposure check.
• CPSC Penalty Calculator — a related free tool at /tools/cpsc-penalty-calculator for businesses also navigating CPSC-side compliance.
• PostHog — product analytics and, with consent, session replay; see the cookie policy.
• Stripe — billing for any paid watch-list or alerting tier beyond the current free checker.

My exposure number seems too high or too low. Double-check every HTS code entered against the HTS Code Lookup tool — a single misclassified code can swing the exposure calculation significantly, since the newly proposed categories are defined at a specific HTS-code level, not a broad product-category level.

My comment-letter request is stuck in verification. Verification checks domain match between your business and email, flags free-email-provider addresses, and screens for suspicious/injection content — all designed to keep the public regulations.gov docket spam-free. If your request seems legitimately stuck, the verification email includes a resend option; check spam before assuming it failed.

The countdown clock shows a different time than I expect. The deadline is fixed at 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday Aug 27, 2026 — convert to your local timezone rather than assuming the displayed countdown is already in local time; the page states UTC explicitly for exactly this reason.

A comparison page seems out of date. Comparison pages against Descartes CustomsInfo and Gaia Dynamics are reviewed periodically. If you know of a change we've missed, report it via /corrections.

For anything not covered here, the fastest path is running a fresh free exposure check — it takes under a minute and requires no signup.