ECCN classification
Walks an item to a Commerce Control List entry and asks only for the parameters that entry turns on.
Look up the ECCN for a product, or classify it against the Commerce Control List step by step. ECCN.help uses rules taken from the published Export Administration Regulations. There is no language model and no machine learning in it, so the same item gets the same answer, and every answer names the entry and paragraph that decided it.
Item: Mesh Wi-Fi 6 home system with WPA3, sold at retail
Category 5 Part 2, Note 3 (Cryptography Note): retail sale, user cannot change the encryption, filing made
15 CFR 774, Supp. 1
AI chat tools write fluent answers, but the answer can change from one run to the next and they cannot show which rule decided it. A licence decision has to stand up when someone checks it.
Walks an item to a Commerce Control List entry and asks only for the parameters that entry turns on.
Jurisdiction is settled first. An item on the U.S. Munitions List has no ECCN, and the tool says so instead of offering one.
ECCN plus destination, read against the Commerce Country Chart, with the reasons for control that triggered.
Part 740 exceptions reported with the conditions each one carries, drawn from the entry itself.
OFAC SDN and consolidated lists. Only an exact name is a hit; everything else is flagged for a person to read.
Look up ECCNs by product name in the CCL Index, and work through EAR99, ITAR and encryption questions as short decision trees.
Export control has an order of operations. Skip a step and you can end up with an answer that looks certain and is wrong.
Is the item on the U.S. Munitions List? An ITAR-controlled defense article has no ECCN, so the USML is checked before the CCL is opened.
Category, then product group, then the entry itself. The tool asks only for the technical parameters that the candidate entry turns on.
NS, AT, MT, EI, CB, NP and the others. The Country Chart is read against these, so each determination lists them.
The ECCN plus the destination decides whether a licence is required. Where one is, Part 740 exceptions are screened with the conditions each carries.
EAR99 is where the walk ends when no entry on the list applies. The item gets there by ruling entries out; it is never assumed at the start.
An export control answer you cannot justify is a liability. A reviewer, an auditor or BIS should be able to follow how each conclusion was reached, so every step is kept.
Every determination names the CCL entry and the reasons for control that triggered.
Every verdict comes from the published regulation and curated reference data, and every step of the reasoning is shown.
Codes are validated against the Commerce Control List. An ECCN that does not exist cannot be returned.
What was asked, what decided it, and which version of the reference data was used, kept as an append-only audit trail.
When the sanctions lists age past their threshold, screening stops and says so. It never returns a false “clear”.
Classify a backlog consistently, and keep the reasoning attached to each item so a later review does not start from nothing.
Settle ECCN and licence questions for a product line before a shipment is booked, so the answer is ready when the freight forwarder asks.
Check a classification you have been handed, screen the parties, and see the reason for control behind the number.
A structured first pass with citations, so billable time goes to the judgement calls.
Check whether a technology, a piece of equipment or a shipment of samples falls under the EAR before a collaboration is agreed.
First export, no compliance function yet, and encryption in the product. Start with jurisdiction and Category 5 Part 2 and work from there.
ECCN.help finds the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) for a product, software or technology by walking it through the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR) step by step: ITAR vs. EAR jurisdiction first, then the Commerce Control List category and product group, then the entry and the paragraph the item meets. The result names the ECCN, the reasons for control and the rule that decided it. No AI is involved.
An Export Control Classification Number is a five-character code on the Commerce Control List (15 CFR 774), such as 5A992 or 3A001. It says why an item is controlled and, with the Commerce Country Chart, whether an export licence is needed.
Looking up a code tells you what an entry covers. Classifying tells you which entry your item meets. ECCN.help does both: Quick Search for lookup, the Classification Workflow for a documented determination.
Type a product name and Quick ECCN Search returns the ECCNs that usually cover it, from the CCL Index, with the end use, similar commodities and whether a licence is commonly needed. It is a starting point: the CCL entry, read against your item, decides.
EAR99 applies only when no entry on the Commerce Control List describes the item. ECCN.help records every entry it ruled out, so an EAR99 result carries its own evidence.
An item on the U.S. Munitions List is subject to the ITAR and has no ECCN. The jurisdiction check runs first, before any EAR answer is offered.
Mass-market encryption (5A992.c, 5D992.c), the Cryptography Note, 5A002 and 5D002, and the 740.17 filing each outcome carries, asked as plain questions.
From a result, check the licence requirement for any destination against the Country Chart and licence exceptions, and screen parties against the OFAC and consolidated screening lists.
More on ECCN lookup, EAR99, ITAR vs. EAR and licensing in the export control guides, or see how a classification works, step by step.
No. Every determination comes from rules drawn from the published Export Administration Regulations, the ITAR and the Commerce Control List. There is no language model or machine learning. The same item gets the same answer against the same version of the regulation, a code that does not exist can never be returned, each result shows the rule that decided it, and your product data is never sent to an AI provider.
Describe the item, confirm the ITAR vs. EAR scope, choose its Commerce Control List category and product group, and pick the entry. ECCN.help asks only what the entry turns on and returns the ECCN with the rule that decided it. The How to use page walks through three worked examples.
As guidance, yes: from a classification result, the licence check compares the reasons for control with the Commerce Country Chart for the destination and lists the licence exceptions that may apply.
An Export Control Classification Number is a five-character code on the Commerce Control List that identifies how an item is controlled under the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. It sets out the reasons for control, which are read against the Commerce Country Chart to decide whether a licence is required for a given destination.
ITAR governs defense articles and services on the U.S. Munitions List, administered by the State Department (DDTC). The EAR governs commercial and dual-use items on the Commerce Control List, administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security. Jurisdiction is decided first: an item subject to ITAR has no ECCN. Where an item is genuinely borderline, a Commodity Jurisdiction determination from DDTC is the definitive answer.
Yes. Quick Search, the CCL index, licence requirements, OFAC screening and the regulatory references are free to use without limit once you sign in. Quick ECCN Search looks up ECCNs by product name.
No. EAR99 means the item is subject to the EAR but is not listed on the Commerce Control List. A licence can still be required for an embargoed destination, a prohibited end use or a denied party. You reach EAR99 after checking the list; it is never a default.
No. ECCN.help is a research and assistance tool. It gives structured guidance with the reasoning shown, but it is not an official classification and it is not legal advice. Verify every result against the BIS official website, and obtain a formal classification or counsel where the stakes require one.
Nothing restricted. The service is hosted in the United States and its data is reachable from anywhere in the world by the administrators and developers, so uploading controlled technical data may itself be a deemed export. Use generic product descriptions and published specifications.
The Commerce Control List, USML and licence-exception corpora carry the date they were verified, and each determination records which version it was made against. Sanctions and restricted-party lists are refreshed weekly. When they age past their threshold, screening stops and tells you, so you never get a result you should not rely on.
Every account includes five classifications through the Classification Workflow at no charge. One classification is used each time you start classifying an item. The reference tools (Quick Search, licence requirements, OFAC screening and the regulatory references) are free to use without limit. For more classifications, contact [email protected] or book a call with our founder; additional classifications may be offered on a paid plan.
Every determination is a record: what was asked, what decided it, and against which version of the regulation. Five classifications included with every account.