Classification Support Package
A Classification Support Package (CSP) is Kanon's primary output document for every HTS classification determination. It is an immutable, version-stamped record that captures the product attributes, every HTSUS provision evaluated, the GRI rule applied, the CROSS rulings considered, the Chapter 99 trade remedy analysis, and the full legal reasoning chain — designed from the outset as a CBP audit defense document.
In Detail
The Classification Support Package is built at the conclusion of every Kanon classification and locked at that moment. It records: the specific HTSUS corpus version in effect at the time of classification; the product's material composition, function, and relevant attributes as captured during intake; every section note, chapter note, subheading note, and Additional U.S. Note evaluated; the heading comparisons made and the GRI rule (or sub-rule) that resolved classification; any CROSS rulings supporting or distinguishing the determined HTS code; and the full Chapter 99 trade remedy overlay analysis — Section 301, Section 232, IEEPA, ADD/CVD exposure, and applicable USTR exclusions. Each field is timestamped and tied to the specific corpus version used.
The immutability of the CSP is a design principle, not a feature that can be toggled. A classification document that can be retroactively edited has no evidentiary value — CBP cannot use a document as evidence of what the importer knew at the time of classification if the document has been modified since. Kanon's CSPs are issued in a locked state; any change to the underlying classification triggers a new CSP version with a new timestamp, preserving the audit trail of every classification decision and any subsequent revisions.
The CSP serves multiple functions in an importer's compliance program. It is the primary evidence that the importer exercised reasonable care in the classification — the legal standard that determines culpability level if CBP finds a classification error. It is the ready-made response package for CF-28 information requests and the documentary foundation for CF-29 defenses and formal protests. And it is the internal reference document that ensures classification consistency across entries for the same product: the CSP for a prior entry is the starting point for any new entry covering the same goods.
Classification Significance
CBP's reasonable care standard, established by the Customs Modernization Act of 1993, requires importers to take positive steps to ensure classification accuracy. The Classification Support Package is the tangible evidence of reasonable care. In a Focused Assessment, the presence of CSPs for every classified product — documenting a systematic, GRI-based, note-inclusive, CROSS-researched classification methodology — materially affects the culpability finding and, consequently, the penalty level if errors are found. The CSP does not prevent errors from occurring, but it limits their financial consequences.
How Kanon Handles This
The Classification Support Package is Kanon's core output for every classification. It is generated automatically at the conclusion of each GRI traversal and Chapter 99 analysis, includes all corpus evaluation records and legal reasoning, is locked at issuance with a corpus version reference, and is stored as a permanent, immutable audit record — available for production to CBP on demand, from the day of classification forward.