ECCN (Export Control Classification Number)

An Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) is a five-character alphanumeric code assigned to an item, software package, or technology when it matches a specific entry on the US Commerce Control List (CCL) under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR, 15 CFR Parts 730-774), administered by the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). The code format is: one digit (0-9) for product category, one letter (A-E) for product group, and three digits identifying the specific CCL entry and reason(s) for control. Items subject to the EAR that match no CCL entry are not assigned an ECCN; they are designated EAR99 instead.

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· Last updated 12 Aug 2026

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Worked examples

Is an instance

A cryogenic vacuum system or specialized sensor matching a specific Category 3 or Category 6 CCL entry is assigned the corresponding ECCN (e.g. 3A001, 6A002).

Is an instance

Encryption software meeting the key-length/algorithm thresholds in Category 5 Part 2 (Information Security) is classified under an ECCN such as 5D002, triggering encryption-specific EAR obligations.

Looks similar, but isn't

Not an instance

A standard benchtop centrifuge or lab balance matching no CCL entry is not assigned an ECCN at all -- it is EAR99, the residual catch-all, not a default or low ECCN.

Not an instance

A defense article on the US Munitions List (e.g. certain night-vision optics) is controlled under ITAR by the State Department, not classified with an ECCN under the EAR.

Not an instance

An ECCN is not a Harmonized System (HS) customs tariff code -- HS codes drive duties/trade statistics and are assigned independent of export-control status.

An Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) is a five-character alphanumeric code assigned to an item, piece of equipment, software package, or technology to identify how it is controlled under the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 CFR Parts 730-774), which the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) administers. An item “has” an ECCN when it matches a specific entry on the Commerce Control List (CCL) (Supplement No. 1 to 15 CFR Part 774) based on its technical parameters — encryption strength, sensor sensitivity, processing speed, and similar thresholds the CCL entry defines. Items subject to the EAR that match no CCL entry are not given an ECCN at all; they receive the residual EAR99 designation instead.

ECCN format

Every ECCN follows the same structure:

First digit (0-9) — product category: 0 Nuclear materials/facilities/equipment, 1 Special materials/chemicals/microorganisms/toxins, 2 Materials processing, 3 Electronics, 4 Computers, 5 Telecommunications (Part 1) and Information security (Part 2), 6 Sensors and lasers, 7 Navigation and avionics, 8 Marine, 9 Aerospace and propulsion.
Second character, a letter (A-E) — product group within that category: A equipment/assemblies/components, B test/inspection/production equipment, C materials, D software, E technology.
Final three digits — the specific CCL entry, which also signals the reason(s) for control (e.g. national security, missile technology, chemical/biological weapons, anti-terrorism).

So an ECCN of 3A001 reads as: Category 3 (Electronics), Group A (equipment), entry 001. Reading the code tells a compliance office which category and control reasons apply before it even opens the full CCL entry text.

How an item gets an ECCN

There are two accepted routes:

Self-classification — an exporter (or a university export control office) works through the CCL’s “Order of Review” at 15 CFR Part 774 Supplement No. 4, comparing the item’s actual technical specifications against CCL entry language, using BIS’s public interactive CCL tools. This is the routine path for the large majority of items.
Formal Commodity Classification request — filed with BIS under 15 CFR 748.3, submitted electronically through the SNAP-R system, and returned as a CCATS (Commodity Classification Automated Tracking System) determination. This route is typically reserved for genuinely ambiguous items or higher-risk categories such as encryption, where self-classification carries real compliance risk. BIS does not publish a fixed processing-time guarantee for CCATS requests; export-control practitioners commonly cite roughly 30-60 days, which should be treated as a reported industry estimate rather than an official BIS service-level commitment.

See the ECCN determination process entry for the fuller workflow, and the ECCN lookup guide for research equipment for a walkthrough aimed specifically at classifying lab and research instrumentation.

Why it matters for research institutions

An ECCN determines whether shipping, hand-carrying, or even granting a foreign national access to an item, dataset, or piece of software counts as a controlled “export” — including the deemed-export scenario where simply releasing controlled technology to a foreign national inside the US is itself regulated. Universities and research labs that import specialized lab equipment, ship instruments to international collaborators, or hire foreign researchers who will operate controlled equipment need to know an item’s ECCN (or confirm it is EAR99) before that transfer happens, not after. The EAR’s fundamental research exclusion (15 CFR 734.8) can remove certain published research *results* from control, but it does not exempt the physical equipment, software, or technical data used to produce those results — a common point of confusion in procurement and lab-onboarding contexts. A Technology Control Plan (TCP) is the document institutions typically use to manage access to ECCN-controlled equipment or technology once it’s on campus.

Examples

A cryogenic vacuum system or specialized sensor whose technical parameters match a specific Category 3 or Category 6 CCL entry is assigned the corresponding ECCN (e.g. 3A001, 6A002) rather than defaulting to EAR99.
Encryption software that meets the key-length or algorithm thresholds defined in Category 5 Part 2 (Information Security) is classified under an ECCN such as 5D002, triggering EAR encryption reporting or licensing requirements that plain EAR99 software does not.

Counter-examples

A standard benchtop centrifuge or off-the-shelf laboratory balance with no technical parameters matching any CCL entry is not assigned an ECCN at all — it is EAR99, the EAR’s residual, generally license-free catch-all, not a low-numbered or “default” ECCN.
A defense article on the US Munitions List — certain night-vision optics or weapons-related technology, for example — is controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by the State Department, not classified with an ECCN under the EAR at all; ECCNs only apply to items subject to the EAR’s “dual-use” jurisdiction.
An ECCN is not the same as a Harmonized System (HS) code: an HS code is a customs tariff-classification number used for duties and trade statistics, assigned independently of export-control status, while an ECCN specifically drives EAR licensing obligations.

Frequently asked questions

What is an ECCN number?

“ECCN number” and “ECCN” refer to the same thing: the five-character Export Control Classification Number assigned under the EAR when an item matches a Commerce Control List entry. There is no separate “ECCN number” distinct from the ECCN code itself.

What does ECCN mean?

ECCN stands for Export Control Classification Number — a BIS-administered code identifying which Commerce Control List entry, and which control reasons, apply to a specific item subject to the EAR.

Is every exported item assigned an ECCN?

No. Only items matching a specific CCL entry receive an ECCN. Items subject to the EAR that match no CCL entry are EAR99, not an unassigned or placeholder ECCN.

Who assigns an ECCN?

In most cases the exporter classifies its own item (self-classification) using the CCL’s Order of Review. BIS itself only assigns a classification directly when an exporter files a formal Commodity Classification request through SNAP-R and receives a CCATS determination back.

Use in your systems

JATS XML <role> element

xml

<role vocab="credit"
      vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
      vocab-term="ECCN (Export Control Classification Number)"
      vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/eccn" />

Schema.org DefinedTerm (JSON-LD)

json

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