ECCN

An Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) is a five-character code assigned to items subject to the jurisdiction of the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Each ECCN identifies a specific category of commercial or dual-use good, software, or technology on the Commerce Control List (CCL), found in Supplement No. 1 to Part 774 of the EAR.

The code's structure is meaningful. The first digit (0–9) indicates one of ten broad categories, such as 0 — Nuclear Materials, 3 — Electronics, 4 — Computers, or 5 — Telecommunications and Information Security. The second character is a letter (A, B, C, D, or E) denoting the product group: A equipment, B test equipment, C materials, D software, E technology. The remaining three digits specify the item and the reasons for control — for example, national security (NS), missile technology (MT), anti-terrorism (AT), or regional stability (RS).

Exporters use the ECCN together with the destination country, end-user, and end-use to consult the Commerce Country Chart and determine whether a BIS license is required. Items not listed on the CCL are designated EAR99, a residual category that generally does not require a license except to embargoed destinations or restricted parties.

ECCNs sit at the intersection of trade policy and national security. They translate multilateral commitments — particularly the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group, and the Missile Technology Control Regime — into enforceable US classifications. High-profile actions, such as the October 2022 BIS controls on advanced computing and semiconductor manufacturing items destined for China, were implemented by amending specific ECCNs (notably 3A090 and 4A090) rather than by creating new statutes. For researchers tracking sanctions, technology decoupling, or supply-chain policy, the ECCN is the operative unit of analysis.