Import Duty Calculator — Customs Duty, Nothing Else
No VAT. No freight. No insurance. Just the customs duty line on your entry — estimated from HS chapter and market. This is the first number in the import cost chain. Get it right and everything downstream works. Get it wrong and you're fixing mistakes through every layer of the landed cost stack.
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Chapter 84HS Chapter Duty Rate Reference — All 7 Markets
The rates below are representative MFN (Most Favored Nation) averages by 2-digit chapter as of mid-2026. Your specific 6- or 10-digit HS code may differ — particularly for products subject to tariff-rate quotas, seasonal duties, or antidumping orders. Use this as a directional estimate. The upcoming Tariff Calculator will provide HS-code-level precision.
| Ch. | Product Category | US | EU | UK | CA | AU | MX | JP | Notes |
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HS Classification — The Six Digits That Determine Your Duty Rate
What an HS code actually is
The Harmonized System is a 6-digit product classification maintained by the World Customs Organization. Every country on earth uses it — over 200 customs administrations classify goods under the same 6-digit framework. The first two digits are the chapter (broad category: "machinery," "apparel," "furniture"). Digits 3-4 are the heading (subcategory within the chapter). Digits 5-6 are the subheading (the most specific WCO level). Beyond six digits, each country appends its own statistical suffix — the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule goes to 10 digits, the EU TARIC to 10 digits plus additional codes. But the first six digits are universal, and they're what determines the MFN duty rate. Misclassify at the 4-digit heading level and you've probably underpaid or overpaid by a factor of two. Customs audits HS codes on entry, and the penalty for misclassification is the unpaid duty plus interest — going back years if they find a pattern.
Why two products that seem identical can have different duty rates
A cotton T-shirt (Chapter 61, knitted apparel) and a cotton button-down shirt (Chapter 62, woven apparel) look similar to the consumer. To customs, they're different chapters with different MFN rates — Chapter 61 might be 10% while Chapter 62 is 12% in the same market. A leather shoe (Chapter 64) and a rubber boot (also Chapter 64) are in the same chapter but different headings with different rates. A laptop (Chapter 84, subheading 8471.30) and a tablet (also 8471.30) share the same rate — but a smartphone (Chapter 85, subheading 8517.12) is in a completely different chapter. The classification system rewards precision. Guessing wrong costs money. This calculator works at the 2-digit chapter level because that's where most people start. For transaction-level accuracy, you need the full 6-digit code and ideally a customs broker who has classified your specific product before.
The difference between binding and non-binding classification
The rates in this calculator are estimates based on published MFN tariff schedules. They are not binding on any customs authority. For a binding ruling — one that customs cannot retroactively overturn — you need to file a formal classification request with the importing country's customs agency: a Binding Tariff Information (BTI) ruling in the EU, an Advance Tariff Ruling in Canada, a Tariff Classification Advice in Australia. These take weeks to months but provide legal certainty. For most commercial shipments, a licensed customs broker's classification on the entry is sufficient — but the importer of record is always legally responsible for the accuracy of the classification, even if a broker prepared it. This tool gives you a starting point. Your broker gives you a defensible position. A binding ruling gives you certainty.
How Each Market Calculates Duty — The Structural Differences
United States — CIF-based, Section 301 overlay, no VAT
US customs duty is calculated on the CIF value of the goods. The US is unusual among major economies in having no federal VAT or GST at the border — the duty line is the only federal import charge. But for goods of Chinese origin, Section 301 duties stack on top of the MFN rate: 7.5% on most consumer goods (List 4A), 25% on industrial inputs (Lists 1-3), and 100% on electric vehicles (Section 301 investigation concluded May 2024). The effective duty rate on a Chapter 85 product from China can easily reach 27.5% — 2.5% MFN + 25% Section 301. This calculator shows the MFN rate only; the alert flag warns when Section 301 may apply. The US also has a Merchandise Processing Fee (0.3464% of CIF, min $31.67, max $614.35) on formal entries — not a duty, but functionally equivalent to one. China→US Electronics walks through a full CBP entry with the fee structure included.
European Union — TARIC rates, €150 duty cliff, universal VAT
The EU applies the Common Customs Tariff (TARIC) uniformly across all 27 member states. The duty rate you get in Rotterdam is the same as in Hamburg or Le Havre. The €150 de minimis exempts goods from duty — but not from VAT, which applies from €1. For goods over €150, duty is assessed on the full CIF value. The EU's duty rates are generally moderate (2-5% on most industrial goods), but there are sharp spikes on agricultural products, textiles, and footwear — the same protectionist pattern as most developed economies. Unlike the US, the EU has no additional country-specific tariffs on Chinese goods comparable to Section 301 — but it does impose antidumping duties on specific products (steel, aluminum, solar panels, ceramic tiles, bicycles) that effectively function the same way. China→Germany Customs covers ATLAS filing and the IOSS VAT system.
Japan — Low MFN, combined threshold, no special China tariffs
Japan has some of the lowest MFN rates in the developed world — 0% on most machinery and electronics (Chapters 84-85), 3.5% on consumer goods, with higher rates only on protected agricultural products. The ¥10,000 de minimis threshold covers both duty and the 10% consumption tax (JCT) combined — under ¥10,000 CIF, the shipment clears with zero charges. Over ¥10,000, both duty and JCT apply on the full CIF. Japan does not impose additional country-specific tariffs on Chinese goods comparable to Section 301, making it one of the lowest-friction developed markets for direct China-to-consumer e-commerce — at least from a tariff perspective. The challenge is product compliance (PSE, METI, food sanitation), not customs duty. China→Japan Cargo covers NACCS processing and compliance requirements.
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