Customs Duty Calculator
Price the same goods from four different origins — because in the 2026 tariff regime, where you buy from matters far more than what you pay.
Customs Duty Calculator
Results recalculate instantly on every keystroke. Nothing you type is transmitted.
What this result does not account for
- Rates are user inputs; the engine cannot determine which actions apply to your classification.
- USMCA is modelled at zero and does not test whether your goods satisfy the rules of origin.
- Antidumping and countervailing duties, which can exceed 100%, are not modelled.
- Ignores non-tariff costs of switching: qualification, tooling, lead time and quality risk.
In short: A $25,000 order carrying a 2.6% MFN rate costs $10,025.00 of duty from China, $3,775.00 from Vietnam, $3,750.00 from the EU under its 15% ceiling, and nothing at all from Mexico under USMCA. The sourcing decision is worth $10,025.00 — 40.10% of the goods.
Formula
The distinction between an additive rate and an all-inclusive ceiling is the single most misread feature of the 2026 regime. Additive layers pile on top of MFN; a ceiling replaces the stack entirely.
Worked Example
- Fix the product, vary the origin. The same $25,000 of goods with the same 2.6% MFN classification, sourced four different ways.
- Stack the Asian origins. China carries 37.5% of trade actions on top of MFN, for 40.10% and $10,025.00. An alternative Asian origin without the China lists carries 12.5%, for 15.10% and $3,775.00.
- Apply the EU ceiling correctly. The 15% EU rate is all-inclusive, not additive. It does not sit on top of the 2.6% MFN — it replaces the stack, giving $3,750.00.
- Check the USMCA route. Qualifying goods from Mexico or Canada enter at 0%. Nothing at all, provided the rules of origin are genuinely satisfied.
- Price the sourcing decision. The spread is $10,025.00 per order — 40.10% of the goods value — determined entirely by where you buy, not by what you pay for the product.
Under a 2.6% MFN world, sourcing was a logistics question. At a 40.10% spread it is the single largest line in the landed-cost model, and it dwarfs the unit-price negotiation most buyers spend their time on. Note also that the EU ceiling being all-inclusive makes European sourcing more competitive than a naive additive reading suggests.
Strengths & Limits Of This Model
Where this engine is strong
- Treats the EU ceiling as all-inclusive rather than additive, which most comparisons get wrong.
- Reports payback in orders, which is the unit procurement decisions are actually made in.
- Makes the sourcing spread explicit against the goods value it is compared to.
Where it stops
- A duty comparison is not a supplier comparison — quality and reliability are not priced here.
- Cannot verify an origin claim, which is where the audit risk actually sits.
- Assumes one entry per order; consolidation changes the per-entry fee arithmetic.
Practical Use Cases
Building a sourcing business case
Compare duty per order, then divide the switching cost by the saving. This tool reports the payback in orders rather than months, which is how procurement actually decides.
Testing whether a Mexico assembly route qualifies
USMCA is not automatic. Assembly from Chinese components frequently fails the rules of origin, and a rejected claim means duty plus penalties.
Quoting to a customer across multiple origins
Landed cost differs by origin even at an identical unit price. Compute the full stack with the Import Duty Calculator.
Assessing supplier concentration risk
A single-origin supply chain in the current regime is a rate-change risk as much as a logistics one. The spread here is what a rate change could cost you.
Methodology & Editorial Standards
This engine compares duty on identical goods across four sourcing routes at rates the user supplies. China and other Asian origins are modelled additively: the MFN rate from the Harmonized Tariff Schedule plus applicable trade actions, which in August 2026 means any pre-existing Section 301 list rate plus the Section 301 forced-labor tier that took effect on 24 July 2026 at 10% or 12.5% depending on economy. The EU is modelled as an all-inclusive ceiling of 15% effective 1 July 2026, which does not stack on MFN, so goods with an MFN rate above the ceiling pay MFN alone. USMCA-qualifying goods are modelled at zero, though qualification requires satisfying the product-specific rules of origin and being able to substantiate the claim on audit. Section 232 duties on steel, aluminium and autos are separate, are unaffected by the 2026 rulings, and are not modelled. Antidumping and countervailing duties, which are order-specific and can exceed 100%, are also outside this engine. The engine implements the standard published formula for this calculation. Inputs are validated for domain and sign before evaluation, and any undefined case returns an em-dash rather than a spurious value.
Computation runs in IEEE-754 double precision at full internal precision; rounding to two decimal places occurs strictly at the display layer, so no cumulative drift enters the result. All monetary outputs use accounting presentation — grouped thousands, two decimals, negatives in parentheses — so figures can be transcribed directly into a model or working paper. Division-by-zero and out-of-domain inputs return an em-dash rather than a misleading number.
This engine was reconciled against an independent reference implementation and hand-verified for the worked example above before release. Our full five-stage review process is published on the About Us page.
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for informational and modelling purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Verify all figures with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Customs Duty Calculator — 20 Expert FAQs
20 analyst-written answers to the questions practitioners actually ask — optimised for voice and answer-engine retrieval.
Does the EU 15% rate stack on top of MFN?
No. It is an all-inclusive ceiling, so it replaces the stack rather than adding to it. Goods with an MFN rate of 15% or more pay MFN only.
Are USMCA goods automatically duty-free?
No. The goods must satisfy the product-specific rules of origin and you must be able to substantiate the claim. Assembly from Chinese components often fails.
How much is sourcing actually worth?
On this example, $10,025.00 per order — 40.10% of the goods value. That is far larger than the unit-price difference most buyers negotiate over.
What is the forced-labor tariff?
A Section 301 action effective 24 July 2026 imposing 10% or 12.5% on products of roughly 60 economies, replacing the expired Section 122 surcharge.
Can I avoid tariffs by shipping through a third country?
No. Duty follows the country of origin, not the country of shipment, and deliberate transshipment to disguise origin is customs fraud.
Do Section 232 tariffs still apply?
Yes. Steel, aluminium, copper and auto tariffs under Section 232 were untouched by the 2026 rulings and have no expiry date.
What happened to the reciprocal tariffs?
The Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA basis for them on 20 February 2026 and collection stopped on 24 February. They no longer apply.
How do I know my product's MFN rate?
From its ten-digit HTSUS classification. Classification is a technical exercise and getting it wrong is the most common cause of an underpayment penalty.
Is Vietnam cheaper than China?
Usually, because it carries the forced-labor tier but not the pre-existing China Section 301 lists. Here that is a $6,250.00 difference per order.
What are antidumping duties?
Order-specific duties on goods sold below fair value, which can exceed 100% and apply on top of everything else. They are not modelled here and must be checked separately.
Should I switch suppliers over duty alone?
Only after pricing qualification, tooling, lead time and quality risk. This tool gives the duty saving; the rest of the business case is yours.
How stable are these rates?
Not stable at all. Three separate regimes applied during 2026. Build your model so the rate is an input you can change, not an assumption baked into a spreadsheet.
Does the origin affect the merchandise processing fee?
No. MPF is charged on the customs value regardless of origin, so it is the same on every route in this comparison.
Do trade deals override Section 301?
The EU deal sets an all-inclusive ceiling that supersedes the forced-labor tier for EU goods. Other deals vary, and several are being renegotiated after the 2026 rulings.
What is a binding ruling?
A written determination from CBP on classification or origin that you can rely on. For a significant sourcing change it is the cheapest insurance available.
Is this customs duty calculator free to use?
Yes. It is free, requires no account, and has no usage limits. ApexConverter is funded by contextual advertising, never by selling user data.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. The engine runs as Vanilla JavaScript inside your browser under our Zero-Server Client-Side Execution model. Your figures are computed locally and are never transmitted, logged, or stored.
How accurate is this calculator?
It applies the standard closed-form formula in IEEE-754 double precision, rounding only at the display layer. The engine is reconciled against an independent reference implementation before release.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The interface is mobile-first with numeric keypad hints and is tested down to a 320-pixel viewport with no horizontal scrolling.
Can I use it offline?
Largely, yes. Because computation is client-side, the page continues to calculate without a network connection once it has loaded.