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BorderMathCalculator
UK import route calculator

China to UK Import Duty Calculator

Estimate UK import duty, import VAT and landed cost for goods bought from China.

UK landed cost calculator

Build the customs value, apply a tariff rate, estimate import VAT and see the total landed cost. You can search the UK Trade Tariff or enter a known 10-digit commodity code.

1. Find the tariff classification

Start with a product description or enter the code if you already know it.
Classification matters: choose the description that actually matches the goods.
Use the customs origin of the goods, not simply the seller, warehouse or dispatch country.

2. Enter the shipment values

Enter the intrinsic/customs goods value before any separately charged UK VAT. Goods with no sale price still require an appropriate customs value.
Examples: customs clearance, handling, storage and known onward transport costs that belong in the import VAT value.
Optional business costs incurred after the import VAT valuation point. These are added to landed cost but not used to calculate import VAT.
Enter a rate manually or check the official tariff above.
20% UK standard-rate planning default. Official commodity data can automatically replace it with a clear reduced or zero rate when applicable.
Enter the customs/tariff weight when the official rate is charged per kg, 100 kg or tonne. BorderMath will use it automatically.
Low-value / VAT handling
BorderMath will choose a planning default from the shipment value; change it if your transaction differs.
Tick only when the goods are actually excise-liable. If ticked, BorderMath will withhold final VAT because Excise Duty must be included in the VAT value.
Simplified planning model for Great Britain: customs value = goods + freight + insurance. Import VAT value adds customs duty and qualifying incidental expenses up to the relevant UK destination. For qualifying low-value sales, seller/marketplace VAT paid at checkout is kept separate from customs value and added only to the cash landed-cost total. Post-import costs are added after VAT. Low-value, excise, trade-remedy and Northern Ireland rules can differ.

Estimated landed cost

Live calculation as you change the inputs.
Total landed cost
£0.00
Estimated cost per unit: £0.00
Estimate status: waiting for shipment valuesEnter shipment values to begin.
Customs value£0.00
Customs duty£0.00
Import VAT£0.00
Import VAT incidental costs£0.00
Post-import costs£0.00
Do not use this estimate as a customs declaration. Preference eligibility, rules of origin, quotas, anti-dumping duties, excise, additional codes and certificates can change the amount due.

What to check for a China-to-UK shipment

The seller's country, dispatch country and customs origin are not always the same thing. Start with the actual product and the origin you can evidence, then use the live tariff lookup above. For a useful description, record what the item is, what it does, the main materials, how it is made and whether it is a complete product, a part or a set. Those details are more useful for classification than a marketplace title or model name alone.

Do not begin with an assumed China duty percentage. The applicable UK measure depends on the commodity code and can also depend on origin, date and measure conditions. BorderMath therefore asks the tariff service for the selected origin and deliberately withholds a final figure when an unresolved additional-duty or trade-remedy measure could change the result.

Worked landed-cost workflow

InputExampleHow BorderMath uses it
Goods value£2,500Starting value before separately entered freight and insurance.
Freight to the UK£220Added to the simplified customs-value model.
Insurance£30Added to the simplified customs-value model.
Simplified customs value£2,750The live tariff formula is then applied to this value where appropriate.

If the official duty result is D, BorderMath then builds the import-VAT value from the customs value, customs duty and qualifying incidental costs you enter. It does not invent D when the live tariff treatment is unresolved.

Origin, preference and extra measures

A parcel leaving a Chinese warehouse does not by itself prove Chinese origin, and a Chinese brand does not prove it either. Use the customs origin of the goods. If the official tariff response contains special conditions, additional codes, quotas or trade-remedy measures, open the official tariff record and check those conditions before treating the estimate as complete.

  • Describe the product precisely enough to compare candidate commodity codes.
  • Use the origin you can support with records, not simply the seller location.
  • Check the live measure rather than copying a rate from an old article or invoice.
  • Keep freight, insurance, VAT-value incidental costs and post-import costs separate.

Official sources and review

Reviewed 6 September 2026. Use the UK Trade Tariff for current commodity measures and HMRC's commodity-code guidance when classification is uncertain. For material or unusual shipments, obtain appropriate customs advice before declaring.

Planning estimate only. Check the live official measure and supporting evidence before a customs declaration. See BorderMath methodology and limitations.