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BorderMathCalculator
UK import route calculator

US to UK Import Duty Calculator

Estimate import duty, VAT and landed cost when buying goods from the United States for delivery to the UK.

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.

US seller, US dispatch and US origin are different questions

For goods bought from the United States, the first useful check is whether the product is actually of US customs origin. A US retailer can sell goods manufactured elsewhere, and a US fulfilment centre can dispatch goods whose origin is another country. Select the origin that applies to the goods themselves so the live tariff request can return the relevant measures.

Classification still comes before the rate. Record the product's function, materials, construction and whether it is a complete item, component, accessory or set. The UK Trade Tariff can show duty, VAT treatment and measures only after the goods are classified to the appropriate commodity code.

Separate import VAT from VAT collected at checkout

For some lower-value consumer sales, UK VAT may already have been charged by the seller or marketplace. That is different from import VAT being collected at the border. BorderMath keeps these paths separate so a checkout VAT amount is not silently added again as import VAT. Use the option that matches the actual transaction and evidence you have.

Worked landed-cost workflow

InputExample
Goods£760
Freight£85
Insurance£5
Simplified customs value£850

After the live commodity measure supplies the applicable duty calculation, BorderMath adds duty and the relevant incidental costs to the VAT base. Costs that arise after the import-VAT valuation point can be entered separately so they contribute to landed cost without being treated as part of the VAT base.

What to verify

  • the actual customs origin rather than the marketplace or warehouse location;
  • the 10-digit import commodity code;
  • the official duty and VAT measures returned for that code and origin;
  • whether UK VAT was already charged at checkout;
  • any licence, additional-code, quota or trade-remedy condition shown by the tariff.

Reviewed 6 September 2026. Check current measures in the UK Trade Tariff, HMRC's classification guidance and import-VAT valuation guidance.

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