About Import Duty Calculator

Import Duty Calculator is a free, independent tool that estimates the customs duty, import VAT and total landed cost on goods brought into the UK for commercial purposes. It's built and run by Vasia Media, a small UK operator of single-purpose web tools.

Why this exists

Importers are routinely surprised by the bill at the border. Duty is charged on the value of the goods plus freight and insurance, not on the invoice alone; import VAT is then charged on top of the duty; and the rate itself depends on a ten-digit commodity code most people have never had to look up. The official tariff has every answer in it, but it is built for customs declarations rather than for working out whether a shipment is worth making. This tool puts the same figures into an arithmetic you can check before you commit.

Where the rates come from

Every duty rate on this site comes from the Department for Business and Trade's published tariff data, which is the machine-readable form of the UK's legal tariff. Nothing is estimated by hand. If you give a commodity code, you get the standard rate published for that exact code, plus the preferential rate for your country of origin where one exists. If you pick a product group instead, you get a representative rate for that group, always shown with the full range of rates within it so a typical figure is never mistaken for your figure. The date the data was generated is in the footer of every page. See how it works for the calculation itself, or the FAQ for common questions.

What it will not do

Where a figure cannot be given honestly, this site gives you the reason instead of a number. Goods whose duty is charged by weight, volume or item rather than as a percentage, such as wrist watches and much of the food chapter, return an explanation rather than a percentage that would be wrong. Rates that depend on a tariff quota still being open are left out, because a quota can close between the estimate and the declaration. A partial commodity code is only resolved when every code beneath it agrees on the answer.

What it isn't

This is an independent estimate, not an official service, not customs or tax advice, and not a substitute for classifying your goods properly. It is not affiliated with HMRC or the Department for Business and Trade. The commodity code, the customs value and the origin of your goods remain your responsibility as the importer. See the terms page for the full disclaimer.

Questions or corrections

If a rate looks wrong, or something here does not work as expected, get in touch. Corrections to the data are especially welcome: the tariff changes, and a report from someone who has just cleared a shipment is worth a lot.