Free tool · China to UK
What will your goods from China cost to land in the UK?
Find the commodity code, enter your supplier’s price and the freight, and see the customs duty, any anti-dumping duty and the import VAT. The rates come live from the UK Trade Tariff, and prices are converted at HMRC’s official exchange rate for this month.
1 Find the commodity code
Plain product words work best. If nothing comes up, try the material or a broader word (“stainless steel”, “plastic box”).
Example figures loaded. Change any of them.
2 Your order
Your forwarder’s quote for the sea or air freight plus cargo insurance, up to arrival in the UK.
No freight quote yet? Estimate it from the size of the shipment
Indicative 2026 ranges from Exfreight. Handling charges at each end come on top, cargo insurance is extra, and ocean rates can move 20–30% within a month, so get a live quote before you order.
Handling at the UK port and delivery to you. Import VAT is charged on these too.
Filled in with £85, the middle of the typical £55–120 per declaration. Use your broker’s quote.
How the figures are worked out
- Customs value = the goods plus freight and insurance up to the UK border (GOV.UK).
- Customs duty = the third-country rate for the code × the customs value.
- Anti-dumping duty, if the code carries one for China, uses the rate for “all other” exporters unless you pick a named exporter or leave it out. A named exporter’s own rate only applies with the documents the tariff asks for.
- Import VAT = the VAT rate × (customs value + duties + delivery costs to the first destination in the UK) (GOV.UK).
- Currency is converted at HMRC’s monthly rate, which customs uses for the month the declaration is accepted (GOV.UK).
What it leaves out. Duties charged by weight or volume are flagged but not priced. Excise duty, tariff quotas, reliefs and end-use suspensions are not applied. The broker’s own invoice usually adds VAT. Choosing the right commodity code is the importer’s legal responsibility, so check it on the tariff before you order. This is an estimate, not customs advice.
More free tools for importers
official and free to useMore free tools on this site
- Plan my importFour short steps give one plan: landed cost, UK rules and documents, the order-by date and supplier checks.
- Quote comparerPut up to four supplier quotes side by side and see which is really the cheapest to land.
- Supplier checkDecode the code on a Chinese business licence and run the warning signs before you pay.
- Payment safety checkCheck the bank details before you pay a supplier, and what to do if they change.
- Request for quotation builderWrite a clear request suppliers can quote on like for like.
- Canton Fair companionLog suppliers booth by booth, check their licence codes and take home a shortlist. Works offline.
- Product rules checkerTick what your product is and see the UK rules, the documents to get and what goes on the label.
- Spec sheet and AQLWrite the specification and defect list, with the inspection sample size, in English and Chinese.
- Material swap checkerThe usual material swaps (201 for 304, zinc for brass, CCA for copper), how to catch them and what to write.
- Margin calculatorFrom landed cost to profit per unit after VAT, fees, fulfilment and returns, with the break-even price.
- Price checkIs a quote too cheap to be real? Compare it with what UK importers declare per kilo and the metal in it.
- UK–China trade dataWhat the UK imports from China, by product and port, from HMRC data. Look up any product.
- Anti-dumping watchEvery UK anti-dumping duty on goods from China, with rates, codes and open investigations.
- Container and CBM plannerTurn carton sizes into cubic metres and see how many fit a 20ft or 40ft container, in 3D.
- Container number checkCheck a container number is valid, see who owns the box and open the right tracking page.
- When to order plannerWork back from the date you need stock, around Golden Week and Chinese New Year.
UK customs and tax
- UK Trade TariffLook up commodity codes, duty and VAT rates, including anti-dumping duties by country.
- Get an EORI numberFree from HMRC, and needed before you import anything into Great Britain.
- Check an EORI numberConfirm that a GB EORI number is valid, for example on a forwarder’s paperwork.
- HMRC exchange ratesThe official monthly rates used to convert foreign currency for customs.
- Postponed VAT accountingWhen you can declare and reclaim import VAT on your VAT return instead of paying at the border.
- Trade remedies casesCurrent anti-dumping and countervailing investigations, including new ones on Chinese goods.
Product rules and testing
- Import goods into the UK: step by stepThe government’s own checklist, from EORI to paying duty.
- Business CompanionFree trading-standards guides on product safety and labelling, by product type.
- Find a UKAS-accredited labSearch the accreditation body’s directory for testing laboratories and inspection bodies.
Suppliers and payment
Freight prices and tracking
- Drewry World Container IndexWeekly spot prices for a 40ft container, including Shanghai to Rotterdam.
- Freightos Baltic IndexA second weekly container price index, free to view.
- Track a container: MaerskBy container, booking or bill of lading number.
- Track a container: COSCOCOSCO Shipping’s cargo tracking.
- Track a container: ONEOcean Network Express cargo tracking.
Questions about import costs
How is import duty worked out on goods from China?
Customs duty is a percentage of the customs value: the price of the goods plus freight and insurance up to the UK border. The percentage depends on the commodity code. The UK has no trade agreement with China, so the standard third-country rate applies, and some Chinese goods also carry anti-dumping duty on top.
Do I pay VAT on goods imported from China?
Usually yes, at 20% for most goods. Import VAT is charged on the customs value plus the duty and the delivery costs to the goods’ first destination in the UK. VAT-registered businesses can account for it on their VAT return with postponed VAT accounting and reclaim it there.
Which exchange rate does HMRC use for imports?
HMRC publishes monthly exchange rates at the end of each month, covering the whole of the next month. The customs value uses the rate in force when the customs declaration is accepted, not the rate you paid your supplier at.
What is anti-dumping duty?
An extra duty on particular goods from particular countries, set after an investigation by the UK’s Trade Remedies Authority. Rates can differ by exporter, so the tariff lists named Chinese companies with their own rates and one rate for all other exporters.
Want real numbers for your order?
I check the code, the anti-dumping list and the product rules, get live freight quotes, and send you a landed cost you can plan with.
Tell me what you want to import ->Free calculator by Materials Decoded · live UK Trade Tariff rates