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Plan your import from China

Four short steps: the product, what it is, your order and where you are with suppliers. At the end you get one plan: what it will cost to land, the UK rules and documents, the date to order by and the checks to do before you pay. Print it, share it, or send it to me.

  1. Product
  2. What it is
  3. Your order
  4. Supplier
  5. Your plan

1 The product

2 What is it?

Tick all that apply, for the UK rules.

3 Your order

Don’t know yet? The container planner estimates it from your cartons.

4 Suppliers

Where are you?
How do you plan to pay?

5 Your import plan

Start with the product in step 1.

How the plan is worked out

  • Cost uses the live UK Trade Tariff for your code: customs duty, the anti-dumping duty for most exporters, and import VAT, with currency at HMRC’s monthly rate and a typical £85 customs broker fee. It leaves out UK port charges and delivery.
  • Rules come from the product rules checker, each linked to GOV.UK.
  • Timing is production, 7 days to inspect and reach the port, 50 days by sea or 8 by air, and 7 days in the UK, with a week for Golden Week and a warning for Chinese New Year 2027.

A plan to start from, not customs or legal advice. Choosing the commodity code is the importer’s responsibility.