Landed Cost & Import Tariff Calculator
Enter your factory unit cost, shipment quantity, freight, duty rate, and clearance fees to reveal the true landed cost per unit. See exactly how much duty, shipping, and customs charges add on top of the supplier invoice before you set prices.
Import & Landed Cost Inputs
Landed cost is the total price of getting imported inventory to your door, including the factory price of the goods plus duty, freight, customs and broker fees, insurance, and any other charges. To calculate landed cost per unit, add the total goods value to all duty and shipping costs, then divide by the number of units in the shipment.
What the Landed Cost Calculator Does
The Landed Cost and Import Tariff Calculator reveals the true delivered cost of every unit you import, not just the price on the supplier invoice. Factory unit price is only the starting point. By the time inventory reaches your warehouse, it has picked up import duty, ocean or air freight, customs clearance and broker fees, cargo insurance, and assorted handling charges. This tool rolls all of those costs into one landed cost per unit so you can price products, forecast margins, and compare suppliers on an accurate basis.
Who Should Use This Tool
Importers & Private-Label Brands
Sellers sourcing from overseas factories who need the real per-unit cost before setting retail prices or negotiating supplier terms.
Amazon FBA & Marketplace Sellers
FBA operators confirming that landed cost leaves enough margin after referral fees, FBA fulfillment, and advertising.
Wholesale & Distribution Buyers
Buyers comparing two overseas quotes where a lower unit price can be erased by higher freight or a steeper duty rate.
Finance & Operations Teams
Teams costing inventory correctly for COGS, gross margin reporting, and cash-flow planning around import shipments.
Landed Cost & Import Terms Defined
The factory unit cost multiplied by shipment quantity. This is the customs value duty is usually assessed against.
A tax charged by customs on imported goods, expressed as a percentage of the goods value based on the HTS classification.
The total ocean, air, or ground transport cost to move the shipment from origin to your receiving location.
Charges for clearing the shipment through customs, including a licensed broker filing your entry paperwork.
Cargo insurance covering loss or damage in transit, often quoted as a small percentage of goods value.
Total landed cost divided by shipment quantity. This is the number you plug into margin and pricing calculators.
Landed Cost Formula Breakdown
The Added Cost percentage tells you how much freight, duty, and fees inflate the factory price. If a unit costs 8.00 dollars to make but lands at 11.24 dollars, your import overhead is adding roughly 40 percent on top of the invoice price, a figure that is easy to underestimate when you only look at the supplier quote.
Worked Example: 500-Unit Ocean Freight Import
A brand imports 500 stainless steel water bottles at a factory cost of 8.00 dollars each. Ocean freight for the pallet is 1,200 dollars, the duty rate is 10 percent, the customs broker charges 150 dollars, cargo insurance is 80 dollars, and drayage plus handling adds another 100 dollars.
The 8.00 dollar invoice price was misleading. Real delivered cost is 11.86 dollars per unit, so any margin math built on 8.00 dollars would overstate profit by nearly four dollars on every bottle.
Duty, Tariff, and Section 301 Basics
In everyday use, duty and tariff mean the same thing: a tax customs collects on imported goods. The rate depends on how your product is classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) and its country of origin. For goods imported from China, many categories also carry additional Section 301 tariffs stacked on top of the base rate, which can push effective duty well above the number listed for a product line. Always confirm your HTS code and check whether extra tariffs apply before you trust a single percentage. When in doubt, a licensed customs broker can classify the product and quote the true combined rate.
Common Landed Cost Errors
Typical Import Duty Rates by Category
Base duty rates vary widely by product type. The ranges below are general guides for U.S. imports and do not include Section 301 or other special tariffs. Always verify the exact rate for your HTS code with U.S. Customs or a broker before ordering.
| Product Category | Typical Base Duty Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer electronics | 0% to 5% | Many finished electronics enter duty-free at the base rate. |
| Apparel and textiles | 10% to 32% | Among the highest duty categories, varying by fabric and garment. |
| Footwear | 8% to 37.5% | Rates swing sharply with materials and construction. |
| Housewares and kitchen goods | 3% to 12% | Stainless steel and ceramics sit in the mid-range. |
| Toys and games | 0% to 6% | Many toys are duty-free at the base rate. |
| Furniture | 0% to 9% | Wood and upholstered pieces differ; check the specific code. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between landed cost and COGS?
Landed cost is the full delivered cost of getting inventory to your warehouse, including duty and freight. That landed cost per unit becomes the basis of your Cost of Goods Sold when the item sells, so accurate landed cost is what makes COGS and gross margin reporting correct.
Is duty charged on freight and insurance too?
It depends on the valuation method. U.S. imports are generally valued FOB, so duty is assessed on the goods value alone. Many other countries use CIF valuation, where freight and insurance are added to the dutiable base. This calculator applies duty to the goods value, which matches standard U.S. practice.
How do I find the right duty rate for my product?
Look up your product in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to find its HTS code and base rate, then check whether Section 301 or other special tariffs apply to its country of origin. A licensed customs broker can confirm the classification and quote the combined rate so you avoid surprise charges at entry.
How should I split freight across different products in one shipment?
Allocate freight by each SKU share of total weight or volume, not by unit count. A bulky low-value item can carry far more freight than a small dense one, so a volume-weighted split gives a more honest landed cost per product.
Does a higher order quantity lower my landed cost per unit?
Usually yes, because fixed charges like customs clearance, broker fees, and a full container freight rate get spread over more units. Increase the quantity in the calculator to see how per-unit duty and freight fall as volume rises.
MerchSites tools and guides are written and reviewed by ecommerce practitioners. Calculations are cent-accurate estimations based on reported platform fees and standard formula math.