Buying from China, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh or elsewhere in Asia? Work out your real landed cost — customs duty, import VAT and the total you’ll pay at the UK border — and see whether a UK trade agreement or the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) could cut your duty to zero.
tradePhlo classifies your products, checks every UK trade agreement and DCTS preference, and files the declaration to HMRC — so you pay the lowest legal duty, automatically. Book a demo on your real shipments.
When goods arrive in the UK you pay two charges at the border: customs duty and import VAT. They are worked out in a set order — and import VAT is charged on the duty-inclusive value, which is where most cost estimates go wrong.
Customs value (CIF) = goods value + freight & insurance to the UKCustoms duty = customs value × duty rate (from the commodity code)Import VAT = (customs value + customs duty) × VAT rateTotal landed cost = customs value + duty + import VAT
It depends on where your goods originate — not just where they ship from. China has no UK trade agreement, so the standard UK Global Tariff applies and the savings come from correct classification and the right customs procedures. Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and Singapore have UK free-trade agreements, so with valid proof of origin a preferential rate — often 0% — can apply. Many lower-income Asian countries — including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia — are covered by the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which gives reduced or zero duty on a wide range of goods. India has no preferential rate in force yet (a UK–India FTA is pending). tradePhlo checks the exact preference and the rules of origin for every shipment, so you never overpay.
There is no single rate — duty depends on the goods’ commodity (HS) code under the UK Global Tariff, and China has no UK trade agreement to reduce it. Rates commonly range from 0% to around 12%, with some categories higher. Use the calculator with your code’s rate, or classify your product free to find it.
The DCTS is the UK scheme (which replaced the Generalised Scheme of Preferences in 2023) that lowers or removes customs duty on goods from around 65 developing countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Whether your goods qualify depends on the product and the rules of origin.
Import VAT is charged on the customs value plus the customs duty (and freight to the UK border), not the bare goods value — which is why duty is effectively taxed twice. This calculator applies the charges in the correct order.
Yes — duty preference is based on where goods originate and meet rules of origin, not where they tranship. Goods made in China but shipped via another port are still treated as Chinese origin. tradePhlo determines the correct origin for you.
Book a 30-minute demo and we’ll review your real China / Asia shipments — classify the goods, check every duty preference, and show what tradePhlo files to HMRC for you.
30 minutes · no commitment · we’ll use your real shipment data.