Estimate freight costs
from dated, published benchmarks.
FCL, LCL, air and courier — with exact chargeable weight and volume, honest estimate ranges only where a published benchmark exists, and an actual quote free with your RFQ.
Estimate your freight
Free to use — no sign-up. Estimates are planning ranges from dated published benchmarks, not live prices; your actual quote is free with an RFQ.
How the checker works
1 · Product, code, destination
Tell us what you are buying, its HS code (or let the HS Code Finder narrow it down), where it is made, and where it is going.
2 · Duty exposure, explained
We map the charges that can apply — the standard (MFN) duty structure, preferential rates under trade agreements, trade-remedy duties, and import VAT/GST — in plain language.
3 · Written landed-cost picture
The result comes back with your supplier quotations: product cost, freight, duty, and taxes as one number you can budget against — confirmed in writing before you commit.
What decides your duty
The HS code sets the base duty rate. A one-heading difference can mean 0% or double digits — classification comes first, always.
Where the goods are made (not shipped from) decides eligibility for preferential rates under free-trade agreements — and exposure to origin-specific trade remedies.
Duty is charged on the customs value, which typically includes product cost and, in many countries, freight and insurance to the border — not just the invoice price.
Anti-dumping duties, safeguards, and sanctions can add charges on specific products from specific origins — sometimes larger than the base duty itself.
VAT/GST is usually charged on top of the duty-inclusive value. It is often recoverable for registered businesses — but it still affects cash flow on arrival.
Your shipping terms decide who pays the duty and who carries the clearance risk. The same shipment can cost differently under EXW, FOB, or DDP.
A worked example
How the charges stack, using simple round numbers:
| Line | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Goods (supplier invoice) | 10,000 |
| International freight & insurance | 800 |
| Customs value | 10,800 |
| Duty at an illustrative 5% | 540 |
| Import VAT at an illustrative 13% on (customs value + duty) | 1,474 |
| Landed cost before local fees | ≈ 12,814 |
Example only The 5% duty and 13% VAT above are illustrative round numbers chosen to show the arithmetic — they are not the rate for any specific product or country. Real rates depend on the exact HS code, origin, and destination, and are verified for your shipment before you order.
Honest limits
Tariff schedules change — rates are revised, trade agreements enter into force, and remedy duties are added or expire. We do not publish live rate tables or guarantee any rate on this page. For a real shipment, every figure is checked against official sources for your product, origin, and destination, and confirmed in writing with your RFQ before you commit.
Math first, benchmarks second — never guesses
1. Deterministic cargo math
Chargeable weight and volume are calculated exactly: air at 167 kg per CBM, courier at 200 kg per CBM, LCL in revenue tons, and FCL checked against real container capacities and payloads.
2. Dated published benchmarks
Ocean FCL estimates come only from published spot benchmarks (Drewry WCI and Freightos FBX) for the exact lane, each shown with its date. No benchmark for your lane or mode means no price is shown — never an invented one.
3. Actual quote by RFQ
An estimate is a planning range. Carriers price live capacity, equipment and surcharges at booking — so your actual freight quote is confirmed free, in writing, with your RFQ.
The benchmark table behind the estimates
Spot rates per 40ft container (FEU), port-to-port. Drewry WCI assessed Oct 15, 2026; Freightos FBX weekly reading Oct 9, 2026. Both update weekly — and the date next to every estimate tells you exactly how fresh it is.
| Lane | Drewry WCI (Oct 15, 2026) | Freightos FBX (Oct 9, 2026) | Typical transit |
| Shanghai → Los Angeles | $7,884 | $8,106 | 14–19 days |
| Shanghai → New York | $10,075 | $9,606 | 28–35 days |
| Shanghai → Rotterdam | $3,522 | $3,260 | 28–35 days |
| Shanghai → Genoa | $3,945 | $3,861 | 27–34 days |
| Rotterdam → New York | $3,075 | $2,723 | 11–15 days |
| Rotterdam → Shanghai | $639 | — | 30–38 days |
| Los Angeles → Shanghai | $833 | — | 16–21 days |
| New York → Rotterdam | $1,130 | — | 12–16 days |
20ft containers are estimated at 80% and 40ft High Cube at 105% of the 40ft benchmark — planning assumptions, stated on every estimate. LCL, air and courier are priced per shipment by carriers; we show your exact chargeable figures and quote them by RFQ rather than publish unsourced per-unit rates.