Customs Clearance Calculator for Goods from China
Calculates two things at once: how much customs payments will come to on your shipment, and which ends up more expensive in the end — the white scheme or cargo. We run both, so for us both columns of the calculation are equally valid. You enter the duty rate yourself: your broker determines it by the product's HS code. The VAT rate is filled in by country of import and updated for 2026 — it changed on January 1 in two of the four countries.
What customs payments consist of
Customs clearance isn't one figure but three components, and they're calculated sequentially: each next one is taken from a sum that already includes the previous one.
| Step | How it's calculated |
|---|---|
| Customs value | invoice value of goods + delivery to the border + insurance |
| Duty | customs value × rate by product HS code |
| Excise | only for excisable goods — alcohol, tobacco, fuel |
| VAT | (customs value + duty + excise) × the import country's rate |
| Broker services | under the agreement with the broker, not a customs payment |
The key thing here is the second row. The duty rate depends on the product's HS code, and neighboring codes can differ several times over. The code is determined by your customs broker, and that's their job and their responsibility. For most consumer categories the rate falls in a range of zero to ten percent of the customs value, but you need to verify it for your specific product, not rely on the range.
VAT rates on import for 2026
The only figures hard-coded into the calculator. Two of the four changed on January 1, 2026 — a calculator that still uses last year's rate is wrong silently and in your favor, and you'll only see the difference on your broker's invoice.
| Country of import | VAT rate | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 20% | no change |
| Kazakhstan | 16% | was 12% — new Tax Code from 01.01.2026 |
| Uzbekistan | 12% | no change |
| Russia | 22% | was 20% — from 01.01.2026 |
| Europe | depends on the country | enter the rate yourself in the calculator |
Reduced rates apply in all four countries for certain categories — medicines, some printed matter, certain food items. If your product is one of these, enter the rate manually: choose "other country" and enter your own.
Calculate your shipment
The calculator works out both schemes in full and shows them side by side — including the case where the white scheme comes out more expensive. You enter the duty rate yourself: your broker determines it by the product's HS code, and any figure we filled in for you would be a promise, not a calculation.
| Row | Cargo | White scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Freight per shipment | — | — |
| Duty and VAT | — | — |
| Excise | — | — |
| Broker and certification | — | — |
| Total paid | — | — |
| Minus VAT offset | — | — |
| Full cost of the shipment | — | — |
| Per kilogram | — | — |
The customs value includes delivery to the border. If your rate includes delivery within the destination country, that part isn't included in the customs value — the calculation will come out slightly on the high side, and the broker will refine it.
Insurance is part of the customs value and so raises both the duty and the VAT, but it isn't added to the scheme comparison: the cargo is insured the same way regardless of the import scheme. Excise is asked for as a separate line — it only applies to excisable goods and is calculated before VAT, so it's included in the VAT base.
Why you should compare full cost, not rates
The per-kilogram rate is almost always lower for cargo. That's usually where the conversation ends before it starts — but the outcome is decided by two lines that live not in logistics but in accounting.
| Row | Cargo | White scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Freight rate | lower | higher |
| Customs payments | no | duty and import VAT |
| Broker services | no | yes |
| Input VAT for offset | no | yes, if you're a VAT payer |
| Recorded expenses | nothing to substantiate them with | substantiated by documents |
| Sales to legal entities and retail chains | impossible without documents | possible |
Whether you're a VAT payer or not is a question that changes the whole calculation, and it needs to be asked before the numbers. For a VAT payer, the VAT paid at customs is offset: it's not an expense but a deferred payment. For a non-payer, it goes into cost price in full, and then the white scheme really is more expensive — the calculator works out that case too, without hiding the result.
The second question is who you sell to. If it's legal entities, retail chains, or through tenders, documents aren't an expense for you but a condition for access to revenue: there the comparison isn't "more or less expensive" but "is this sales channel open or not".
A break-even threshold instead of a made-up risk
Any comparison of schemes brings up the line "risk of losing the shipment," and it's easiest to ruin with a made-up percentage. Nobody has measured the probability of confiscation — any figure you name will be fitted to the conclusion you want.
So the calculator doesn't calculate probability, but a break-even threshold: at what loss frequency the schemes come out equal.
Annual difference between the schemes ÷ shipment value = the share of shipments whose loss would equalize the schemes.
It reads like this: "the white scheme costs this much more per year; that's the value of one shipment out of seven. If over a year you lose or get held up on at least one shipment out of seven, the schemes are already equal today, and you get the documents on top." From there it's your call: you know your own problem frequency better than we do.
That same line, besides confiscation, also covers things harder to price in money: additional assessments and fines, account freezes, missed deadlines from shipment detention, the impossibility of filing a claim on goods without documents.
What's deliberately not in this calculator
- Duty rates by product HS code. The broker determines the code, and neighboring codes can have rates that differ several times over. Filling it in for you would mean making a promise we'd later have to apologize for.
- The probability of confiscation. In its place — a break-even threshold you can check.
- Customs clearance processing fees. They exist, they're small, and each country calculates them its own way; the broker states them along with their own invoice.
- A one-sided column. Both schemes are shown in full, including the case where the white one is more expensive. If switching isn't worthwhile for your product, you'll see that here, not after a conversation with a manager.
When the honest answer is "it's not worth switching": you're not a VAT payer, the product carries a high duty, you sell to individuals for cash; the shipment is under 50 kilograms; the delivery is a one-off with no plans to repeat it. In these cases we run it as cargo and say so straight, and we come back to official import when the volume or the buyer changes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate customs clearance for goods from China?
It's calculated in three steps. First, the customs value: the invoice value of the goods plus delivery to the border and insurance. Then duty: customs value multiplied by the rate for the product's HS code. Then VAT: the import country's rate applied to the sum of "customs value + duty + excise".
Broker services aren't a customs payment and are calculated separately, under the agreement with them.
What's the VAT rate on import from China in 2026?
Ukraine — 20%, Kazakhstan — 16%, Uzbekistan — 12%, Russia — 22%. In Kazakhstan and Russia the rate rose on January 1, 2026: it was 12% and 20% respectively.
Reduced rates apply in all four countries for certain product categories, so it's worth confirming the rate for your specific product with a broker.
What's the duty rate on my product?
It's determined by your customs broker based on the product's HS code, and that matters: neighboring codes can have rates that differ several times over. For most consumer categories it falls in a range of zero to ten percent of the customs value, but a range isn't a calculation.
In the calculator, you enter the rate yourself. If you don't have it yet, use 5% as a rough estimate and check with a broker before making a decision.
Is white delivery always more expensive than cargo?
No. By the per-kilogram rate — almost always. By full cost over a year — far from always. For a VAT payer, the tax paid at customs is offset: it's a deferred payment, not an expense, and that flips the arithmetic.
For a non-VAT-payer the picture is reversed: the tax goes into cost price in full. The calculator works out both cases and shows the result, even when it's not in our favor.
What is a break-even threshold?
It's the answer to the question "at what loss frequency do the schemes come out equal". The annual difference between the schemes is divided by the shipment value — giving the share of shipments whose loss equalizes the costs.
We calculate it instead of the probability of confiscation: nobody has measured the probability, while the threshold is checkable and clear. You know your own problem frequency better than we do.
Do you handle customs clearance yourselves?
By default, no: declaration is handled by your customs broker, while you remain the importer and owner of the goods on paper — which is why the input VAT is yours and the origin of the goods is confirmed. No broker of your own — we'll arrange clearance as a separate service, and you still remain the importer.
We take on the supplier, payment, a warehouse in Guangzhou, product inspection, and delivery — cargo or official import, depending on your task. No broker yet — we'll recommend trusted ones or arrange clearance ourselves.
How accurate is the calculator's estimate?
The arithmetic is exact; the input data is yours. The VAT rate is filled in by country and verified for 2026, you enter the duty rate, and customs clearance processing fees aren't included and will be added to the broker's invoice.
Treat the calculation as preliminary: it shows the order of magnitude and the structure of payments, while the broker provides the final figures after determining the product's HS code.
Send us the product name, weight, and shipment value — we'll work out both schemes and tell you straight if switching isn't worthwhile yet.