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Tariffs & Compliance

Every market has its own duties and safety rules. Get the paperwork right before production, not after the goods reach customs.

01CE, UKCA, FCC and CPC: Product Certifications for Imports from ChinaCE marking shows a product meets EU rules for regulated categories such as electronics, toys, machinery and PPE. UKCA is the Great Britain equivalent, and GB still accepts CE for most of those goods. FCC authorization covers electronic devices that emit radio frequency energy sold in the US. A Children's Product Certificate (CPC) is required for US children's products, based on CPSC-accepted lab tests. In each case the importer, not just the Chinese factory, carries legal responsibility.7 min read
02How to Calculate Landed Cost When Importing from ChinaLanded cost is the total cost of getting a product to your warehouse, divided by the units received: product price, China-side charges not in the quote, international freight and insurance, import duty, customs fees, brokerage, destination port charges and final delivery, plus any import VAT or GST you cannot reclaim. Calculate duty on the right base: the US charges it on the price excluding international freight and insurance, while the EU and UK include freight and insurance to the border.6 min read
03How to Find the Right HS Code for Products Imported from ChinaStart with the product's material, function and use, then search your destination country's official tariff: the USITC HTS for the US, TARIC for the EU, or the UK Trade Tariff. Work down from the 4-digit heading to the full national code using the chapter notes and the General Rules of Interpretation, check published rulings for similar goods, and ask customs for a binding ruling when the answer is unclear.7 min read

Key terms

Binding tariff ruling: A written decision from a customs authority, issued before import on request, that fixes how a described product will be classified or treated, and binds customs for that transaction.
CE marking: A mark the manufacturer places on products covered by specific EU legislation, such as toys, electronics, machinery and PPE, to declare that the product meets all applicable EU requirements.
Certificate of origin: A document certifying the country in which goods were produced, used by customs to apply the correct duty rate, trade measures and, for preferential certificates, reduced rates under a free trade agreement.
Children's Product Certificate (CPC): A written certificate that US importers or domestic manufacturers of products for children 12 and under must issue, based on tests by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory, to certify compliance with applicable safety rules.
Commercial invoice: The seller's final invoice for a shipment, stating the parties, goods description, quantity, unit price, total value, currency and Incoterm, which customs uses to assess duty on import.
Country of origin marking: The legal requirement to mark imported goods or their containers with the English name of the country where they were made, such as "Made in China", so the final buyer can see it.
CPSIA: The US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which sets lead and phthalate limits for children's products and requires third-party testing, certificates and tracking labels.
Customs bond: A surety bond required by US Customs and Border Protection for most commercial imports, guaranteeing that the importer will pay duties, taxes and fees and comply with customs rules.
Customs broker: A licensed professional or firm that prepares and files import declarations with customs on the importer's behalf, including classification, valuation and payment of duties and taxes.
Customs valuation: The method customs uses to set the taxable value of imported goods, based under the WTO Valuation Agreement on the transaction value: the price actually paid or payable, plus certain adjustments.
De minimis: A value threshold below which a country lets imported shipments enter free of duty, and sometimes of tax, usually with simplified customs clearance.
Duty drawback: A refund of import duties, taxes or fees paid on imported goods when those goods, or goods made from them, are later exported or destroyed.
EORI number: The Economic Operators Registration and Identification number that businesses need to import into or export from the EU or the UK, used to identify them on customs declarations.
FCC ID: A unique code, made of a grantee code plus a product code, that the US FCC links to a radio-frequency device authorized under its certification procedure.
HS code: A product classification number from the World Customs Organization's Harmonized System; the first six digits are shared internationally and countries add their own digits to set duty rates.
Importer of record: The party named on the customs entry who is legally responsible for the import, including paying duties and taxes and using reasonable care to declare the goods' classification, value and origin correctly.
ISF filing: A US Customs and Border Protection requirement that the importer electronically submit ten data elements about ocean cargo no later than 24 hours before it is loaded on a US-bound vessel.
KC certification: South Korea's mandatory product-safety conformity system, shown by the KC mark, under which manufacturers or importers must certify covered electrical, household and children's products before shipment or customs clearance.
Landed cost: The total cost of getting imported goods to your warehouse, including product price, freight, insurance, duty, fees, brokerage and delivery, usually expressed per sellable unit.
REACH: The EU regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals, which also limits hazardous substances in consumer products sold in the EU.
RoHS: The EU directive 2011/65/EU that restricts ten hazardous substances, including lead, mercury, cadmium and certain phthalates, in electrical and electronic equipment.
UKCA marking: The UK Conformity Assessed mark a manufacturer uses to declare that a product placed on the Great Britain market meets the applicable GB product-safety regulations.