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There is no universal Indian import-duty rate. The result changes with HSN/CTH classification, country of origin, import date, exemption or preferential notifications, valuation additions, shipment terms, seller GST status and sales channel. The worksheet below gives you a repeatable pricing method without confusing a customs assessment with your retail price.
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What you are actually calculating
Three different numbers are often mixed together:
- Customs assessable value: the legal value used to calculate import duties. It is not automatically the supplier invoice total.
- Economic landed cost: the cost that remains attached to each sellable unit after nonrecoverable import and delivery costs. Recoverable import IGST is normally kept outside this figure.
- Consumer selling price: the amount your channel needs to collect after payment fees, platform commissions, fulfilment, returns and your desired contribution margin.
Keeping these layers separate prevents two common errors: adding a markup to IGST that you can claim as input tax credit, and stripping IGST out of your cost when you cannot recover it.
Start with a complete shipment worksheet
Before asking a broker or using an online calculator, record the facts that determine valuation, duty and profitability. Save the commercial documents used for each shipment so the assumptions can be reconciled to the bill of entry.
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- Product description, material, function and technical specifications.
- Proposed HSN/CTH classification and any competing classifications.
- Quantity ordered, unit price, currency and total supplier price.
- Country of origin, not merely the country from which the goods are shipped.
- Seller and buyer relationship, including whether the parties are related.
- Incoterm and whether the quoted price is FOB, CIF or another basis.
- International freight, insurance, origin pickup, export handling and destination charges.
- Buyer-provided materials, components, tools, moulds, engineering, artwork or design.
- Royalties or licence fees tied to the sale, resale proceeds payable to the supplier and relevant advance payments.
- Expected customs duties, cess, clearance, port, courier and domestic transport charges.
- GST registration and input-tax-credit eligibility.
- Sales channel, payment and platform fees, fulfilment cost, return rate, warranty provision and target margin.
- Expected loss from damage, shrinkage, samples or units that cannot be sold.
Incoterms allocate commercial responsibilities between seller and buyer; they do not replace Indian customs valuation law. A low freight line on a quote does not by itself reduce the customs value if the law requires that transport or related charges to the place of importation be included.
Step 1: Establish the customs assessable value
Use transaction value only when the legal conditions are met
Customs Act section 14(1) states that the value is generally “the transaction value of such goods, that is to say, the price actually paid or payable for the goods when sold for export to India for delivery at the time and place of importation.” That starting point is adjusted under the Customs Valuation Rules where required.
Section 14 expressly addresses transportation to the place of importation, insurance, and loading, unloading and handling charges to the extent and in the manner specified by the rules. The exchange rate used for the customs conversion is the rate applicable when the bill of entry is presented, not necessarily the rate on the day you negotiated the purchase.
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Check valuation additions before treating the invoice as the base
The Directorate General of Valuation’s explanatory material identifies additions that can apply when their statutory conditions are satisfied. Examples include:
- Materials, components, tools, moulds or similar items supplied by the buyer for use in producing the imported goods.
- Engineering, development, artwork, design work or plans supplied directly or indirectly by the buyer.
- Royalties and licence fees related to the imported goods and paid as a condition of sale.
- Part of the resale, disposal or use proceeds that returns to the seller.
- Certain commissions, packing and other specified costs.
- Relevant advance payments or other amounts connected with the sale.
Do not add every business expense to customs value. Post-import warehousing, domestic delivery after importation and other costs may belong in your commercial landed-cost model without being part of the customs assessable value. The exact treatment depends on the facts and the valuation rules, so document why each amount is included or excluded.
FOB, CIF and the limits of informal freight rules
A supplier may quote FOB, CIF or another Incoterm. In general valuation explanations, a value that includes freight, insurance and transport-related handling to the import point is described as CIF-based; a value that excludes those elements is described as FOB-based. Indian customs valuation rules control the actual filing. Do not apply a blanket freight percentage when the transaction documents and applicable rules establish a different amount.
A practical worksheet can therefore show:
| Line | What to enter | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier price | Price actually paid or payable, converted using the applicable customs exchange rate | Starting point for transaction value |
| Transport to import point | International freight and required transport additions | May be included under section 14 and valuation rules |
| Insurance and handling | Insurance plus loading, unloading or handling covered by the rules | May increase assessable value |
| Buyer assists and qualifying additions | Documented value of applicable assists, royalties or resale proceeds | Can be required even when absent from the invoice |
| Customs assessable value | Sum after permitted additions and exclusions | Base for the duty calculation |
Step 2: Identify the actual duty and cess stack
Classification and origin come before arithmetic
Use the product’s characteristics to determine the tariff heading or CTH, then check the country of origin and import date. The ICEGATE Import Duty Enquiry and Trade Guide allow a search by tariff heading or description and country of origin. Origin can affect preferential treatment, anti-dumping or other special-duty checks; shipment origin alone is not proof of legal origin.
Review the tariff line and every current exemption or preferential notification. A tariff-schedule rate may be replaced by a lower notified effective rate, or a notification may apply only when its conditions and documentary requirements are met. Product restrictions, licences, standards and quota conditions can also affect whether the shipment can be cleared at the assumed cost.
Map each possible charge instead of using one percentage
Depending on the product and current notifications, the customs bill may contain basic customs duty (BCD), Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC), Health Cess, Social Welfare Surcharge (SWS), anti-dumping or other notified duties, and then import IGST and, where applicable, compensation cess.
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A Bangalore Customs FAQ published in 2026 describes SWS in the framework it discusses as 10% of aggregate customs duties. That is not a universal rate for every product or shipment; verify the current tariff line and notification. Likewise, BCD is the effective rate applicable to the goods at import, which may be the schedule rate or a lower notified rate.
Build the stack as separate rows:
| Charge | Calculation base | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| BCD | Usually the assessable value, subject to the tariff and rules | HSN/CTH, origin, date and effective notification |
| AIDC, Health Cess or other customs cess | Product-specific statutory base | Whether the levy applies to this tariff line |
| SWS | Aggregate customs duties in the applicable framework | Current rate and the duties included in its base |
| Anti-dumping, safeguard or similar duty | As stated in the relevant notification | Origin, producer, product description and validity period |
| Import IGST | Duty-inclusive import base | Current item-specific IGST rate |
| Compensation cess | Where applicable under the GST and customs notifications | Product category and current notification |
Never price from an assumed “10% duty,” “28% duty” or any other memorized percentage. A wrong classification can change both the rate and the tax base.
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Step 3: Calculate import IGST on the correct base
CBIC’s import-tax guidance describes the general order: applicable customs duty and customs cess are added to the import value before import IGST and compensation cess, where applicable, are paid. The import IGST rate is item-specific.
For a simplified worksheet, write the relationship as:
IGST base = customs assessable value + applicable customs duties and cess included by the rules
Import IGST = IGST base × current import IGST rate
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe actual charge stack can contain exceptions and notification-specific rules, so use the amount shown or confirmed for the shipment rather than treating this as a substitute for the customs assessment.
Step 4: Separate cash paid from permanent cost
Import IGST is a cash requirement at clearance even when it may later be available as input tax credit. A registered importer can generally claim eligible import IGST with the required bill of entry and subject to the CGST Act, documentation, matching and other restrictions. Eligibility is conditional: registration status, use of the goods, blocked-credit rules, records and return compliance all matter.
Basic customs duty is not GST input tax credit. If your business cannot claim import IGST, or can claim only part of it, the unrecovered amount belongs in economic cost.
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| Amount | Cash-flow treatment | Economic-cost treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier price, freight and insurance | Paid under the commercial terms | Included unless recoverable from another party |
| BCD and noncreditable customs cess | Paid at clearance | Included in landed cost |
| Import IGST | Paid at clearance | Excluded when fully eligible and actually recoverable; include the unrecovered portion |
| Clearance, port and courier fees | Paid to service providers | Included when not separately recovered |
| GST collected on the sale | Collected from the customer and remitted according to the seller’s arrangement | Do not treat output GST as margin |
Model two totals: the amount needed to fund import clearance and the cost that remains after expected tax credits. If a credit is delayed, disputed or unavailable, your working-capital plan must still cover the cash payment.
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Use a consistent allocation rule for shared shipment costs. Weight, volume, customs value or units may each be appropriate for different charges; record the basis so another person can reproduce the result. Divide by expected sellable units, not automatically by the order quantity.
Economic landed cost per sellable unit = (supplier cost + freight and insurance + noncreditable customs duties and cess + clearance and port charges + destination transport + other nonrecoverable costs) ÷ expected sellable units
Include shrinkage, damage, samples and quality rejects in the denominator assumption. If 100 units are ordered but only 95 are expected to be saleable, the cost of the shipment is spread over 95 units.
Illustrative calculation
The following numbers are purely illustrative assumptions, not a duty quote or a forecast for any product:
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors| Item | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| 100 units at ₹1,200 supplier price | ₹120,000 |
| Freight and insurance to the import point | ₹20,000 |
| Illustrative customs assessable value | ₹140,000 |
| Illustrative BCD assumption of 10% | ₹14,000 |
| Illustrative SWS assumption of 10% of that BCD | ₹1,400 |
| Clearance and port charges | ₹6,000 |
| Destination transport | ₹4,000 |
| Expected sellable units | 95 |
Excluding recoverable import IGST, the illustrative economic cost is ₹165,400. Dividing by 95 expected sellable units gives approximately ₹1,741.05 per unit. If import IGST in this example were fully recoverable, it would still be a clearance cash requirement but not part of that economic-cost numerator. If it were not recoverable, add the unrecovered amount before dividing.
Step 6: Turn landed cost into a channel-specific price
Your selling price must fund costs that occur after importation. Add domestic fulfilment, expected returns and warranty claims, packaging, storage, customer support and fixed operating costs allocated per unit. Then account for percentage-based payment and platform fees and your target contribution margin.
A useful pre-output-tax price floor is:
Required net selling revenue per unit = (economic landed cost per unit + domestic fulfilment + expected returns and warranty + fixed per-unit operating costs) ÷ (1 − percentage-based channel and payment fees − target contribution margin)
For the illustrative landed cost of ₹1,741.05, assume ₹120 fulfilment, ₹80 expected returns and warranty, ₹50 fixed cost, 12% channel and payment fees, and a 20% contribution margin. The calculation is:
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(₹1,741.05 + ₹120 + ₹80 + ₹50) ÷ (1 − 0.12 − 0.20) = approximately ₹2,928.01
That is the required net selling revenue before deciding how output GST is displayed and remitted. The final consumer-facing price must follow the seller’s GST arrangement and clearly distinguish tax-inclusive and tax-exclusive offers where the channel requires it.
Margin is not the same as markup
- Markup: profit divided by cost.
- Gross or contribution margin: profit divided by revenue.
Putting “20%” into the wrong formula can leave a significant shortfall. Percentage-based fees also apply to a different base in some channels, so use the fee definition in your agreement and test the price against an actual order statement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Compare shipping quotes on a like-for-like basis
The cheapest freight line is not necessarily the cheapest shipment. Ask every forwarder, courier or broker for a written quote that identifies what is included and who is responsible for each handoff.
| Quote field | Questions to answer |
|---|---|
| Mode and route | Courier, air freight, LCL or FCL; origin, transshipment and destination points |
| Chargeable quantity | Actual weight, volumetric weight, cubic metres, pallets or containers |
| Included origin services | Pickup, export packing, documentation and export handling |
| Included destination services | Terminal, port, warehouse, customs clearance and last-mile delivery |
| Insurance | Coverage, exclusions, deductible and whether the premium is included |
| Duties and taxes | Who is importer of record and who pays customs duty, IGST and other taxes |
| Timing | Transit estimate, clearance assumption and consequences of delay |
| Validity and exclusions | Quote-expiry date, fuel or security surcharges, storage, demurrage and inspection fees |
| Incoterm | Which party bears each commercial responsibility |
Freight to the place of importation and certain insurance or handling charges can affect customs value. Post-import delivery and some clearance or storage costs may affect your commercial landed-cost model without being part of customs value. Reconcile the quote to the valuation worksheet instead of assuming the two totals use identical boundaries.
Validate the model before committing to a price
- Confirm classification: have the product description, composition and intended use reviewed where the tariff heading is uncertain.
- Check origin evidence: retain documents needed for any preferential rate and test whether special duties apply.
- Run the current ICEGATE enquiry: compare the tariff line, effective rate and notification conditions with the shipment date.
- Reconcile the customs value: compare the invoice, freight, insurance, assists and royalties with the valuation assumptions.
- Get a written clearance estimate: require the broker or carrier to show each duty, cess, fee and tax separately.
- Confirm GST treatment: establish whether the importer is registered, has a valid bill of entry and can actually claim the expected import-IGST credit.
- Stress-test the price: rerun the worksheet for an adverse exchange rate, one additional duty or cess, fewer sellable units, a higher return rate and a delayed credit.
- Check the channel statement: verify the commission base, payment fee, fulfilment deductions, refunds and taxes against a real settlement report.
- Set a review trigger: revisit the price when classification, origin, notification, freight quote, exchange rate, tax status or channel contract changes.
Common pricing mistakes and their fixes
Using the supplier invoice as customs value
Why it fails: required freight, insurance, handling or valuation additions may be missing.
Fix: build the assessable value from the transaction documents and Indian valuation rules, then retain the evidence.
Applying one duty percentage to every product
Why it fails: tariff heading, origin, exemptions, special duties and import date are product-specific.
Fix: check the current effective rate and notifications for the exact classification and origin.
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Adding recoverable IGST to permanent cost
Why it fails: it overstates unit cost and can lead to an unnecessary markup.
Fix: show IGST in the cash-flow schedule and exclude only the portion that is genuinely eligible and recoverable.
Removing IGST when credit is unavailable
Why it fails: an unregistered seller or a seller with blocked or unusable credit bears that amount economically.
Fix: include the unrecovered portion in landed cost and document the eligibility decision.
Dividing by units ordered
Why it fails: damaged, unsellable or reserved units do not generate the revenue assumed by the model.
Fix: divide by expected sellable units and update the loss assumption from actual experience.
Confusing markup with margin
Why it fails: the same percentage produces different prices depending on whether it is applied to cost or revenue.
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Choosing freight by headline rate
Why it fails: a low rate may exclude destination handling, clearance, storage, insurance or last-mile delivery.
Fix: compare complete quotes with the same responsibility, tax and delivery boundaries.
When professional validation is worth the cost
Use a customs broker, licensed professional or tax adviser before placing a large or irreversible order when classification is uncertain, the goods may be restricted, a preferential origin claim is material, anti-dumping or safeguard exposure is possible, related-party valuation applies, or the expected GST credit is significant. Ask for the assumptions in writing: tariff line, origin evidence, valuation additions, effective rates, credit treatment and excluded charges.
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A spreadsheet is sufficient for arithmetic, but no calculator can decide the legally correct classification or guarantee that a notification applies. Keep the calculator focused on scenarios and use authoritative customs and GST records for the filing decision.
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