Landed cost calculator: China to US
Landed cost is everything you pay to get one unit from the factory to the US warehouse: the factory price plus freight, duty and import fees. In the example below, a $5.00 product lands at $8.18 a unit.
Landed cost = factory price + freight + duty + import fees (MPF and HMF, brokerage)
Sea freight from dated rate cards, no live quotes. Free, no sign-up.
Worked example
1,000 units in a 20 × 15 × 8 cm box of 0.5 kg, bought at $5.00 each, ship as about 4.34 m³.
A shared container costs $1,401.39 for the shipment against $5,443.00 for a full 20ft container that would be 15.5% full, so freight is $1.4014 a unit.
Duty at 25% is $1.2500; MPF and HMF add $34.58 and $6.25 on the entry; brokerage and the other import fees are $485.00 for the shipment.
Landed cost: $8.1773 a unit, $8,177.22 for the order.
Frequently asked questions
What is landed cost?
Landed cost is the full cost of one unit delivered to the US warehouse: what you pay the factory, plus freight, customs duty and tariffs, and the import fees charged on the shipment. It is the number your Amazon margin has to beat.
What is the landed cost formula?
Landed cost = factory price + freight + duty + import fees. Duty is a percentage of the factory (customs) value; freight and most import fees are charged per shipment, so spread them over the units in the order.
How is the freight worked out?
From dated sea freight rates for China to the US warehouse region you pick: shared container space (LCL) and a full container (FCL) are both priced at your quantity and the cheaper is used. No live quote is requested; if no rate applies to your shipment, the calculator says so.
What are MPF and HMF?
Two US customs fees on imports. The merchandise processing fee (MPF) is a percentage of the goods' value per entry, with a minimum and a maximum. The harbor maintenance fee (HMF) is a small percentage charged on sea freight only. The HMF and MPF calculator works out both for one entry.
Should I ship in a shared or a full container?
A shared container is usually cheaper for small orders because you pay for the space you use. As the order grows a full container becomes cheaper per unit, and past a certain size shared space is no longer a realistic booking. The calculator shows both at your quantity, with the cubic metres and how full the container would be.
Does landed cost include Amazon's fees?
No. Landed cost stops at the warehouse door. Amazon's referral, fulfillment and storage fees come on top; the free FBA fee calculator works those out.
Related tools
- Import duty checker
Find your HTS code and the duty and tariffs on a product made in China.
- CBM calculator
Shipment volume, W/M and how full a 20ft, 40ft or 40HC container would be.
- FBA fee calculator
Size tier, fulfillment and referral fees, storage and profit per unit.