Where these numbers come from

Two kinds of data, two levels of confidence

Certification status is the part we stand behind. Whether a product needs BIS CRS registration or WPC-ETA approval comes from the published Compulsory Registration Scheme product list and the WPC scheme. These lists change by notification, not by interpretation, so a product is either on them or it isn't.

Duty rates are indicative and we say so on every row. Rates move at every Budget, and classification is ultimately the assessing officer's call, not ours. Each product carries a confidence grade:

• High — traceable to a specific current notification.
• Medium — sourced from a named public reference we consider reliable, but not read off the notification itself.
• Low — a reasonable classification we have not yet verified. Treat it as a starting point and check it.

Every rate field on the calculator is editable, and every product links to the official ICEGATE duty calculator. If your CHA gives you a different number, use theirs.

How the maths works

• Assessable value (CIF) = goods + freight + insurance.
• Basic customs duty is charged on the assessable value.
• Social welfare surcharge is charged on the BCD, not on the goods.
• IGST is charged on assessable value + BCD + surcharge.
• IGST is recoverable as input credit if you are GST registered. BCD and surcharge never are — they are real cost.

That last line is the one most people get wrong. A GST-registered shop's true cost is the total minus the IGST, and that is the number the calculator leads with.

What we refresh, and when

• Union Budget — every duty rate is re-checked. This is the big one.
• CBIC notifications — checked for rate changes affecting listed products.
• BIS CRS additions — new products are added to the compulsory list several times a year.
• DGFT notifications — quality control orders and restricted-goods changes.

Nothing here is auto-published. A change is scraped, diffed and then signed off by a person before it reaches this site, because a wrong number that someone orders against is worse than no number at all.

What this is not

This is not customs advice, tax advice or legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a licensed customs broker. It is a way to find out early whether an idea is worth pursuing — and, more often than you'd expect, whether a product can be imported at all before anyone spends money on it.

Found a wrong number? Tell us and we'll fix it and credit you. Corrections are the most useful thing anyone can send.