What is the difference between CIF value and assessable value?

CIF is the invoice value including cost, insurance and freight up to the Indian port. Assessable value is the CIF value converted to INR at the CBIC exchange rate, plus a notional landing charge of 1% (where still applicable). In most cases they are used interchangeably in day-to-day calculations.

Why is IGST charged on the amount including BCD and SWS?

Section 3(7) of the Customs Tariff Act specifies that IGST on imports is levied on the aggregate of the assessable value, BCD, SWS and any other additional duty. This design mirrors the domestic GST regime where tax is charged on the total consideration.

Can I claim credit of BCD, SWS or IGST paid on imports?

BCD and SWS are not creditable and become a cost. IGST paid on imports is fully creditable as input-tax credit and can be set off against your output GST liability, provided the goods are used for taxable business supplies and you have a valid bill of entry.

Does this calculator account for anti-dumping or safeguard duty?

No. Anti-dumping duty and safeguard duty are product- and country-specific and are notified item by item. If your HSN is subject to such a levy, you should compute it separately from the CBIC notification and add it to the landed cost given by this tool.

How do I know the correct HSN code and BCD rate?

The correct 8-digit HSN can be identified through the CBIC tariff, ICEGATE or by matching the technical description of your product to the tariff heading. Once the HSN is fixed, the BCD rate can be read from the First Schedule of the Customs Tariff Act as amended by the latest Union Budget.

Import Duty & Landed Cost Calculator

Guide

The Import Duty & Landed Cost Calculator gives importers a fast, transparent view of the total cost of bringing a consignment into India. It applies the standard duty structure — Basic Customs Duty (BCD), Social Welfare Surcharge (SWS) and Integrated GST (IGST) — to a user-supplied assessable value and outputs the individual duty components as well as the final landed cost.

For any importer, freight forwarder, customs broker or purchase manager, an accurate estimate of duty is the difference between a profitable order and a loss. This calculator gives you a repeatable, auditable number in seconds and mirrors the logic used by customs at the port of import.

What is the landed cost of an import?

Landed cost is the total cost of a product once it has arrived at the buyer’s doorstep — the invoice value plus every associated charge, tax and duty. Under Indian customs law, the primary building block is the assessable value (also called the CIF value), on top of which multiple statutory levies are stacked in a specific sequence.

Assessable Value (AV) = Cost + Insurance + Freight (CIF) + 1% landing charge (where applicable) converted to INR at the CBIC exchange rate
Basic Customs Duty (BCD) = AV × BCD rate
Social Welfare Surcharge (SWS) = BCD × 10% (default; some goods are exempt)
IGST base = AV + BCD + SWS
IGST = IGST base × IGST rate
Landed cost = AV + BCD + SWS + IGST + any additional cess or ADD

Duty components explained

Basic Customs Duty (BCD)

BCD is levied under Section 12 of the Customs Act, 1962 and is the primary protective and revenue duty on imports. The rate is notified in the First Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act and varies by HSN code, ranging from 0% on many raw materials to 100% or more on select finished consumer goods and agricultural products.

Social Welfare Surcharge (SWS)

SWS was introduced in Budget 2018 to replace the earlier Education Cess. It is charged at 10% of the aggregate BCD and its purpose is to fund social welfare schemes such as education and health. Some goods such as gold and silver are notified at a lower or nil SWS rate.

Integrated GST (IGST)

IGST on imports is levied under Section 3(7) of the Customs Tariff Act and is treated as an inter-state supply into India. Importantly, IGST is calculated on the value that already includes BCD and SWS, which effectively creates a compounding effect on high-duty items.

Cess, ADD, safeguard and CVD

Depending on the HSN, additional charges may apply — GST compensation cess, anti-dumping duty (ADD), countervailing duty (CVD) or safeguard duty. These are product- and country-specific and are not part of the default calculator. They should be added manually to the landed cost.

How to use the calculator

Step 1Enter the assessable / CIF value of the consignment in INR after converting from the invoice currency at the CBIC-notified exchange rate for the month.
Step 2Enter the BCD percentage as per the First Schedule of the Customs Tariff for the applicable HSN code.
Step 3Keep SWS at 10% unless the goods enjoy a specific exemption or lower rate.
Step 4Enter the IGST rate as notified — typically 5%, 12%, 18% or 28%.
Step 5Read the individual duty amounts, the total duty payable and the landed cost from the right-hand panel.

Practical importer checklist

Verify the correct 8-digit HSN via ICEGATE or CBIC before applying rates
Check for any Free Trade Agreement (FTA) benefit — a lower BCD may be available under FTAs with ASEAN, Japan, Korea, UAE and others
Confirm whether the item attracts Anti-Dumping Duty from the Ministry of Commerce notifications
Confirm whether product-specific licences (BIS, CDSCO, WPC, EPR) are required before clearance
Retain the CIF working, currency conversion rate and duty computation in the import file for audit purposes

Who should use this tool?

Importers pricing new SKUs and building a target retail price
Custom House Agents (CHAs) preparing pre-alerts and quotations for clients
Purchase and sourcing managers evaluating vendors from different countries
Startup founders exploring cross-border sourcing for the first time
CA and CS professionals doing landed-cost workings for clients