We plan to bring eChai across 100 cities in India. It starts with eChai Startup Demo Day on 26 September, all in person. 11 cities confirmed, 178 founders registered. Any city that reaches 20 interested founders is on too. See your city
Make your product

How do I estimate my true landed cost before I commit to an order?

Landed cost is CIF value (product + insurance + freight) plus Basic Customs Duty, Social Welfare Surcharge, and IGST on top of that, not just what the factory quotes you. Run your HS code through a calculator before you order, because duty rates swing wildly by category, and a quote that looks cheap in USD can arrive expensive in rupees once duty and IGST land.

Go deeper

4 resources, 4 India-specific, 3 link-checked.

🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Freemium Beginner

Turns the BCD/SWS/IGST formula into a usable tool, HS-code-based, current-rate landed-cost estimate before you commit to an order.

India Import Duty Calculator

From dutydecoder.com by DutyDecoder

  • AI-assisted HS code lookup for accurate tariff matching
  • Uses current 2026 MFN tariff schedules
  • Outputs a full landed-cost estimate, not just duty
Open dutydecoder.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

A government body's own explanation of the BCD + SWS + IGST formula that actually determines your landed cost into India, the calculation behind every calculator tool.

Calculation of Import Duty in India, Formula, Online Tools and Exemptions

From investindia.gov.in by Invest India

  • BCD, SWS and IGST are the three layers on top of CIF value
  • SWS is calculated as 10% of BCD
  • Explains exemptions worth checking before you assume the worst-case rate
Open investindia.gov.in →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

The official government calculator, the source of truth to cross-check any third-party landed-cost tool against before you finalise pricing.

Custom Duty Calculator

From icegate.gov.in by ICEGATE (Indian Customs)

  • Authoritative, government-run duty calculation
  • Best used to cross-check other calculators
  • Part of the wider ICEGATE customs e-filing system
Open icegate.gov.in →
🛠️ Tool
India Freemium Intermediate

Combines duty and GST/IGST into a single estimate, useful as a second opinion when your DutyDecoder or ICEGATE numbers need a sanity check.

Customs Duty Calculator with GST

From seair.co.in by Seair Exim

  • Calculates duty and GST together in one pass
  • Good for cross-verifying other landed-cost tools
  • Backed by an established Indian trade-data firm
Open seair.co.in →

People also ask

How do I actually import a product from China as a small D2C brand with no existing supply chain? 2 → What's actually different between working direct with a factory, buying off Alibaba, and hiring a sourcing agent? 2 → What do I legally need in India to import goods, IEC, GST, anything else? 3 → What are the classic ways first-time importers get scammed or burned? 3 → Should I ship by air or sea, and how do I actually choose a freight forwarder? 3 → How do I calculate my true landed cost per unit, including duty, freight and GST? 3 →

Also in Starting Up

The same ground, over in Build the product, our Starting Up track.

What actually counts as an MVP, and what's the smallest one I can get away with? 20 → Which no-code tool should I use to build my first product? 20 →
eChai Partner Brands