How to use the preferential duty savings calculator
The United States imports under a long list of trade programs โ USMCA for Canada and Mexico, bilateral agreements with partners such as Korea, Australia and Singapore, and preference programs for developing countries. When goods qualify and the origin paperwork is in order, the entry is dutiable at a preferential rate instead of the general MFN rate. Qualifying costs money, though, so the question is whether the duty saved beats the compliance work.
The calculation is a straight comparison. Duty at the MFN rate and duty at the preferential rate are each the customs value multiplied by that rate, and the difference is what claiming preference saves on one entry. Subtracting the cost of certifying origin and handling verification requests gives the net saving per entry, and multiplying that displayed figure by your entries per year gives the annual net saving.
No rates are supplied for you. Duty rates depend on the HTS classification and the origin of the goods, and each agreement has its own staging schedule, so look both rates up in the USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule before entering them. If the preferential rate is not lower than the MFN rate, or the certification cost exceeds the saving, the calculator says so instead of showing a rosy number.
This is a planning estimate, not a determination of eligibility. Whether goods qualify depends on the agreement's rules of origin and on CBP review, so confirm with a licensed customs broker or trade counsel. Written as of September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
No. The goods must actually meet the agreement's rules of origin, such as a tariff shift or regional value content test. If a later CBP verification finds the claim unsupported, the duty plus interest can be assessed after the fact.
The same goods can sometimes qualify under more than one agreement or preference program, each with different rates and origin rules. Compare the rates in the tariff schedule and pick the program whose requirements you can document.