Freight quote comparison: landed cost calculator
A freight quote is only part of what a shipment costs. Enter the value of your goods, the HTS code and up to three quotes, and see what each one costs delivered, with US duty and customs fees added, in total and per unit.
A freight quote is only part of what a shipment costs. Landed cost adds the goods, the freight and charges, insurance, duty, customs fees, the broker and delivery. For a US import, duty and customs fees do not depend on the forwarder, so the quote that looks cheapest can cost more once its extras are counted. Enter your goods and up to three quotes below to see each one delivered, in total and per unit.
Compare your freight quotes by landed cost
Enter the goods once, then each quote with whatever it leaves out. The calculator adds US duty and customs fees, which are the same for every quote, and shows which one costs least delivered.
Your goods
The price paid to the seller. International freight and insurance are generally left out of the customs value.
To see the cost per unit.
Optional. Enter it and the duty rate is filled in from the US tariff.
The General rate, or the Special rate if a trade agreement applies. Find it in the HTS code lookup.
Section 301, Section 232 or other Chapter 99 duties on your goods. The tariff lines do not flag them; check Chapter 99.
Informal entry is for shipments up to $2,500, with exceptions.
The quotes you received
Enter each quote’s total for freight and charges, then anything it leaves out. Leave a card empty if you have fewer quotes.
Enter the value of the goods, then the quotes you received.
Nothing you enter is sent to Linbis or to anyone else. Your numbers are kept in this browser so they are there when you come back. US duty and fees only; other countries charge differently. Fees are the ones in force from 1 October 2026; duty rates come from 2026 HTS Revision 21.
What goes into landed cost
| Cost | Who charges it | In a freight quote? |
|---|---|---|
| The goods | The seller | No |
| Freight and charges at origin and destination | The forwarder or carrier | Yes: this is the quote |
| Customs broker fee | The broker, often the forwarder | Sometimes |
| ISF filing (US sea freight) | The filer | Sometimes |
| Cargo insurance | An insurer, often through the forwarder | Only if you ask |
| Duty and additional duties | US Customs and Border Protection | No |
| Merchandise Processing Fee, Harbor Maintenance Fee | US Customs and Border Protection | No: paid with the entry |
| Delivery to your door | A trucker | Depends on the terms |
| Storage, examinations, demurrage | The terminal, CBP, the carrier | No: charged when they happen |
A worked example
5,000 cotton T-shirts worth $25,000, HTS 6109.10.00 at 16.5%, by sea from Shanghai to a warehouse in Los Angeles. Forwarder B quotes $450 less for freight but leaves out the delivery.
| Cost | Forwarder A | Forwarder B |
|---|---|---|
| Goods (customs value) | $25,000.00 | $25,000.00 |
| Freight and charges quoted | $3,200.00 | $2,750.00 |
| Customs broker fee | $150.00 | $175.00 |
| ISF filing fee | $35.00 | $40.00 |
| Delivery not in the quote | $0.00 | $450.00 |
| Duty, 16.5% of the customs value | $4,125.00 | $4,125.00 |
| Merchandise Processing Fee, 0.3464% | $86.60 | $86.60 |
| Harbor Maintenance Fee, 0.125% | $31.25 | $31.25 |
| Landed cost | $32,627.85 | $32,657.85 |
| Per T-shirt (5,000) | $6.53 | $6.53 |
Forwarder A costs $30.00 less delivered, even though its freight was higher. Duty and customs fees are the same $4,242.85 for both. Press Fill an example in the calculator to load these numbers.
Before you ask for quotes
A forwarder can only price what it is told. Quotes come back faster, and compare fairly, when every forwarder gets the same details:
- Route. Origin and destination, and whether pickup and delivery are at a door or at the port or airport.
- Incoterm. It decides which legs you pay for (see below).
- Cargo. What the goods are, the number of pieces, their dimensions and weight, and whether they stack.
- Ready date. Prices and space change week to week.
- Anything special. Hazardous goods, temperature control, oversized pieces, customs clearance, insurance.
Which part of the trip to ask for
The Incoterm in your purchase contract decides which legs are yours to arrange. Ask the forwarder to quote only those, or you will compare prices for different jobs.
| Incoterm (2020) | Who pays the main freight | What you, the buyer, ask a forwarder to quote |
|---|---|---|
| EXW | The buyer | Everything from the seller’s premises: pickup, export clearance, main freight, the destination side |
| FCA, FAS, FOB | The buyer | From the named place (FCA) or the port of shipment (FAS, FOB) to your door |
| CFR, CIF, CPT, CIP | The seller | The destination side only: unloading, import clearance, delivery |
| DAP, DPU | The seller | Import clearance and duties, and unloading under DAP |
| DDP | The seller | Usually nothing: the seller delivers with duties paid |
FAS, FOB, CFR and CIF are for sea and inland waterway transport. For air freight, or for containers handed to the carrier before they are loaded, FCA, CPT or CIP fit better. The Incoterms rules set who arranges and pays for which part and where the risk passes. They do not set the price of the goods or when ownership passes.
How to compare freight quotes
- Same scope. Every quote should cover the same legs, from the same place to the same place. A port-to-port price is not cheaper than a door-to-door one; it is a different job.
- All-in, in one currency. Ask for origin charges, main freight and destination charges separately, then compare the totals.
- Surcharges. Fuel, peak season, terminal handling and documentation fees are often listed apart from the base rate. A low base rate with many extras can cost more.
- Validity and transit time. A price that expires before your cargo is ready is not a price. A faster service can be worth what it costs.
- Free time. For containers, the days at destination before demurrage and detention start can cost more than the freight if the cargo is delayed.
How forwarders handle it
Linbis is software for freight forwarders. It does not quote, book or move freight for shippers, and nothing you enter on this page is sent to Linbis. In Linbis, duty and landed cost are layered per line with the basis stated, and when a customer accepts a quote it becomes the shipment, so nothing is typed twice.
| Linbis plan | Published price | Users included |
|---|---|---|
| Startup | $150 per month | 1 |
| Premium | $299 per month | 3 |
| Enterprise | Custom | By quote |
The trial is free and does not ask for a card. Figures from linbis.com/pricing on 6 October 2026.
What this page is not. It adds up the numbers you enter and the US fees in force. It is not a customs entry and not a ruling: the entry your broker files is what counts.
Questions people ask
What is landed cost?
Everything it takes to get goods to your door: the price of the goods, freight and the charges at both ends, insurance, duty and customs fees, the customs broker and delivery. It is the number to compare when you choose a supplier or a forwarder, and the one to divide by the units to price what you sell.
Does the freight change the US duty?
Generally not. US duty is based on the transaction value, the price actually paid or payable for the goods, and CBP’s own example in 19 CFR 152.103 leaves the ocean freight and insurance out of it. So the duty and customs fees are the same whichever forwarder you choose; only the freight and the extras differ.
Which customs fees does the calculator add?
On a formal entry, the Merchandise Processing Fee: 0.3464% of the customs value, with a minimum of $34.58 and a maximum of $670.86 from 1 October 2026. On an informal entry, a fixed $2.77. For sea freight, the Harbor Maintenance Fee: 0.125% of the value, not charged on informal entries.
Does the calculator include Section 301 or Section 232 tariffs?
Only if you enter them under additional duties. They depend on the product and its origin, and the tariff lines do not flag them, so check Chapter 99 of the tariff or ask your customs broker.
What does a freight quote usually leave out?
Duties and import taxes, which are paid to customs. Often also the customs broker’s fee, the ISF filing, insurance, delivery to a door that is not in the quote, and anything that happens on the way: storage, examinations, demurrage and detention.
How long is a freight quote valid?
As long as the quote says. Ocean and air prices change often, so many quotes are valid for days or weeks rather than months. Check the validity date and whether surcharges can still change before the cargo moves.
Related
- US import duty and customs fee calculator
- HTS code lookup
- ISF deadline calculator
- CBM calculator
- Port code lookup
Sources. Customs fees: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Customs User Fees To Be Adjusted for Inflation in Fiscal Year 2027, 91 FR 48398, 31 July 2026; 19 CFR 24.23 (Merchandise Processing Fee), 24.24 (Harbor Maintenance Fee), 143.21 (informal entry) and 152.103 (transaction value). Duty rates: Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 2026 HTS Revision 21, U.S. International Trade Commission, hts.usitc.gov. Incoterms: International Chamber of Commerce, Incoterms 2020. Read on 14 October 2026. This page is general information, not customs advice. Corrections: contact us.