Import duties and tariffs on IT hardware from China

Most computing hardware carries zero or very low standard import duty in the markets that signed the Information Technology Agreement, which covers the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan and many others. Yet buyers still receive customs bills that surprise them. The reason is that the standard duty rate is only one of four things that decide what you actually pay, and it is often the smallest.

This guide explains the four, shows how landed cost is assembled, and points you at the official sources for your own destination. It is part of our sourcing and import hub guide, which covers the wider purchase process.

At a glance

• Standard duty on servers and laptops is zero or low in ITA member markets
• Trade remedy measures (such as US Section 301) sit on top and can dominate
• Import VAT or GST is usually the largest single line, and is often reclaimable
• Origin is where goods were made, not where they shipped from
• HS classification drives every rate: get it right before you order
• Rates change; verify against your customs authority for the week you import

The four things that decide what you pay

This is why two buyers importing identical servers can report wildly different costs. A VAT-registered company in Germany reclaims the VAT and sees near-zero net tax. A US buyer whose HS line carries a Section 301 measure sees a real double-digit percentage cost. Both statements about the same hardware are true.

Classification comes first

Every rate hangs off the HS code, so classification is the highest-leverage detail in the entire transaction. The common headings for this cargo family:

These are the first six digits, which are internationally harmonized. Your market adds further digits (10 in the US HTS, 8 to 10 in the EU TARIC) and the rate lives at that full-length code. Let your broker confirm the full code before the goods ship, not while they sit in a bonded warehouse.

Origin is not the shipping point

This trips up more buyers than any other rule. Origin is where the goods were manufactured or substantially transformed. Shipping a mainland-manufactured server out of Hong Kong, Singapore or anywhere else does not change its origin, and customs declarations require the true origin.

What Hong Kong routing genuinely simplifies is export paperwork, banking and consolidation, which is why so much of this trade moves that way and why we operate that structure ourselves. What it does not do is convert Chinese origin goods into something else for tariff purposes. Any supplier who offers that as a service is offering you a customs fraud exposure, not a saving.

Assembling the landed cost

Landed cost is the number that matters when comparing suppliers. Build it in this order:

1. Goods value from the proforma invoice
2. Plus freight and insurance to the point your Incoterm ends
3. That subtotal is usually the customs value (many markets assess on a CIF basis)
4. Plus duty: customs value multiplied by the duty rate for your full HS code
5. Plus any trade remedy measure applied to that code and origin
6. Plus import VAT or GST on the total of the above
7. Plus broker, port and handling fees

An illustration of the arithmetic, using a made-up rate purely to show the mechanics: goods at 10,000 with freight and insurance of 800 gives a customs value of 10,800. A duty rate of 2 percent adds 216. VAT at 20 percent on 11,016 adds 2,203, which a VAT-registered importer reclaims. The point of the exercise is not the numbers but the sequence: taxes compound on the lines above them, so freight and Incoterm choice quietly move your tax bill too.

Where to verify your actual rate

• United States: the USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule, plus the USTR Section 301 exclusion and action lists
• European Union: the TARIC consultation database
• United Kingdom: the UK Integrated Online Tariff
• Other markets: your national customs authority tariff lookup, or a licensed broker

Rates and trade measures change on political timelines, not commercial ones. Anything you read in a guide, including this one, is background: the binding answer is your customs authority's current published rate for your full-length code on your import date. As of Q3 2026 that advice matters more than usual, because measures affecting Chinese origin electronics have been revised repeatedly in recent years.

Practical ways buyers avoid surprises

• Ask for the HS code on the quotation, and check it with your broker before paying
• Compare offers on landed cost, not goods price, and always with the same Incoterm
• If you want a single all-in number with duties handled, ask for a DDP quotation
• Confirm whether your business can reclaim import VAT before treating it as a cost
• Keep the commercial invoice, packing list and transport document consistent to the carton

We quote both ways, goods-only and delivered duty paid, precisely because the right structure depends on whether a buyer has a broker and a VAT position. You can see how we present configurations and condition on our server listings before requesting either form of quotation.

FAQ

Are there tariffs on computer parts from China?

It depends on the destination and the exact HS code. Standard duty is frequently zero in ITA markets, but destination-specific trade measures can apply on top for Chinese origin goods, most notably in the United States. Check your full-length code against your national tariff schedule for the current position.

How much will it cost to import from China?

Goods value plus freight, plus duty on that customs value, plus any trade measure, plus import VAT or GST, plus broker fees. For business buyers in VAT-reclaim markets the true net cost is often much closer to goods plus freight than the customs invoice first suggests.

Does shipping through Hong Kong avoid Chinese tariffs?

No. Origin follows manufacture, not the port of departure, and must be declared truthfully. Hong Kong routing simplifies export documentation, payment and consolidation. It does not change the origin of the goods.

Do I pay duty on refurbished or used hardware?

Yes, on the declared transaction value, under the same classification rules as new goods. Some markets scrutinize used-goods valuations more closely, so a clear commercial invoice reflecting the real price paid matters.

Who is responsible for paying the duty?

The importer of record, which is you under EXW, FOB, CIF and CIP terms. Under DDP the seller handles duties and includes them in the price, which is why DDP quotations look higher and are not comparable with EXW quotations line for line.