Free screening tool

EU Duty Risk Assistant

Name: EU Duty Risk Assistant
Author: SinoSource

Describe a product to generate a non-binding classification candidate, missing-information questions, and risk prompts. Verify the final code and every applicable measure in official EU systems before using a rate.

From a classification candidate to a rate you can actually use

The assistant reads a product description and returns a candidate classification, the facts still missing from your description, and the measures worth checking. It is a preparation step. The rate that ends up in your costing has to come from an official source, because that is the one a customs authority will hold you to.

Describe the product the way a classifier reads itMaterial composition, function, how it is powered, and who it is intended for decide the heading far more often than the commercial product name does. "LED garden light" is a product name. "Mains-powered aluminium LED luminaire for outdoor use" is a description a classifier can work with.

Resolve the missing facts before you searchThe tool lists what it could not determine. Each open question is a point where the code can still move, so answering them first keeps you from searching TARIC on a code that was never going to hold.

Confirm the code in TARIC and CLASSTARIC gives the measures in force for a code, origin and date. CLASS shows how comparable goods have already been classified, which is often the faster way to settle a borderline case.

Check origin-specific measures separatelyAnti-dumping and countervailing duties attach to a combination of code, origin and sometimes the individual producer. Two shipments under one code can carry very different rates, so the headline duty is rarely the whole cost.

Apply for a BTI when the value at stake justifies itBinding Tariff Information is the only classification a customs authority is bound by, and it is valid across the EU for three years. For a product you will import repeatedly, it removes the question permanently.

Common questions

Can this tool tell me the duty rate for my product?

No, and it is built not to. It does not query live TARIC and cannot issue a binding classification. It produces a candidate code and the questions that still need answering, so you can search official systems from an informed starting point. No rate from this tool should go into a landed-cost model.

What do I need before a duty rate is usable in costing?

Four things: the exact classification, the country of origin, the producer or additional code where trade-defence measures apply, and the date of import. Change any one of them and the applicable rate can change with it.

Why does the classification matter beyond the duty percentage?

The code determines much more than the rate. It drives whether anti-dumping measures apply, whether the goods fall under CBAM reporting, which import licences or certificates are required, and which safety regime governs the product at the border.

What is Binding Tariff Information and when is it worth applying for?

BTI is a written classification decision from a customs authority that is legally binding across the EU for three years. It is worth applying for when a product is borderline between headings, when volumes are high enough that a reclassification would be expensive, or when duty differs sharply between the candidate codes.

Is the tool free to use?

Yes. Screening a product costs nothing and needs no account. The paid SinoSource report is a separate service that records the code used, the origin, the reference date, the source excerpt, the reviewer and the next review date.