South Korea to US Tariff Calculator

You feed it two things, an HTS code and a declared value, and back comes an estimated total. It looks up the most-favored-nation base rate for that classification, tests the goods against KORUS for a zero or reduced rate, and notes any Section 232 steel or aluminum charge or the Section 122 baseline in play. Each of those is applied to the value you declare to reach a single dollar figure. The aim is the real all-in cost, since a KORUS preference can erase the base rate while a steel quota can push it back up. The output is a planning estimate rather than a binding CBP ruling, so lean on it as a fast screen before you sign with a Korean supplier or file the entry.

South Korea trades with the United States under KORUS, in force since 2012 and renegotiated in 2018, which zeroes or reduces the rate on most covered goods once the rules of origin are met. A wide band of electronics and semiconductor lines already clear at 0% under the WTO Information Technology Agreement, regardless of the agreement. Korean steel moves under a Section 232 tariff-rate quota, aluminum carries its own duty, and a Section 122 baseline can attach. The IEEPA tariff that was set and then paused was struck down by the Supreme Court on February 20, 2026. In practice most Korean goods clear at a low or zero rate, with steel and aluminum the exceptions worth watching, and the calculator stacks these layers so the figure reflects reality.

An HTS code is the 10-digit entry in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule that classifies your product for import into the United States. On a Korean shipment it drives everything the calculator does: the base rate, the KORUS scope, and any Section 232 steel or aluminum exposure. Choose it correctly and the estimate means something; choose it wrong and the duty is off in one direction or the other, which can mean overpaying or underpaying and drawing a penalty on entry. The first six digits, the HS root, are the same worldwide, while the trailing digits are specific to the US schedule. So much rides on the code that the classification is the whole job, and when a product could sit under two headings a licensed broker should settle it before you rely on the number.

Enter the value duty is assessed on, which for most Korean shipments is the transaction value, the price actually paid, and often the CIF figure covering cost, insurance, and freight to the US port. Duty scales straight off that number, so it matters as much as the rate itself, and even a KORUS zero rate needs the value recorded correctly. Additions such as assists, tooling, royalties, or packing can lift the dutiable base, while some freight and insurance are handled differently depending on your Incoterms. The calculator applies each rate to whatever value you supply, so a rough input yields a rough result. When the terms or the valuation are complicated, a broker can confirm the correct dutiable base before you build the figure into a quote.

Not precisely. The tool gives a close estimate from the HTS code, customs value, and origin you enter, but the duty on the real entry turns on the final classification, the verified value, whether the KORUS origin claim survives, and the rates in force on the day it clears. It also leaves out the merchandise processing fee, the harbor maintenance fee, and brokerage charges, which land as separate lines on a landed-cost bill. Read the result as a planning number that usually falls within range, then have a licensed broker confirm the exact duty before filing. Its job is to kill surprises early, while you are still choosing a Korean supplier or sizing a purchase order, not to replace the formal entry calculation.

More often than importers tend to expect. The base rate in the schedule holds fairly steady and KORUS preferences are durable, but the Section 232 steel quota resets and can fill mid-period, while the aluminum duty and Section 122 baseline shift on short notice. The paused IEEPA tariff was struck down on February 20, 2026. A figure that was right one quarter can be stale the next, and for steel the quota status alone decides the rate. So the calculator tracks the measures in force, and we pair it with a tariff tracker that follows the Korean-origin codes you clear and pings you when one of their rates moves, instead of leaving you to spot it on a customs invoice.

It handles both. Past the base rate and any KORUS preference, Korean steel answers to a Section 232 tariff-rate quota while aluminum carries a flat Section 232 duty, so the tool weighs whether a steel line falls inside or outside the quota volume even when KORUS would zero the base. The IEEPA tariff that was announced, then paused, was struck down by the Supreme Court on February 20, 2026, so the calculator treats it as no longer in force while still accounting for the Section 122 baseline where it applies. These layers can stack on one shipment. Because quota status and policy both move, this is where a broker review earns its keep before you trust the total.

Because South Korea and the United States trade under a free trade agreement. The most-favored-nation base rate is what every origin pays under normal trade relations, but KORUS zeroes or cuts the rate on most covered Korean goods once the rules of origin are met and a valid claim is filed, so a qualifying product can clear duty-free even where the base rate runs several percent. A broad set of electronics is also at 0% under the WTO Information Technology Agreement. The catch is steel and aluminum, which can still carry Section 232 charges that push the number back up regardless of KORUS. The calculator folds all of that against your customs value so the figure shows your true position, not just the headline base rate.

Yes, and importers often do exactly that. The tool returns the South Korea to US duty for a product, and since KORUS drives most qualifying Korean goods to zero, the identical HTS code from a country without an agreement may owe the full base rate, a swing that changes the sourcing math. When you want a structured comparison across several codes or origins at once, the tariff simulator is designed for it, whereas this calculator stays on a single fast Korean estimate. Duty, remember, is just one part of landed cost, sitting beside freight, lead time, and quality, so let the number inform the sourcing decision rather than settle it alone.

They cover different moments in the same workflow. This calculator is the single-shipment tool: one HTS code, one customs value, South Korea as the origin, and an estimated duty in seconds. The tariff simulator is built for scenario work, running several codes, values, or origins together so you can model a full catalog or test how shifting away from a Korean supplier moves your landed cost. Most importers start here for a quick read on one product, then step up to the simulator when they are planning across many SKUs or weighing a supplier change. Both run on the same rate logic maintained by our brokerage team, so the numbers stay consistent from the quick Korean estimate to the deeper analysis.

Begin with what the product physically is, its material, function, and construction, since those place it in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Search the schedule by description to reach a chapter and heading, then work down to the full 10-digit code. The snag is that many goods plausibly fit more than one heading, and the wrong pick changes both the base rate and whether a KORUS preference or a Section 232 steel exposure applies to your Korean shipment. The calculator lets you search by description to help, but for anything ambiguous, a component-heavy item, a novel product, or a set, have a licensed broker confirm it. Because the whole duty rides on the code, a short review up front costs far less than an entry correction or a penalty found after the goods have shipped.

The calculator is free and genuinely useful for early planning, but a formal US entry is filed by a licensed customs broker or a qualified self-filer, and the broker is who verifies the classification and value the estimate leans on. In practice importers use the tool to screen a decision quickly, then bring in a broker to confirm the HTS code, the customs value, and any KORUS origin claim or Section 232 steel exposure before the entry is filed. That matters most for steel sitting inside a quota or for a shaky classification, where a wrong self-estimate gets expensive. Because the brokerage sits inside CargoTrans, the number you run here and the entry we file are one team, so nothing falls through the gap between estimate and filing.

Yes. Duty is the biggest and most variable charge, but not the only one. Federal fees include the merchandise processing fee and, on ocean shipments, the harbor maintenance fee, both assessed on the entry. Around those sit customs brokerage fees, ocean and inland freight from Korea, insurance, and any warehousing or handling at destination. The calculator concentrates on the duty layers, the base rate, any KORUS preference, Section 232, and the Section 122 baseline, because those swing most by product and origin. To reach a true landed cost, add the federal fees and your logistics charges to the duty estimate. Our team can help you assemble the full picture so a Korean sourcing decision reflects everything you will actually pay, not just the tariff line.

The calculator is built as a quick, no-login tool, so you can run an HTS code and a stated value and see the Korean duty without opening an account. Use it for quick KORUS planning rather than record-keeping, so save or export anything you want to keep into your own landed-cost model. When you want recurring codes watched for rate changes, or a broker to review the classification and confirm the KORUS treatment, that is the point to set up an account with our team and connect to the tariff tracker. For a one-off number, though, use the calculator freely and anonymously, then reach out only if you want the estimate verified or the codes monitored over time.