A free-trade agreement is only worth using if the duty saved beats the paperwork. Enter your shipment value and the two duty rates — the normal MFN rate and the preferential FTA rate for your tariff line — and see the saving instantly. Both rates are yours to look up: they change, so we don't hard-code them.
By Amit Jain · with Vinod Kumar Jain · All Frontier Global · free, no login
The formula
MFN duty = value × MFN rate %
FTA duty = value × preferential rate %
Saving = value × (MFN − preferential) ÷ 100, i.e. the duty difference
Before you bank the saving
Rules of origin decide everything. The preferential rate applies only if the goods qualify as "originating" under that FTA (tariff-shift, value-content or process rules) and you hold the required proof — a certificate of origin or approved self-declaration. India's CAROTAR rules also let customs question origin claims on imports.
Look up live rates: the importing country's tariff (ICEGATE for India, TARIC for the EU, US HTS) shows both MFN and preferential columns; India's FTAs (UAE CEPA, ASEAN, Japan, Australia ECTA…) each have their own schedule and staging — some lines phase to zero over years.
Other charges (VAT/GST, anti-dumping duties, fees) are usually unaffected by the FTA.
Weigh the saving against compliance cost: certificates, record-keeping and origin audits aren't free.