Shipping & duty
Landed cost compared: the same order into the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia
Each destination has its own page on this site with the full rules and the official sources. This one puts them side by side, because the question buyers actually ask is not "what is the US rate" but "where does the same order cost least to land". Every figure below is on our country pages, checked against the official tariff or tax authority on 23 September 2026, and expressed per $1,000 of goods so you can scale it to your own order.
The comparison, per $1,000 of goods
The table uses cotton jerseys, pullovers and sweatshirts, the line most of our knitwear falls under (US 6110.20.20, UK and EU 6110.20.91, Canada and Australia 6110.20.00), and a goods value of $1,000 so the arithmetic is visible. Freight is left out of the base so the five columns compare like with like; the UK, EU, Canadian and Australian tax bases include more than the goods value, so the tax figures below are the floor, not the ceiling.
Why the US fee is the minimum even on a small order: informal entry, with its lower flat fee, is closed to goods over $250 that fall under Chapter 99, Subchapters III and IV of the US tariff (19 CFR 143.21), and the Section 301 tariff on Pakistan is one of those Chapter 99 lines. So a $1,000 shipment needs a formal entry, and the $33.58 minimum applies.
| Destination | Duty on $1,000 | Tax at the border | Fees | Permanent cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $265 (16.5% + 10% Section 301) | None | Merchandise Processing Fee 0.3464%, minimum $33.58, maximum $651.50 per formal entry; Harbor Maintenance Fee 0.125% on ocean freight only | About $299 |
| United Kingdom | $0 under the DCTS with an origin declaration ($120 at the 12% Global Tariff without it) | VAT 20%: at least $200, reclaimable if VAT-registered | None specific | $0 |
| EU, e.g. Germany | $0 under GSP+ with proof of origin, fabric knitted in Pakistan ($120 at 12% without it) | Import VAT 19%: at least $190 (Netherlands 21%: $210), reclaimable if VAT-registered | None specific | $0 |
| Canada | $180 (MFN 18%; the GPT excludes apparel) | GST 5% on the duty-paid value: $59 (HST instead in participating provinces), recoverable if registered | None specific | $180 |
| Australia | $50 (5% general rate; no DCS rate on these lines) | GST 10% on goods plus duty plus freight: at least $105, recoverable if registered | Above A$1,000: Import Processing Charge A$50 up to A$10,000, A$152 above; plus a biosecurity charge | $50 plus the charges |
Permanent cost and cash flow are different lines
Duty is gone for good. VAT and GST come back to a registered business through its normal return, so they are money you need on the day the goods land, not money you have spent. On a $1,000 order into the UK that is $200 out and $200 back; into the US it is about $299 out and nothing back.
That is why the right-hand column is the one to build a retail price on, and the tax column is the one to build a cash-flow plan on. A quote that adds them together as "landing charges" hides which is which.
Where the paperwork is the whole difference
In the UK and the EU the gap between 0% and 12% is a document, not a rate. For the UK it is an origin declaration we make on the commercial invoice, valid for two years, with no exporter registration needed; since 1 January 2026 cutting and sewing in Pakistan is enough to qualify. The EU is stricter: a knitted garment qualifies only if the fabric was knitted in Pakistan as well, so a garment sewn here from imported fabric pays the 12%. That rule is in Annex 22-03 to Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446: for non-LDC beneficiaries such as Pakistan, knitted garments need knitting and making-up in the beneficiary country. Ask any Pakistani supplier where the fabric was knitted before you count on the EU zero.
Canada and Australia offer nothing to claim. Canada's General Preferential Tariff lists Pakistan as a beneficiary and then excludes most apparel, so garments pay the full 18%. Australia prints a developing-country rate only on some tariff lines, and knitted cotton garments are not among them, so the 5% general rate applies.
What can move
- United States: the 10% Section 301 tariff dates from July 2026 and is the figure most likely to change; the IEEPA tariffs were struck down in February 2026 and the Section 122 surcharge expired in July 2026, so neither applies now.
- EU: GSP+ is conditional. A new regulation applies from 1 January 2027 and requires Pakistan to re-apply by the end of 2028; the non-preferential rate to model is 12%.
- UK: the DCTS gives 0% on 92% of product lines, not all, so check your own commodity code.
- Canada: the 2025 cut-and-sew origin rule helps least-developed-country suppliers only; Pakistan stays at 18%.
- Every figure here is dated 23 September 2026. If destination duty law changes between the quote and dispatch, we re-quote before shipping.
How to use this
Scale the row for your destination to your own goods value, add the freight quote, and you have the number at your door. Then ask every supplier you compare to itemise freight, duty and tax as separate lines. If one will not, that tells you which number is real.
Each destination's page carries the official source for every figure and the link to look up your own commodity code, which is the step that turns this comparison into your number rather than ours.
Questions this raises
Which country is cheapest to import Pakistani clothing into?
On duty alone, the UK and the EU: 0% on cotton knitwear with proof of origin, against 5% in Australia, 18% in Canada and 26.5% in the US. For the EU the fabric must be knitted in Pakistan too. What remains in the UK and EU is VAT, which a registered business reclaims.
How much does US duty add to a $1,000 order of hoodies from Pakistan?
About $299: $265 in duty (16.5% normal duty plus the 10% Section 301 tariff on goods of Pakistan) and the $33.58 minimum Merchandise Processing Fee, since Section 301 goods over $250 need a formal entry. Sea freight adds a 0.125% Harbor Maintenance Fee. None of it is recoverable. Checked 23 September 2026.
Is import VAT a real cost?
Only for cash flow. A VAT- or GST-registered business recovers it through its normal return, so it is money out at the border and back later. Duty does not come back. Model the two on separate lines.
Why does Canada charge duty when Pakistan is a preferential country?
Canada's General Preferential Tariff covers most goods but explicitly excludes most apparel and textiles. Pakistani garments therefore pay the MFN rate, 18% on cotton knitwear, plus 5% GST on the duty-paid value.