What MFN and preferential duty rates actually mean
Every destination country publishes two duty rates for a given product: the MFN (most-favoured-nation) rate that applies to imports generally, and a lower preferential rate for goods that qualify as originating within a trade agreement both the origin and destination belong to -- AfCFTA, USMCA, RCEP, the EU, and 16 others.
MFN: the default rate
This is what applies unless the goods qualify for a preference under a trade agreement -- this is the baseline everyone pays without one in play.
The preferential rate, if the goods qualify
A lower or zero rate for goods that meet the rules of origin of a trade agreement both the origin and destination belong to -- qualifying isn't automatic just because both countries are members of the same agreement.
Current coverage
Real MFN duty rate data currently covers 141 destination countries. A preferential rate is also available for 108 of them across 20 trade agreements -- including AfCFTA (41 African Union members), USMCA, RCEP, CPTPP, the EU, and 15 others -- across nearly the full HS6 nomenclature for each.
Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duties
Some countries add extra duty on specific products from specific origins to counter dumping or an import surge -- on top of, not instead of, the MFN or preferential rate. Real cases are on file today for South Africa: anti-dumping duties on PET resin (from India, Korea, and Taiwan) and passenger-car tyres (from China, by named producer), plus a safeguard duty on certain hot-rolled steel. It's calculated automatically on every declaration where a case applies, and shown in the duty lookup tool too for a specific HS code and destination.
Community integration levies
ECOWAS, WAEMU (UEMOA), and AES member states each charge their own small levy -- 0.5-0.8% of CIF value -- on goods entering from outside the bloc, funding regional institutions. It applies automatically on every declaration for the 15 member countries across these three blocs, correctly waived where a narrower bloc's own levy already covers the same goods.
Vehicle import levies
Vehicle shipments can carry a country-specific levy on top of ordinary duty. South Africa's ad valorem excise duty (a formula based on customs value) and Nigeria's National Automotive Council levy and Green Tax (banded by engine size) are both calculated automatically on every declaration where they apply.
Where this data comes from
MFN rates are sourced from World Bank WITS / UNCTAD TRAINS. Preferential rates are sourced from each trade agreement's own primary text or tariff schedule -- AfCFTA's from the AfCFTA Secretariat's own e-Tariff Book, others from each agreement's own annexes or implementing regulations. None are estimated or interpolated.
Check a real HS code and destination
Use the duty calculator to compare rates for a specific product and corridor.
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