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Customs Clearance Time Cost Calculator

Work out customs clearance time cost instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Customs Clearance Time Cost Calculator

Customs delay costs storage and demurrage plus the cost of capital tied up in goods that cannot be sold. The cost per day is the figure that justifies investment in pre-clearance, authorised economic operator status or a customs broker with better performance.

Formulas

Storage and demurrage

Storage = Clearance days x Daily storage and demurrage

Capital cost

Capital = Shipment value x Cost of capital x Days / 365

Worked example

With the default values below, Customs Clearance Time Cost Calculator returns Total cost of clearance delay of $95,178.08. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Clearance time
5
Shipment value
4,200,000
Daily storage and demurrage cost
18,000
Cost of capital
9

Results

Total cost of clearance delay
$95,178.08
Storage and demurrage
$90,000.00
Cost of capital tied up in transit
$5,178.08
Cost per day of delay
$19,035.62

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Storage and demurrage
  3. 3Capital cost
  4. 4Total cost of clearance delay= 95,178.08
  5. 5Storage and demurrage= 90,000.00
  6. 6Cost of capital tied up in transit= 5,178.08
  7. 7Cost per day of delay= 19,035.62

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • Indicative estimate only. Fees, entitlements, limits and formulas vary by jurisdiction, statute, policy wording and the facts of the case. This is not legal, tax, insurance or financial advice — confirm with a qualified professional or the relevant authority.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Indicative estimate only. Fees, entitlements, limits and formulas vary by jurisdiction, statute, policy wording and the facts of the case. This is not legal, tax, insurance or financial advice — confirm with a qualified professional or the relevant authority.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can clearance time be reduced?

Pre-lodging declarations, complete and accurate documentation, trusted trader schemes, and consistent tariff classification to avoid queries.

Is demurrage negotiable?

Free time is negotiable in the freight contract. Once free time expires the daily rates are usually fixed by the carrier's tariff.

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