The five-stage method
- Normalize the product. Fix specification, quantity, units, finish, packaging, destination, and required delivery window.
- Normalize commercial scope. Record Incoterm and named place, then identify included and excluded cost legs.
- Build the cost stack. Separate goods, origin, freight, insurance, customs value, duties, import VAT, destination handling, clearance, inland delivery, and other costs.
- Test execution. Check route feasibility, capacity, lead-time ranges, handling points, document availability, and compliance questions.
- Make the next decision explicit. Rank options, name blockers, and define the evidence or quote needed before release.
Evidence labels used in reports
| Label | Meaning | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Sourced | Traceable to a named official, market, carrier, supplier, or buyer source. | Check source date and scope. |
| Modeled | Calculated from stated inputs and a visible formula. | Replace planning inputs when executable quotes arrive. |
| Buyer supplied | Provided by the user and not independently verified. | Confirm against the order and shipment file. |
| Unverified | Material to the decision but not supported strongly enough. | Treat as a blocker or sensitivity, not a fact. |
Cost-model boundaries
The free estimator performs arithmetic on user-entered assumptions. It does not select an HS code, guarantee a duty rate, predict a live freight quotation, or decide whether import VAT is recoverable. Those questions depend on the product, transaction, importer, destination, and current rules.
Every material decision should preserve both economic cost and cash requirement. Recoverable import VAT may not be an economic cost, but it can still create a working-capital requirement.
Review, dates, and corrections
Pages show a reviewed date. A date is changed only when the content or assumptions are materially reviewed. Corrections that affect a recommendation, formula, source interpretation, or material number are disclosed on the relevant page.
To report an error, send the page URL and evidence to hello@landedspec.com. LandedSpec prioritizes corrections over preserving a previous conclusion.
Primary sources
Official sources used to frame the guidance. Check the current product and transaction before acting.
Compare your real specification and destination
Use a transparent cost model, or request a source-backed supplier and route comparison for one construction product.