Okuzeka
International Trade vocabulary · Customs and Tariffs

Tariff

Meaning in international trade, with examples

/ˈtærɪf/nounCore term

In international trade, tariff means: A tax charged by a government on imported goods, usually as a percentage of their value; also the official list of these rates.

In Turkish: gümrük vergisi, gümrük tarifesi, tarife

How it is used

Common in trade news and policy: 'impose tariffs', 'raise tariffs', 'tariff rate', 'tariff barriers'. In daily customs work, 'duty' is the more usual word for the amount actually paid on a shipment.

Example sentences

  1. The tariff on imported steel was raised from 10 to 25 percent.

  2. Check the tariff for the correct HS code before you quote the landed cost.

Common collocations

  • impose tariffs
  • tariff rate
  • tariff barrier
  • customs tariff
  • tariff schedule
  • customs dutyThe tax paid to customs on imported goods, calculated from their customs value, their HS code and sometimes their origin.
  • HS codeA number that classifies a product in the Harmonized System used by customs worldwide; the first six digits are the same in every country.
  • preferential tariffA lower customs duty rate, sometimes zero, given to goods from certain countries under a trade agreement or a development programme.
  • non-tariff barrierAny obstacle to imports other than customs duties, such as quotas, licensing rules, technical standards or complicated paperwork.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Customs and Tariffs

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: