Average import and export price per kilo

What the figures mean

Each month, Eurostat publishes the value and net mass of the EU's trade with non-EU countries for every CN code, member state and partner country (Comext database). The tool divides one by the other and keeps:

• the median value per kilogram: half of the kilograms imported from that country were declared below it, half above
• the range covering 80% of the kilograms, from the 10th to the 90th percentile
• the value and weight per supplementary unit (pieces, pairs, litres…) when the code has one
• the main countries of origin or destination, and the value per kilogram month by month

A code, country or period with too little trade (fewer than 8 monthly totals over 4 months, or less than €100,000 a year) has no reference: the tool says so rather than show a fragile figure.

Why customs looks at unit values

Undervaluation lowers duties and import VAT, and it is one of the first things customs risk analysis looks for: a value per kilogram far below what others declare for the same goods from the same country leads to a control and a request for the invoice, the proof of payment and the sales contract.

The Customs Check file checker applies the same statistics to every line of DELTA IE, IDMS, DMS and simple-path files: a value far below the reference (under half the 10th percentile and a quarter of the median) is a warning on import; a value more than ten times above the range is a tip (often a net mass in tonnes, or the wrong currency), and so is an unusual weight per unit.

The limits of these statistics

These are monthly totals per member state, not individual declarations: a genuine price can fall outside the usual range (a premium brand, a sample, a second-hand lot, a related-party price accepted by customs). One code also groups goods of very different prices. An unusual value is a reason to keep your evidence ready, not proof of an error.

Import values are statistical values at the EU border (cost, insurance and freight included), and so are export values. Compare like with like: for an EXW or FOB invoice, add the transport to the border before checking. Data: Eurostat, Comext, CC BY 4.0 licence, refreshed every month; calculations by Customs Check.

Frequently asked questions