Sourcing Signal

Molds and die sets: Landed Cost by Source Country

Which country is cheapest to import molds and die sets from? Canada carries the lowest duty-plus-freight load (1.28% uplift from $70.6/unit landed), China the highest (65.41%). Every named source ranked, from USITC DataWeb. Free.

The short answer

  • The cheapest place to source molds and die sets is Canada, where duty (0.91%) plus freight (0.37%) add 1.28% to the pre-tariff price ($70.6/unit landed). China is the most expensive named source at a 65.41% uplift, a 64.13-point spread across lanes.

How to read this

  • Each source country's rank comes from its own real effective duty and freight share (USITC DataWeb), combined as (1 + duty) x (1 + freight). Lower is a cheaper lane.
  • The dollar landed cost scales this family's average import unit price ($69.7/unit) by each lane's uplift, so lanes differ by their own duty and freight.
  • The FX tag is a short-window cost direction from the currency's recent drift, not a dollar recompute.

Every source country ranked, cheapest first

  • 1. Canada: 1.28% loaded (duty 0.91%, freight 0.37%), $70.6/unit landed, CAD trending dearer
  • 2. Mexico: 2.92% loaded (duty 2.48%, freight 0.43%), $71.8/unit landed, MXN trending cheaper
  • 3. South Korea: 12.11% loaded (duty 9.72%, freight 2.18%), $78.2/unit landed
  • 4. Germany: 14.65% loaded (duty 11.84%, freight 2.51%), $80/unit landed, EUR trending flat
  • 5. Italy: 14.72% loaded (duty 10.86%, freight 3.48%), $80/unit landed, EUR trending flat
  • 6. Netherlands: 15.73% loaded (duty 14.22%, freight 1.32%), $80.7/unit landed, EUR trending flat
  • 7. Japan: 16.24% loaded (duty 10.04%, freight 5.63%), $81.1/unit landed, JPY trending flat
  • 8. Austria: 16.55% loaded (duty 13.28%, freight 2.89%), $81.3/unit landed, EUR trending flat
  • 9. Thailand: 25.18% loaded (duty 13.92%, freight 9.88%), $87.3/unit landed
  • 10. China: 65.41% loaded (duty 54.17%, freight 7.29%), $115.4/unit landed, CNY trending flat

Sourcing concentration

  • Canada is the largest source at 37.2% of named imports; by the Herfindahl index (1790) this family is moderately concentrated.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is the cheapest country to import molds and die sets from? Canada. Its effective duty of 0.91% and freight of 0.37% add 1.28% to the pre-tariff price, the lowest combined load of any named source, for a landed cost of about $70.6/unit.
  • How is the landed cost calculated? Landed cost = the family's average import unit price ($69.7/unit) times each lane's duty-plus-freight uplift. Because the base price is the family average, lanes differ by their own real duty and freight from USITC DataWeb, so the ranking is genuine even though a per-country price is not yet published.
  • How concentrated is sourcing of molds and die sets? Canada is the largest source at 37.2% of named imports. By the Herfindahl index (1790), this family is moderately concentrated. A concentrated map means fewer places to move volume if one lane's duty jumps.

About this data

  • A sourcing-comparison indicator, not a customs quote. Lane ranking uses each country's real effective duty and freight share from USITC DataWeb; a dollar landed cost, where shown, scales the family's average import unit price and does not price a specific shipment. FX is a short-window cost direction, not a currency recompute. Confirm classification and duty with a licensed broker before you buy.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.