Import fee benchmark
Customs exam: how often it hits and what it costs
The cost of a CBP inspection: X-ray, tailgate or intensive exam, including moving the box to the exam site.
The short answer. In our data, 0.5% of ocean container shipments into US ports were charged customs exam. When it was charged, the median bill was $412 per shipment. The middle half of bills ran from $134 to $880, and 1 in 10 was over $2,387.
Shipments from July 2024 to June 2026. Updated October 22, 2026.
What does a customs exam cost?
When US Customs and Border Protection selects a container for inspection, the importer pays for the process. That can be a non-intrusive X-ray scan (often called VACIS), a tailgate exam where officers open the doors and look inside, or an intensive exam at a Centralized Examination Station (CES), where the container is unloaded, checked and reloaded.
The figures here are the exam charges themselves: CES fees, labor and the drayage to and from the exam site. The demurrage, per diem and storage that pile up while the box is held are counted under those fees, so the real cost of an exam is usually higher.
Customs exam by port
How often shipments at each published port were charged customs exam. Ports with too few importers are left out, and a dash means too few bills to publish a cost.
| Port or rail hub | How often | Median bill | Shipments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1.2% | — | 578 |
| Miami | 0.5% | — | 964 |
| Long Beach | under 0.7% | — | 736 |
| Chicago | under 0.7% | — | 712 |
| Omaha | under 0.9% | — | 554 |
| Minneapolis / St. Paul | under 0.9% | — | 536 |
| San Juan | under 1.1% | — | 460 |
| New York / New Jersey | under 1.5% | — | 343 |
| Houston | under 2.4% | — | 211 |
| Savannah | under 3.4% | — | 145 |
| Seattle | under 4.1% | — | 123 |
| Port Everglades | under 5.3% | — | 94 |
| Tampa | under 5.7% | — | 87 |
| All ports in the data | 0.5% | $412 | 8,298 |
How to avoid customs exam
- Make the ISF, entry and commercial invoice agree with each other, down to the description and quantities.
- Classify goods carefully. Vague descriptions and inconsistent HTS codes draw attention.
- Importers in CBP's CTPAT program are generally examined less often.
- Budget for exams on new suppliers, new products and first shipments.
Questions
What does a customs exam cost?
The cost of a CBP inspection: X-ray, tailgate or intensive exam, including moving the box to the exam site. When US Customs and Border Protection selects a container for inspection, the importer pays for the process. That can be a non-intrusive X-ray scan (often called VACIS), a tailgate exam where officers open the doors and look inside, or an intensive exam at a Centralized Examination Station (CES), where the container is unloaded, checked and reloaded.
How often do importers pay customs exam?
In our data, 0.5% of ocean container shipments into US ports were charged customs exam at least once (95% range 0.4% to 0.7%).
How much does customs exam cost?
When it was charged, the median customs exam bill was $412 per shipment. Half of all bills fell between $134 and $880, and 1 in 10 was over $2,387.
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