The China Robot Price & Lead-Time Index

The numbers no one else publishes: a quarterly, aggregated and anonymized reference for what Chinese-built robots cost to import and how long they take to deliver — paired with free, browser-based buyer tools.

Q3 2026 · FOB + 18–35% landed · bands by track
The short answerRobot Sourcing Index publishes the quarterly China Robot Price Index — landed-cost and lead-time bands by track and region, built from official tariff schedules and anonymized sourcing data — plus free client-side tools that estimate your landed cost and match a use-case to a robot track. Every figure is sourced or flagged; where we lack a clean number, we say so.

The Index, this quarter

The flagship reference is The China Robot Price Index, Q3 2026: what cobots, AMRs, humanoids and 6-axis arms actually cost to import, with duty-by-region and lead-time-by-track tables, every rate carrying its official source. It is dated quarterly so a citation always carries its vintage, and it reports bands, not point figures — the honest unit for a market this varied. See the methodology for exactly how the sample is gathered, anonymized and dated.

Free buyer tools

Two calculators, both running entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is stored or sent.

Tool · estimator

Landed-cost & duty estimator

Enter an FOB price, destination region and freight mode; get an indicative landed-cost band (duty + VAT/GST + freight + clearance) for a robot import. Estimate only — not a customs quote.

Open the estimator ↓
Tool · selector

Cobot payload / reach selector

Enter the payload (kg) and reach (mm) your task needs; the selector maps you to a likely robot track (cobot, SCARA, 6-axis, AMR or humanoid) and the shipping/lead-time implications.

Open the selector ↓

Landed-cost & duty estimator

A first-pass estimate of the FOB-to-landed premium for a robot import. It applies the Index's 18–35% all-in framing with a region VAT/GST factor and a freight-mode adjustment. This is an estimate, not a customs quote — verify every rate with a licensed broker.

Your shipment

Estimate only, not a customs quote. Duty is modelled as low single-digit on robot HS headings; your broker's classification and your destination's exact VAT/GST govern. Verify before relying on any figure.

Cobot payload / reach selector

Map a task's payload and reach to a likely robot track, with the shipping and lead-time implication from the Index. Real spec ranges; the result is a starting track, not a model recommendation.

Your task

Heuristic mapping from published spec ranges to a track. It does not recommend a model or supplier and stores nothing. Confirm against real datasheets and a current quote.

How we work

We are an independent trade-data desk, not a storefront. Read about the desk and its editor, the methodology, or browse the import-cost guides. There is no single right way to source Chinese robots, and we name several channels — direct-from-OEM, marketplaces, distributors, integrators and export-sourcing intermediaries — in every guide.

Not legal or customs advice. Duty rates, HS classifications and Incoterm allocations here are indicative desk research compiled from official schedules and dated to the quarter shown. Classification is binding only when ruled by your destination customs authority. Verify any figure with a licensed customs broker before you rely on it.