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Browse trade acronyms and abbreviations used across freight forwarding, customs, international shipping, warehousing, and trade compliance. Search the appendix directly by code or by full term.
Most of these acronyms turn up in an email from a forwarder or a notice from customs, usually with a deadline attached. Knowing what the letters stand for is the easy part. Knowing what happens if you miss the deadline is the part that costs money.
The security filing is generally due 24 hours before the vessel loads, not before it arrives, and a late or inaccurate filing can draw a liquidated damages claim of up to five thousand dollars. The deadline runs off the sailing schedule, so we work backwards from it and chase the elements your PO does not already carry.
Processing and harbor fees are separate from duty and survive most trade agreements. They belong in your landed cost from the start, not as a surprise on the broker invoice.
Antidumping and countervailing scope is defined by the merchandise and the country, so switching suppliers does not get you out of it, while the cash deposit rate can turn on the specific exporter and producer. The deposit is not the final duty either. We check scope and rate before you order, not after the entry liquidates.
Forward it to us. We move ocean and air freight for a living, so we can tell you what the letters mean and what they cost you in practice. Where something needs a licensed customs broker, we will say so and point you to one.