RCEP · 15 members

RCEP origin calculator

Run the RCEP rules of origin check. Enter the final-product HS, FOB, and BOM with country of origin; the tool applies 15-member cumulation and returns WO / CTC / RVC verdicts.

Last updated 2026-05-09. Math runs in your browser, no data leaves your computer.

General guidance only, not legal or professional engineering advice. Verify against the cited primary sources (IMDG, REACH, ChAFTA, RCEP, Customs Tariff Act, supplier SDS, etc.) before committing to a shipment, declaration, or contract. Sourzi assumes no liability for outcomes based on these calculators.

Final product

Bill of materials

RCEP allows cumulation across 15 members. Mark each input with country code.

RCEP PSR sampler (chemical chapters)
HS range Rule
Ch 25 (salt, sulphur, earths and stones) CTH OR RVC40
Ch 28 (inorganic chemicals) CTSH OR RVC40 (build-up or build-down)
Ch 29 (organic chemicals) CTSH OR RVC40 (build-up or build-down)
Ch 32 (tanning and dyeing extracts, dyes, paints, inks) CTH OR RVC40
Ch 33 (essential oils, perfumes, cosmetic preparations) CTH OR RVC40
Ch 38 (miscellaneous chemical products) CTH OR RVC40
Ch 39 (plastics in primary forms, articles of plastic) CTH OR RVC40
3808 (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides) CTSH OR RVC40

Sampler. The full RCEP product-specific rules are in Annex 3A of the RCEP text.

RCEP member countries (15)
  • CN: China
  • AU: Australia
  • NZ: New Zealand
  • JP: Japan
  • KR: Korea
  • BN: Brunei Darussalam
  • KH: Cambodia
  • ID: Indonesia
  • LA: Laos
  • MY: Malaysia
  • MM: Myanmar
  • PH: Philippines
  • SG: Singapore
  • TH: Thailand
  • VN: Vietnam

RCEP origin and cumulation in chemical-trade context

RCEP is the largest FTA by GDP, covering 15 countries that together account for roughly 30 percent of global GDP and 30 percent of global population. It came into force on 1 January 2022 for the original 10 signatories and phased in for the remaining 5. For chemical exporters, RCEP delivers two practical wins. First, tariff phase-down to 0 percent on most chemical HS lines, on a schedule that varies by country pair (some lines are 0 percent immediately; some phase over 10 to 20 years). Second, full cumulation across the 15 members.

Cumulation is the technical term for "treat materials from any RCEP member as originating". A Chinese exporter manufacturing in China using inputs from Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea can count all three as "originating" under RCEP, even though only China is the manufacturer. The same BOM under ChAFTA would treat Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea as non-originating, because ChAFTA is bilateral. The cumulation effect is significant: chemical synthesis often relies on intermediates from multiple Asian sources, and RCEP cumulation flips many of those from non-originating to originating, which raises the RVC build-down and clears the threshold more often.

The RCEP rule structure is similar to ChAFTA: per-HS PSR with WO / CTC / RVC options. Most chemical chapters allow CTH or CTSH or RVC40 (build-down or build-up). The threshold is 40 percent for chemical chapters. The output document is the RCEP Certificate of Origin (or, in some implementations, a Declaration of Origin), issued by CCPIT or CIQ in China, by the relevant chamber of commerce in other RCEP members.

For a Chinese chemical export to Australia, the importer can claim under either ChAFTA or RCEP. The rate may be the same (often both 0 percent) or may differ. Where the rates are equal, the choice usually goes to whichever is easier to support: ChAFTA bilateral CO is the most-used path; RCEP CO becomes the better path when the BOM uses non-Chinese RCEP inputs that fail the ChAFTA bilateral check but pass the RCEP cumulation check.

For the ChAFTA equivalent, see Sourzi /tools/compliance-and-risk/chafta-preference-calculator. For the RCEP CO PDF, see /tools/documentation/rcep-certificate-of-origin-generator. For the COO determination tree, see /tools/compliance-and-risk/country-of-origin-determination-wizard.

Frequently asked

What is RCEP?

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a 15-member free-trade agreement covering China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, plus all 10 ASEAN states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam). RCEP is the largest FTA by GDP. It came into force on 1 January 2022.

How is RCEP different from ChAFTA?

RCEP allows full cumulation across all 15 members. Materials originating in any RCEP member country count as "originating" for the purpose of the rules of origin. ChAFTA is bilateral (China and Australia only); ChAFTA cumulation is between the two countries only. Practical effect: a Vietnamese intermediate used in Chinese manufacturing counts as originating under RCEP, not under ChAFTA.

Which preferential rate applies?

For Chinese-origin chemical exports to Australia, both ChAFTA and RCEP usually apply, but the rates may differ. ChAFTA rates are largely 0 percent. RCEP rates phase to 0 percent over varying schedules per HS line. Importer can claim under whichever FTA gives the better rate, provided the goods qualify under that FTA. Run both calculators for high-volume products.

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