A relatively unknown startup called Wove has launched a free tariff calculator that automatically tracks and applies Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) changes for freight forwarders and customs brokers, according to a report by FreightWaves. The tool, which repurposes Wove's existing workflow automation and document ingestion technology, has attracted thousands of users per week within days of launch.
The Challenge of Tariff Changes
The U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule is published mostly in PDFs, making it "unstructured and hard to really understand," said Jay Edlin, co-founder and chief executive of Wove, based in Atlanta. The need for such a tool grew after freight forwarder FlexPort removed access to its free tariff calculator around the holiday period, Edlin noted.
Wove, founded in 2022, initially built workflow automation for creating shipments in CargoWise, creating custom entries, automating emails, and quotes. About seven months before the article's publication, the company realized it could repurpose its document understanding technology for the HTS.
AI Agents Automate Updates
Wove's tariff tool goes beyond simple lookup: it functions as a "tariff time machine" that allows users to compare duties on past entry dates, which Edlin says helps with IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) refund calculations. The Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs, ruling the Act does not authorize the President to impose levies, leaving Customs and Border Protection (CBP) liable for tens of billions of dollars in refunds.
To keep up with the rapid tariff changes — including Section 338 Canada tariffs and Section 301 levies on dozens of trading partners — Wove has automated the entire update process. "Every time there’s an update in the Federal Register, we get a notification in [messaging app] Slack, and we have [AI] agents that then just go in and basically make all these changes [to a client’s system] automatically," Edlin told FreightWaves.
"Obviously, the pace of change is not slowing down." — Jay Edlin, co-founder and CEO of Wove
In one example, Wove's AI agents processed roughly 400 pages of Section 301 tariff changes in an hour, turning around what would normally require weeks of manual work.
Free Tool as Lead Generator
Currently, Wove offers the tariff calculator for free as a lead generation tool. Importers are increasingly requesting to integrate the calculator via an API (Application Programming Interface) or to load their own product catalogs. Edlin noted that the tool has helped companies calculate tariff refunds during the IEEPA fallout.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Input | Unstructured PDFs from Federal Register |
| Processing Time | ~1 hour for 400 pages of tariff changes |
| Integration | Slack notifications, AI agent automation |
| User Base | Thousands of weekly users |
Implications for Import/Export Professionals
For customs brokers and freight forwarders, Wove's free tool reduces the manual burden of tracking tariff changes from multiple sources. By automating updates to shipment systems and refund calculations, the platform allows logistics providers to focus on core operations. As tariff policies continue to shift rapidly, such automation becomes crucial for compliance and cost recovery.
Sources:
