GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jun 17, 2026

Knock-Down Kit

In vehicle exports, the knock-down kit appears whenever a manufacturer ships a car or commercial vehicle not as a finished unit but as a disassembled package of components.

Last updated: 17 June 2026Published: 19 June 2025

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Completely_Knocked_Down

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Logistics Concept

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In vehicle exports, the knock-down kit appears whenever a manufacturer ships a car or commercial vehicle not as a finished unit but as a disassembled package of components. The kit contains all major parts – body panels, engine, transmission, chassis elements – packed in standard containers for final assembly at a plant in the destination country. The primary driver is tariff optimization: many importing countries levy substantially higher duties on complete vehicles than on parts or sub-assemblies, making the KD kit a widely used and legitimate tool for reducing import costs. Two variants are common – CKD (Completely Knocked Down) and SKD (Semi Knocked Down) – differing in the degree of disassembly and the applicable tariff treatment. Correct tariff classification of individual components is a critical step that freight forwarders and customs declarants must coordinate carefully.

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