Sourcing Aluminium Colanders from China

UK duty on aluminium colanders

Heading 7615 covers aluminium table, kitchen and household articles, alongside scourers and sanitary ware. For colanders, distinguish cast articles from other articles such as pressed bowls. Handle and foot styles can share a commodity code, so the table shows product variants within the relevant lines.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, the relevant cast and other aluminium kitchenware lines carried 6% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff facts list no anti-dumping or countervailing duties, suspensions or attached import controls for these lines.

Confirm the construction and material against the commodity code guide before declaring the goods. See aluminium cookware for the wider heading. For stockpots in a wider kitchenware range, see our aluminium stockpot sourcing guide. For pudding basins in that range, see our aluminium pudding basin sourcing guide.

Specify the bowl, holes and food contact finish

Specify the aluminium alloy, cast or pressed construction, bowl diameter and depth, wall thickness, hole diameter and spacing, rim profile, handle attachment and foot height. State whether the finish is bare, anodised or coated, and agree the intended foods, draining temperature and cleaning method.

A colander is a food contact material; confirm applicable requirements with the relevant authority, including limits on transfer of constituents to food that could endanger health. Ask for finished-product migration reports covering the intended use. For coated models, identify the coating supplier and request its declaration of compliance as well as finished-product reports.

Products should only be sold once compliance with product safety regulations has been demonstrated appropriately. Approve a sample with smooth perforations, secure handles and a stable base, then use it as the production reference.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2,000 pressed aluminium colanders under 7615 10 80 90, invoiced at £7,000 free on board, with £600 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,600. Duty at 6% is £456. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £8,056, so it is £1,611.20. Import taxes total £2,067.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £456 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Perforations: check both faces of the holes for burrs, sharp edges and trapped metal fragments; drain the intended food and check that holes do not retain it.

Bowl and feet: measure the agreed dimensions and wall thickness, check roundness and rim shape, and confirm that the colander stands without rocking.

Handles: check rivets or welds, lift a loaded sample using the agreed test load, and look for movement, cracking or distortion.

Finish and packing: compare the surface with the approved sample, check coating coverage around holes, and unpack nested pieces for dents and rubbing. Use the inspection guide to agree the shipment checks.

What goes wrong

Poorly finished perforations leave sharp burrs or metal fragments. Thin bowls distort when handled, loose rivets let handles move, and uneven feet make the colander rock. Test drainage and lifting on production samples rather than approving appearance alone.

Nested colanders can arrive scratched or dented if rims and handles rub together. Agree separators and carton packing using actual samples. A report for a different alloy or coating does not establish the performance of the ordered model; match the documents to the finished product.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.