Sourcing aluminium foil from China
Kitchen foil from China in retail rolls of 10 kg or less, 0.007 mm to under 0.021 mm thick, pays 7.5% UK duty plus a 35.6% anti-dumping duty unless the exporter has its own lower rate; jumbo rolls over 10 kg and converter foil pay 6%. Foil is bought on thickness, width and roll length, and it touches food, so food contact evidence matters. Cambridge China Bridge sources foil.
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Duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, the roll weight decides the rate. Aluminium foil not backed, 0.007 mm to under 0.021 mm thick, in rolls of 10 kg or less (7607 11 11 19), which covers most retail kitchen and catering foil, carried 7.5% on goods from China plus an anti-dumping duty of 35.6% for all other exporters until 6 June 2029; twelve named Chinese exporters have rates of 14.2% to 15.6% on presentation of an invoice declaration. Foil in rolls over 10 kg for rewinding, converter foil and thicker foil carried 6% with no anti-dumping measure, and converter foil to a narrow listed specification has a 0% suspension to the end of 2026.
The same 7.5% duty and 35.6% anti-dumping duty, with the same named-exporter rates, applied on 27 September 2026 to foil of that thickness in rolls of 10 kg or less that is embossed but not further worked (7607 19 10 19). Backed foil, such as foil laminated to paper or plastic film, under 0.021 mm thick excluding the backing (7607 20 10 00), carried 10% with no anti-dumping measure.
Foil containers are articles of aluminium with their own code; see the aluminium cookware guide. For bakery trays, see aluminium bakery sheet pan sourcing. For battery applications, see our guide to aluminium current-collector foil.
All the lines in the table above are in the aluminium sector of the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which applies to imports from 1 January 2027. An importer who expects £50,000 or more of CBAM goods within 30 days, or has imported that much in the previous 12 months, must register, keep records for 6 years, and should ask suppliers for emissions data now. See our UK CBAM guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foil in rolls of 10 kg or less, 0.007 to under 0.021 mm, such as retail kitchen rolls | 7607 11 11 19 | 7.5% | 35.6% (named exporters 14.2% to 15.6%) |
| Embossed foil in rolls of 10 kg or less, 0.007 to under 0.021 mm | 7607 19 10 19 | 7.5% | 35.6% (named exporters 14.2% to 15.6%) |
| Household foil in rolls over 10 kg, 0.008 to 0.018 mm, width up to 650 mm | 7607 11 19 10 | 6% | None |
| Household foil in rolls over 10 kg, 0.008 to 0.018 mm, width over 650 mm | 7607 11 19 40 | 6% | None |
| Aluminium converter foil in rolls over 10 kg | 7607 11 19 91 | 6% | None |
| Other household foil in rolls over 10 kg | 7607 11 19 94 | 6% | None |
| Backed foil, under 0.021 mm excluding backing | 7607 20 10 00 | 10% | None |
Thickness and roll length
Foil is priced by weight but sold by length, so thickness in microns, width and length per roll together decide the value. Measure thickness with a micrometer and length on sample rolls at inspection; a thinner foil or a shorter roll than the pack says is the common short-change.
Catering foil in large rolls and dispenser boxes is bought on the same measures, with the cutter box as part of the product.
Food contact
Household and catering foil touches food, so it is a food contact material; ask for the alloy, the manufacturer's declaration and migration test reports, and include usage instructions such as avoiding contact with very acidic or salty foods where the supplier's evidence calls for it. The food contact materials guide covers the documents. For bottle seals, see our induction sealing foil liners guide.
Packaging supplied into the UK counts towards packaging EPR.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: 20 tonnes of household foil in 30 m retail rolls, commodity code 7607 11 11 19, bought for £60,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance, so £63,000 is the value customs works from. Duty at 7.5% is £4,725 and the residual anti-dumping duty at 35.6% is £22,428. VAT at 20% applies to the value plus both duties, £90,153, so £18,030.60. A VAT-registered buyer usually recovers the VAT, so the border adds £27,153 to the landed cost, which is why buying from a named exporter with its own rate, or importing jumbo rolls over 10 kg at 6% for rewinding in the UK, changes the sums. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.
Inspection checklist
Gauge and length: thickness measured with a micrometer and by weight per area at several points and compared with the tolerances of BS EN 546-3, rolls weighed and length checked against width, thickness and density, and the declared length on the pack confirmed on unwound sample rolls, since retail rolls under 10 kg also decide the duty line.
Surface and pinholes: pinholes counted over a light box and wettability checked for rolling-oil residue by the methods of BS EN 546-4, layers checked for sticking after annealing, and the alloy confirmed against the food contact composition limits of BS EN 602 by the mill certificate.
Pack and paperwork: cutter boxes checked for blade fixing and tearing, cores for crushing, cartons for count and barcodes, and every shipment checked for the exporter's anti-dumping invoice declaration where a named Chinese exporter's lower rate is to be claimed.
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What goes wrong
Foil fails on gauge, length and surface. Foil rolled a few microns thinner than ordered tears on the cutter and short-changes the customer, rolls wound with less than the stated length are the classic hidden saving, and pinholes increase sharply as foil gets thinner. Residual rolling oil leaves stains and a smell, layers stick together when the foil is annealed badly, and cutter boxes collapse or cut unevenly.
Measure thickness with a micrometer at several points, weigh rolls and check length against width, thickness and density, hold sheets against a light box for pinholes, run a water-wettability check for oil residue, test unwinding on full rolls, and check the cutter box and core at pre-shipment inspection.
Container economics
Foil is dense, so the container reaches its weight limit before its volume; plan the load by weight. Cambridge China Bridge sources household, catering and converter foil, with thickness, length and food contact evidence checked before shipment. See how our sourcing service works.
Related guides: Sourcing hot stamping foils from China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on aluminium foil from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, foil in rolls of 10 kg or less and 0.007 mm to under 0.021 mm thick paid 7.5% plus 35.6% anti-dumping duty from China unless the exporter has its own rate; rolls over 10 kg and converter foil paid 6%.
Is there anti-dumping duty on Chinese kitchen foil?
Yes. Foil in rolls of 10 kg or less, 0.007 mm to under 0.021 mm thick, carries 35.6% anti-dumping duty for most exporters until 6 June 2029, and 14.2% to 15.6% for twelve named exporters with an invoice declaration.
How is aluminium foil usually short-changed?
With thinner foil or shorter rolls than the pack states. Measure thickness and length on samples at inspection.
Does kitchen foil need food contact evidence?
Yes. Ask for the alloy, the declaration and migration test reports for food contact.
How should foil be loaded?
By weight, because dense foil reaches the container weight limit before the volume.