Sourcing aluminium milk churns from China

UK duty on aluminium milk churns

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7612 covers aluminium containers of a capacity not exceeding 300 litres, whether lined or heat-insulated, without mechanical or thermal equipment. Ordinary aluminium milk churns fall within the other-containers line, 7612 90 80 00. The table shows variants sharing that line. See the aluminium industrial drums guide for the wider heading.

The supplied tariff record gives 6% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension recorded. It attaches an import control of fluorinated greenhouse gases. Ask your customs broker to confirm whether any fluorinated-gas restriction or declaration requirement applies to an empty milk churn. Confirm the attached control and any supporting declaration with your customs broker.

Give the broker the material specification, capacity, construction and intended use, including any insulation or fitted equipment. Confirm the commodity code before ordering rather than accepting a factory's code without checking.

Milk contact surfaces, lids and handles

Specify the aluminium alloy, wall and base thickness, usable capacity, neck opening, lid design, gasket material and handle attachment. State whether the churn will hold milk or serve as a decorative item. Agree the filled handling load, closure test and packing method with the factory, and retain an approved sample.

Food-use churns are food contact materials. If you package milk yourself, confirm applicable container requirements with the relevant food-safety authority. Ask for material identification and food contact test reports covering the body, any lining and the gasket under your intended contact conditions. Agree compatible cleaning agents and cleaning temperatures. Use the food contact materials guide to prepare the document request.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 300 empty aluminium milk churns under 7612 90 80 00, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £33,000. Duty at 6% is £1,980. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £34,980, so it is £6,996. Import taxes total £8,976; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,980 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Body and base: measure dimensions and thickness against the purchase specification; check dents, pinholes, uneven seams and whether the empty churn stands steadily.

Lid and gasket: check closure fit, gasket seating and removal; test for leakage under the agreed filling and handling conditions.

Handles and interior: check handle fixings under the agreed filled load; inspect the neck, seams and inner surface for burrs, residue and inaccessible crevices.

Packing and documents: check protected rims, separated lids, carton contents and batch identification; match material and test documents to the supplied churn. Agree these checks in the inspection brief.

What goes wrong

A thin base can dent and leave the churn rocking. A distorted neck or uneven lid can prevent the gasket seating, while weak handle attachments can loosen during filled handling. Rough seams and polishing residue make cleaning harder. Test the production sample after the intended cleaning process, then repeat the agreed checks on shipment samples.

A decorative churn can look suitable for milk while its lining or gasket has no supporting food contact evidence. Treat appearance and a generic supplier certificate as insufficient purchasing evidence. Ask for documents identifying the actual materials and intended use before approving food-use stock.

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.