Sourcing aluminium packaging bottles from China
Aluminium packaging bottles from China carry 6% UK duty, with no duty variation across the supplied heading lines and no listed trade remedy. Bottles intended for food or drink must meet food contact rules. Specify the internal coating and test it with your contents. Cambridge China Bridge sources aluminium packaging bottles.
UK duty on aluminium packaging bottles
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7612 covers aluminium containers of a capacity not exceeding 300 litres, excluding containers for compressed or liquefied gas and those fitted with mechanical or thermal equipment. Ordinary empty aluminium packaging bottles fall under 7612 90 80 00. The table shows bottle variants under this same tariff line.
Goods from China carry 6% duty. The supplied tariff facts list no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. They attach an import control of fluorinated greenhouse gases. Products containing banned fluorinated gases must not be placed on the Great Britain market. The importer should confirm the control's application and any declaration requirement for the actual bottles with their customs broker.
Confirm the commodity code using the bottle construction, closure and intended contents. See the wider aluminium containers guide for related products. Confirm with HMRC or your customs broker whether heading 7612 is within the aluminium scope of UK CBAM from 1 January 2027; review the UK CBAM guide when planning imports.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty aluminium screw-cap packaging bottles | 7612 90 80 00 | 6% | None |
Bottle neck, internal coating and filling conditions
Specify the aluminium alloy, wall thickness, usable capacity, brimful capacity, neck drawing and bottle dimensions. Agree the cap or pump, liner material, sealing surface and closure torque with your filler. Provide filling temperature, storage conditions and the intended contents so the factory can propose an internal coating for that application.
Food and drink bottles are food contact materials and must comply with the applicable food contact framework. Ask for coating identification and migration test reports matching the bottle, closure and intended use. Agree product storage trials before approving production. Use the food contact materials guide to prepare the evidence request.
Approve print artwork, colour samples, external coating and carton dividers. Producers must assess the packaging they supply or import to determine their packaging producer responsibility obligations. Check the packaging responsibility guide and ask the factory for bottle, closure and transit packaging weights.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative trial order of 3,000 empty aluminium screw-cap packaging bottles under 7612 90 80 00, invoiced at £3,000 free on board, with £300 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £3,300. Duty at 6% is £198. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £3,498, so it is £699.60. Import taxes total £897.60; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £198 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.
Inspection checklist
Body and neck: compare dimensions and wall thickness with the approved drawing; check neck roundness, threads, sealing surfaces, dents and sharp edges on arrival.
Closure and leaks: fit the production caps or pumps, check opening and closing torque, and run agreed leak checks with filled bottles in the planned storage positions.
Coating and contents: check internal coverage, pores, flaking and foreign matter; compare coating identification with the approved sample and review storage trials with the intended contents.
Print and packing: check artwork, colour, adhesion, scuffing and carton counts; inspect dividers and transport damage. Agree these checks before pre-shipment inspection.
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What goes wrong
A bottle can match the approved appearance while its neck or sealing surface differs enough to leak with the production closure. Thin walls dent during handling, poor carton separation scuffs the decoration, and an unsuitable internal coating can allow corrosion or affect the contents.
Keep approved bottle and closure samples together. Repeat compatibility and leak trials if the factory changes the coating, neck tooling, cap liner or pump. Record arrival defects by carton and batch, and compare them with pre-shipment findings before approving a repeat order.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on aluminium packaging bottles from China?
The supplied tariff facts show 6% for 7612 90 80 00, read on 1 October 2026, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension.
Can I use aluminium packaging bottles for food or drink?
Food and drink bottles must meet food contact rules. Ask for evidence covering the internal coating, closure and intended contents, plus storage trials under your planned filling and use conditions.
How do I check whether the caps will leak?
Give the factory the neck and closure drawings. Test production bottles with production caps or pumps, using agreed torque and leak checks in the intended storage positions.
What should I check when the bottles arrive?
Check dents, neck shape, threads, sealing surfaces, coating coverage, cleanliness, print scuffing and carton counts. Fit the actual closures and repeat the agreed leak checks.