Sourcing aviation gasoline from China
Aviation gasoline under the supplied aviation-spirit line carries 4% UK customs duty from China. Check the crude-oil supply chain against Russian-oil sanctions, and settle excise treatment, chemical documentation and batch acceptance before shipping. Cambridge China Bridge sources aviation gasoline.
Aviation gasoline duty and import controls
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, aviation spirit, other, under 2710 12 31 90 carries 4% customs duty for goods from China. The supplied facts show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this line. Heading 2710 covers petroleum oils other than crude, specified petroleum preparations and waste oils. The supplied extract contains only this aviation-spirit line, so the table is limited to it.
The tariff attaches an import control on restricted goods and technologies. Oil products refined in China from Russian-origin crude fall within the third-country processing prohibition; a Chinese refinery address does not settle compliance. Obtain supply-chain evidence and have your customs broker confirm admissibility and any applicable licence before shipment. Customs duty is separate from fuel excise duty: agree the excise treatment with HMRC before costing the order.
Confirm the commodity code against the actual composition and intended use. The white spirit guide provides a comparison within the wider heading. Use the import duty and VAT guide for the calculation method, while treating the illustrative order here as inputs for customs duty only. For heat-transfer applications, see our mineral heat-transfer oil sourcing guide. For electrical discharge machining applications, see our mineral EDM dielectric oil sourcing guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation spirit, other | 2710 12 31 90 | 4% | None |
Specify the aviation fuel grade and batch evidence
Agree the exact aviation gasoline grade with the intended operator before requesting a quotation. Specify lead content, knock resistance, volatility, distillation profile, density, water and particulate contamination, together with agreed test methods and acceptance limits. Ask the refinery for a batch certificate of analysis and traceable retained samples. Colour alone is not an acceptance test.
Check UK REACH coverage for the imported substances. For a new registration, imports reaching 1 tonne per year require registration before that threshold is reached where transitional provisions do not apply; substances within mixtures count individually. Ask for an English safety data sheet and packaging labels matching the hazardous classification. Settle the receiving site's fire precautions before booking delivery: workplace petrol storage and use are covered by the dangerous substances and explosive atmospheres regulations.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of aviation gasoline; customs duty only, excluding excise and VAT under 2710 12 31 90, invoiced at £24,000 free on board, with £1,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £25,800. Duty at 4% is £1,032. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £26,832, so it is £5,366.40. Import taxes total £6,398.40; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,032 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.
Inspection checklist
Identity: match the ordered grade, refinery, batch identifiers and certificate of analysis to the delivered fuel and shipping documents.
Analysis: have an independent laboratory compare a traceable batch sample with the agreed lead content, knock resistance, volatility and distillation limits.
Contamination: arrange competent sampling for water and particles before releasing the delivery into stock; keep suspect fuel separate pending investigation.
Containment and documents: check seals, leaks, container condition, safety data sheet and hazard labels, and retain the crude-origin evidence alongside the batch records.
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What goes wrong
A delivery can match the advertised colour yet fail the agreed grade. Watch for substituted fuel, certificates covering a different batch, water introduced during transfer and particles from tanks or containers. Agree an arrival sampling and release process before dispatch, so suspect fuel is held rather than mixed into accepted stock.
A certificate stating Chinese product origin does not establish the origin of the crude used by the refinery. Missing supply-chain evidence can leave the sanctions position unresolved. Another costing error is treating the customs percentage as the whole tax burden; obtain the separate excise position before accepting a landed-cost calculation.
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 aviation gasoline from China?
The supplied tariff reading shows 4% customs duty for aviation spirit, other, under 2710 12 31 90, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. Fuel excise is separate.
Can I import aviation gasoline refined in China?
Check the crude supply chain first. Refining Russian-origin crude in a third country brings the product within the import prohibition. Have your broker confirm admissibility and any applicable licence.
What should an aviation gasoline specification include?
The operator's agreed grade, lead content, knock resistance, volatility, distillation profile, density and contamination limits, supported by batch analysis and traceable samples.
What should I check when aviation gasoline arrives?
Match the batch documents and seals, inspect containment, and arrange competent sampling for grade, water and particles. Hold suspect fuel separately until the results and documents are accepted.