Sourcing ball and roller bearings from China
Ball and roller bearings from China, including ball, tapered, spherical, cylindrical and needle roller bearings, pay 8% UK duty, with 6% for some rollers, and no anti-dumping duty. The main risks are tolerance class, internal clearance and counterfeit branded bearings. Cambridge China Bridge sources bearings.
Ball, tapered roller, spherical roller and needle bearings pay 8% UK duty from China, rollers 6%. Tolerance classes, counterfeit brands and a worked example.
Mostly 8%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, ball bearings, tapered roller bearings, spherical roller bearings, needle roller bearings, other cylindrical roller bearings and other bearings of heading 8482 carried 8% duty on goods from China, and balls, needles and rollers other than tapered 6%, with no anti-dumping measure. A few named parts have their own lines.
Bearing housings and plain shaft bearings are in heading 8483; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball bearings, largest outside diameter up to 30 mm, other | 8482 10 10 90 | 8% | None |
| Other ball bearings | 8482 10 90 00 | 8% | None |
| Tapered roller bearings | 8482 20 00 00 | 8% | None |
| Spherical roller bearings | 8482 30 00 00 | 8% | None |
| Needle roller bearings | 8482 40 00 00 | 8% | None |
| Other cylindrical roller bearings, other | 8482 50 00 90 | 8% | None |
| Balls, needles and rollers, other | 8482 91 90 90 | 6% | None |
Specifying bearings
Boundary dimensions of rolling bearings follow ISO 15 and ISO 355, tolerance classes follow ISO 492, from normal class to P6 and P5, and rating life is calculated to ISO 281. Specify the designation, tolerance class, internal clearance such as C3, seals or shields, cage material, grease type and fill, and noise or vibration level for electric motor bearings.
Bearings marked with a well-known brand but not bought from that brand are counterfeits. Selling them is a trade mark offence, and they fail early, so buy under the factory's own brand or as unbranded, and ask for the factory's material and hardness records.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 200,000 deep groove ball bearings, entered under 8482 10 90 00: £36,000 free on board plus £1,500 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £37,500. The 8% duty on ball bearings comes to £3,000, and import VAT is 20% of £40,500, which is £8,100. If you are VAT-registered you normally reclaim the £8,100, leaving £3,000 as the real cost at the border. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
What goes wrong
Bearings fail on precision, steel and cleanliness. Rings ground outside the tolerance class or with the wrong clearance run hot and noisy, bearing steel with inclusions or poor heat treatment spalls early, and contamination left in the grease causes vibration. Seals that are not fitted properly let in water, packaging without rust protection lets rings corrode, and cheap bearings are sometimes re-marked with a better brand.
Measure bore, outside diameter, width and radial clearance on samples, check hardness and ask for the steel grade, run a vibration or noise test on motor-grade bearings, spin-test for smoothness, check seals and grease fill, and inspect markings and packaging so that nothing carries another company's brand.
Cambridge China Bridge sources ball, tapered, spherical and needle roller bearings, with tolerance classes, clearance and testing agreed before the order. See how we source mechanical components.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on ball bearings from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, ball and roller bearings of heading 8482 carried 8% duty from China, and most rollers and balls 6%.
Which standard sets bearing tolerance classes?
ISO 492, from normal class through P6 and P5.
Are branded bearings from unofficial sources legal to sell?
No. Bearings marked with a brand not bought from that brand are counterfeits.
Where do bearing housings go?
Bearing housings and plain shaft bearings are in heading 8483.