Sourcing Ballpoint Pen Inks from China

6% duty on bulk ballpoint pen ink

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 3215 covers printing, writing, drawing and other inks. Bulk ballpoint pen ink falls within other ink under 3215 90 70 90, carrying 6% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty is shown. The table lists colour variants under the same commodity line.

The suspensions attached to this code cover specified dry ink powder for toner manufacture and ink formulations for manufacturing inkjet cartridges under authorised use. They do not describe ordinary ballpoint pen ink. Pens supplied with their own ink belong to heading 9608. Keep bulk ink separate from assembled refills when seeking classification advice.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. For ink from China that is waste subject to notification, shipment to England requires consent from the authorities of dispatch, destination and transit. Ask your customs broker to confirm the control for your consignment. Confirm the commodity code; see the fountain pen inks guide for the wider heading.

Specify the ink for your refill and tip

Specify the solvent and resin system, colour reference, viscosity with its measurement temperature and method, and compatibility with the refill tube, tip and sealing materials. Agree writing start, line continuity, smudge resistance and storage behaviour using ink filled into your intended refill. Approving a colour swatch alone does not establish writing performance.

UK REACH applies to individual substances in mixtures. Review the registration position for each substance against annual import quantities, rather than the total ink weight alone. Ask for an English safety data sheet and composition information for each formulation. Suppliers must ensure correct labelling and packaging before placing the mixture on the Great Britain market. Use testing and certification support to define the checks.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2 tonnes of bulk blue ballpoint pen ink under 3215 90 70 90, invoiced at £12,000 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £12,900. Duty at 6% is £774. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £13,674, so it is £2,734.80. Import taxes total £3,508.80; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £774 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Batch identity: match container labels, formulation references and batch records to the approved sample and certificate of analysis.

Flow and writing: measure viscosity by the agreed method, then fill production refills and check starting, skipping, blobbing and line consistency on the agreed paper.

Colour and stability: compare dried writing with the retained reference and inspect for sediment, separation or changes after the agreed storage trial.

Containers and documents: check seals, leakage and sampled net contents; compare the supplied safety data sheet and labels with the actual formulation.

What goes wrong

Ink can match the approved colour yet skip or leak because its flow does not suit the tip. A solvent change can affect seals or tubes, while particles and sediment can interrupt writing. Slow drying leaves smears; solvent loss during storage can change viscosity.

Keep a retained ink sample and filled refill from each accepted batch. Agree how formulation changes are approved and compare repeat deliveries in the actual refill assembly. Specify a trial batch through small-order sourcing before committing to repeat supply.

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.