Sourcing base-metal piercing jewellery from China

UK duty on base-metal body-piercing jewellery

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 7117 covers imitation jewellery. Relevant base-metal lines carry a flat 4% duty for goods from China. The hand-made line without glass parts is 7117 19 00 10; the other line is 7117 19 00 90. The table repeats these codes for different piercing styles, subject to classification of the actual goods.

The supplied snapshot lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions. It attaches CITES, cat and dog fur, and seal-product import controls. Cat and dog fur products are banned from import. Seal products under the traditional-hunt exemption need a seal catch attestation. For CITES-listed materials, check the relevant permits. For any animal-derived decoration sourced through China, ask your customs broker to confirm eligibility and documents before shipment.

Give your broker the complete material specification, photographs, manufacturing method and details of any glass decoration. Confirm the commodity code before ordering. For the wider product family and separate components, see jewellery findings and craft components.

Specify shafts, closures and skin-contact surfaces

State the base metal and any plating separately. For barbells and labrets, specify shaft diameter, wearable length, end size and internal or external threading. For rings, specify inside diameter and closure type. Put tolerances on the drawing and keep an approved sample. Ask for smooth insertion surfaces, rounded edges and closures that remain secure during handling.

For Great Britain, confirm with HSE the applicable UK REACH nickel-release requirements for post assemblies inserted into pierced body parts and articles in prolonged skin contact, together with any cadmium and lead restrictions. Ask for reports covering your actual shaft, ends, base metal and coating through testing and certification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 200 stainless-steel labret pieces; illustrative FOB and freight values under 7117 19 00 90, invoiced at £200 free on board, with £135 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £335. Duty at 4% is £13.40. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £348.40, so it is £69.68. Import taxes total £83.08; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £13.40 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Dimensions: measure shaft diameter, wearable length and ring inside diameter against the approved drawing across different packs.

Closures: assemble matching ends, check thread engagement and test ring closure alignment; separate pieces with loose ends or cross-threading.

Finish: inspect insertion surfaces and threads for burrs, scratches, rough joins and flaking plating; compare colour with the retained sample.

Evidence and packing: match laboratory reports to the supplied material and finish, check pack counts and keep different sizes clearly separated.

What goes wrong

A supplier may quote overall length while you mean wearable shaft length. Ends can look interchangeable but have incompatible threads, and a plated sample can differ from the production finish. Put each measurement and material in the order, then inspect the production batch before accepting it.

A report for another finish or a metal-content result does not answer your nickel-release question. Do not treat catalogue wording such as surgical steel as a substitute for matching evidence. Businesses must not sell consumer products they know, or should have known, are unsafe. Keep suspect stock separate while you investigate.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For own-brand ranges, see sourcing for brands.