Sourcing bituminous roofing mastics from China

Duty and waste controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 2715 covers mixtures based on natural asphalt, natural bitumen, petroleum bitumen, mineral tar or mineral tar pitch, including bituminous mastics. The extract contains a single commodity line. The table distinguishes roofing applications sharing that code, subject to formulation checks. See the wider bituminous mixtures guide.

Goods from China carry 0% duty under 2715 00 00 00, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension recorded. The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. For waste from China imported into England under notification controls, shipment must wait for consent from the Environment Agency and the other competent authorities involved. Ask your customs broker and relevant waste authority to confirm the procedure for the actual material and destination.

Confirm the commodity code using the binder, filler, solvent composition and intended roofing use. Finished roofing membranes differ from mastic mixtures. The import duty and VAT guide explains the tax calculation.

Specify the roof substrate and mastic formulation

State whether the mastic is for patch repairs, joints, flashing details or membrane repairs. Identify the actual substrate and any existing coating. Agree binder source, filler type, solvent composition, viscosity, solids content, application method, curing conditions and storage instructions. Approve a sample applied to the intended roof surface. For solvent-containing material, request flash-point information and a safety data sheet matching the formulation.

For sale in Great Britain, arrange classification and labelling by someone with scientific competence. Check the formulation's UK REACH position with your chemical adviser, and agree labels and packaging before production. Construction products not covered or fully covered by a designated standard may be covered by a technical assessment document. Ask an adviser to establish the applicable route for the proposed roofing use through testing and certification support.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of bituminous roofing mastic in sealed drums under 2715 00 00 00, 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 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £25,800, so it is £5,160. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Formulation: match the ingredient declaration, batch certificate and safety data sheet to the approved roofing mastic.

Consistency: compare viscosity, solids content, sediment and ease of mixing with the retained sample using the agreed method.

Roof trial: apply a sample to the intended substrate and check spreading, adhesion, curing, visible cracking and sagging at the proposed joint or flashing detail.

Packing: inspect drum seams, lids, leaks, corrosion and batch identification on arrival. Record discrepancies using the quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A substituted solvent or excessive filler can change spreading and curing. A sample tested on a different substrate may conceal poor adhesion to the intended roof surface. Compare production samples with the approved formulation and roofing trial before accepting the shipment.

Leaking drums can lose solvent and leave thicker material that is difficult to spread. Settled filler may be difficult to remix. Reclaimed material also needs its waste status checked before shipment; a description such as roofing repair compound does not resolve the tariff's attached waste control. Have your broker confirm the requirement.

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.