Sourcing Borneol from China

Borneol duty and tariff flags

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 2906 covers cyclic alcohols and their listed derivatives. The supplied tariff data does not name borneol separately. Use 2906 19 00 90 as a provisional residual line for the specified substance, subject to broker confirmation. The table describes buying variants sharing that line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions.

The recorded Chinese-origin duty is 0%, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension recorded for this line. The UK Trade Tariff attaches Home Office controlled-drug import and export controls and an export waste control. Confirm their applicability to the exact borneol shipment with your customs broker. A tariff flag alone does not establish that borneol needs a licence. Import VAT is normally 20%.

Give your broker the chemical identity, composition, origin declaration and intended use to confirm the commodity code. For the wider heading, see alpha-terpineol.

Specify borneol identity and isomer composition

Order against a named chemical identity rather than the supplier's description of 'borneol' or 'bingpian' alone. Agree natural or synthetic origin, borneol and isoborneol content, optical rotation where relevant, assay method, impurity profile, moisture and appearance. Request a batch certificate of analysis and a retained sample.

For Great Britain, classification and labelling must be carried out by someone with scientific competence. Confirm with HSE whether your annual imports require UK REACH registration. Check your registration position before increasing annual purchases. Keep this raw-material specification separate from the assessment of any finished food, cosmetic or medicinal product.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative trial consignment of borneol crystals under 2906 19 00 90, invoiced at £2,500 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £4,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £4,000, so it is £800. 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

Identity: compare the batch certificate, container label and purchase specification; investigate differences in the named substance or origin.

Composition: check the assay and borneol/isoborneol results against agreed methods and acceptance criteria; check optical rotation when specified.

Condition: inspect seals, liners, crystal appearance, foreign material and net weight; record caking, damaged packaging or loss.

Traceability: match every container to its batch certificate and retain a representative sample for independent testing where needed.

What goes wrong

An overall purity result can hide an unacceptable borneol/isoborneol balance. A sample approved for odour or appearance can also differ from the shipped batch. Specify the composition you need and compare arrival results with the retained approval sample.

Do not accept a natural-origin claim solely because it appears on a quotation. Request production-route and batch evidence. Hold material with conflicting identity documents, broken seals or unexplained analysis differences until the supplier resolves them.

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.