Sourcing brake fluid from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 28 September 2026, heading 3819 covers hydraulic brake fluids and other prepared liquids for hydraulic transmission, not containing or containing less than 70% petroleum oils. Both lines carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure: 3819 00 00 10 for silicate or phosphoric ester fluids for certain aircraft, and 3819 00 00 90 for all others, which is where road-vehicle brake fluid falls.

Mineral hydraulic oils with 70% or more petroleum oil are classified elsewhere; confirm the commodity code.

Grades and standards

Brake fluid grades come from the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 116, which defines DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5 and DOT 5.1; the SAE standards J1703, J1704 and J1705 and the international standard ISO 4925 have matching classes. Put the exact grade and standard on the specification and the label.

DOT 3, DOT 4 and DOT 5.1 are glycol-ether fluids and absorb moisture from the air, which lowers their boiling point over time. DOT 5 is silicone-based and must not be mixed with the glycol grades. Labels should say which grade the fluid is and that it must not be mixed with other types.

Chemical rules

Brake fluid is a mixture, so it needs a safety data sheet and hazard labelling under the retained CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, and the importer has UK REACH duties for the substances in it at one tonne or more a year. Ask the maker for the full composition and the classification it has applied; see our UK REACH guide.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 20,000 one-litre bottles of own-label DOT 4 brake fluid under 3819 00 00 90, at £22,000 free on board with £2,500 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £24,500. There is no duty; import VAT at 20% is £4,900, which a VAT-registered distributor normally reclaims. The cost that decides the order is not at the border: glycol brake fluid absorbs moisture, so a bottle that is not sealed properly can fail its boiling point before it is sold, and the whole batch has to be tested and possibly written off. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

Inspection checklist

Performance: have a laboratory test the dry and wet boiling points, viscosity at low temperature and rubber compatibility of a sample from each batch against the grade on the label. Our testing service can arrange it.

Packing: check every bottle has an intact induction seal under the cap, the bottle material is a moisture barrier, fill volumes are correct and batch and date codes are printed.

Labels: check the grade, the standard, the do-not-mix warning and the CLP hazard label against the approved artwork. See our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

Brake fluid fails on boiling point, sealing and mislabelling. Fluid sold as DOT 4 tests as DOT 3, bottles without a proper seal absorb moisture in storage, and silicone and glycol grades get mixed up on the line or the label.

Cambridge China Bridge sources own-label brake fluid for UK distributors and garages, with batch testing and sealing agreed before production. See also our brake linings and friction materials guide.