Sourcing brass hex bolts from China

Zero duty on solid brass hex bolts

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, solid brass hex bolts under 7415 33 00 00 carried 0% duty for goods from China. Heading 7415 covers copper and copper alloy fasteners, including bolts, screws, nuts, washers and non-threaded articles. The table shows bolt variants sharing the same commodity line.

The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control for this line. Zero customs duty does not remove import VAT; the standard import VAT rate is 20%.

Brass-plated steel bolts and steel-core fasteners are classified under heading 7318, as explained in the site's copper and brass fasteners guide. Confirm the commodity code from the actual material and product description. See the brass machine screws guide for related threaded products within the wider heading.

Specify the alloy, hex head and thread

Specify solid brass rather than a brass-coloured finish. Put the alloy designation or agreed composition, thread system, diameter, pitch, length measured beneath the head, threaded length, head height and width across flats on the drawing. State whether the bolt is fully or partially threaded, and agree the finish and matching nut.

Agree an assembly test using the intended nut, washer and joint. Ask the supplier for material records linked to the production batch, and approve a sample before production. For bolts sold as consumer products, UK importers and sellers are responsible for their safety.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative wholesale stock order: 2 tonnes of solid brass hex bolts under 7415 33 00 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £22,900. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £22,900, so it is £4,580. 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

Material: compare the batch certificate with the ordered alloy, check sample composition and cut a sample to look for a steel core.

Thread fit: use go and no-go gauges and the intended nut; check for burrs, damaged starts and binding along the thread.

Head and shank: measure width across flats, head height, under-head length and threaded length; inspect the head-to-shank junction for cracks.

Packing: check finish, carton counts and separation of sizes and batches. Keep inspection records with the shipment documents; use the quality inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

A brass-coloured bolt may be plated steel, while solid brass may still have the wrong composition. Threads can bind, hex heads can be undersized for the intended spanner, and damaged threads or cracks beneath the head can make an otherwise tidy batch unusable.

Do not accept appearance or a loose-fitting nut as proof of conformity. Check composition and dimensions against the agreed drawing, then assemble samples in the intended joint. Agree the tightening method with the buyer's engineer rather than copying a steel-bolt torque setting.

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.