Sourcing bronze bearing tubes from China

UK duty on bronze bearing tube stock

Heading 7411 covers copper tubes and pipes. For bronze bearing tube stock, the relevant supplied line is other copper alloy tube, 7411 29 00 00. The table shows alloy variants sharing that line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions. For the wider heading, see the brass tube guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, the supplied data records 4% duty for goods from China. It lists no anti-dumping or countervailing measures, suspensions or attached import controls for this line. This is a tariff snapshot, so check the entry-date position before shipment.

Confirm the alloy composition, tubular form and extent of machining against the Trade Tariff description. Ask your customs broker to review finished bushes or bearings separately rather than assuming the tube-stock code applies. See finding your commodity code.

Specify the bronze alloy and machining allowance

Specify the alloy designation and composition, including lead content where relevant. Agree the manufacturing process, hardness, outside diameter, bore, wall thickness, length and dimensional tolerances. State the machining allowance needed to reach the finished bearing dimensions, plus acceptable porosity and the required inspection method.

Give the factory the bearing application, shaft material, load, movement and lubrication conditions so proposed substitutions can be reviewed by your engineer. Request batch-linked material certificates and sample machining before approving production.

UK REACH generally applies to substances in articles, and Candidate List inclusion brings supplier obligations. Obtain composition information and assess the applicable obligations before selling the tube in Great Britain. Include any coating or impregnation in that review.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 2 tonnes of bronze bearing tube stock, illustrative only under 7411 29 00 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £22,800. Duty at 4% is £912. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £23,712, so it is £4,742.40. Import taxes total £5,654.40; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £912 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Material: match batch marks to the certificate and purchase specification; verify composition and hardness on agreed samples.

Dimensions: measure the bore and outside diameter along sample lengths; check ovality, wall eccentricity, straightness and usable machining allowance.

Soundness: inspect cut faces and machined samples for pores, cracks and inclusions against the agreed acceptance criteria.

Packing: check protected ends, secure supports and batch separation; record dents, contamination and transit damage before accepting stock.

What goes wrong

A tube described only as bearing bronze can arrive in an unsuitable alloy. An eccentric bore can leave insufficient material after machining, while internal pores may only appear when the bearing surface is finished. Mixed batches also make certificates difficult to trace.

Agree composition, machining allowance and soundness criteria before ordering. Keep an approved sample and inspect material from identifiable batches before release. Use the quality inspection guide to turn these checks into a written inspection brief.

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.