Sourcing bronze pigment paste from China

Zero duty on bronze pigment paste

Heading 3212 covers pigments, including metallic powders and flakes, dispersed in non-aqueous media in liquid or paste form for paint manufacture, alongside stamping foils and retail colourants. Bronze pigment paste fitting that description falls within 3212 90 00 00. The supplied tariff facts contain only this relevant commodity line.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, this line carries 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension listed. The tariff attaches an ozone-depleting-substance restriction and waste import and export controls. Confirm their application with your customs broker using the complete formulation and whether the shipment is a product or waste.

Confirm the commodity code from the metal pigment, carrier and intended use. Send the broker the composition and technical sheet rather than relying on the supplier's description of gold paste. Our solvent-based aluminium pigment paste guide covers the wider heading.

Specify the alloy, gold shade and carrier

Specify the actual metal composition behind the bronze trade name, the approved gold shade, particle-size distribution, metal content, carrier solvent, surface treatment and viscosity test conditions. Ask whether the flakes concentrate at the coating surface or remain distributed through the film. Approve a drawdown in your own binder, at the intended application conditions, rather than approving the appearance of the paste in its container.

For Great Britain, ask HSE to confirm the UK REACH registration position for each constituent substance using its annual import quantity, including whether coverage by the manufacturer's appointed only representative applies. Obtain an English safety data sheet where required and address classification, labelling and packaging before supply. Request the complete carrier identity to check the tariff's ozone-depleting-substance restriction; importing regulated ozone-depleting substances into Great Britain requires a licence.

If the shipment from China is waste subject to notification controls, the exporter must apply to the competent authority in the dispatch country for consent and follow its procedures. Confirm the applicable waste import requirements with your broker before shipment. Also confirm the attached export control before arranging any return of waste to China.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 400 kilograms of bronze pigment paste under 3212 90 00 00, invoiced at £6,800 free on board, with £700 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,500, so it is £1,500. 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

Shade and metallic effect: compare a batch drawdown with the retained approved sample in the same binder, film thickness and lighting; check brightness, hue and flake orientation.

Dispersion and settling: check for hard sediment, agglomerates and skin formation; assess whether the paste redistributes using the agreed mixing method.

Composition and consistency: match the batch certificate to the agreed metal content, carrier identity and viscosity conditions; investigate unexplained changes between batches.

Containers and documents: inspect seals, leaks and corrosion; check net contents, batch identity, labels and the safety data sheet against the supplied grade. Agree sampling through quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A supplier's gold shade can look right in the container yet produce a different hue or metallic effect in your binder. Changes in alloy composition, flake size or surface treatment can alter the finish. An unsuitable carrier can destabilise the formulation, while hard settling makes dosing inconsistent.

Check a retained arrival sample against the approved drawdown before releasing the batch into production. Investigate darkening, coarse particles, unusual separation or solvent loss. Record the agreed remixing procedure and storage conditions in the purchase specification, and require approval before the supplier changes the carrier or pigment treatment.

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.