Calcium and magnesium chloride from China
Calcium chloride from China pays 0% UK duty, while magnesium chloride, ammonium chloride, aluminium chloride and sodium or potassium bromide pay 4% and iron and copper chlorides 2%, with no anti-dumping duty. De-icing, food, brine and pool grades differ in assay and impurities, and food-grade salts must meet additive specifications. Cambridge China Bridge sources chlorides.
Calcium chloride from China pays 0% UK duty, magnesium and ammonium chloride 4%, iron and copper chlorides 2%. Grades, food additive rules and an example.
0% for calcium chloride, 2% or 4% for the rest
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, chlorides of heading 2827 from China carried 0% for calcium chloride, 4% for ammonium chloride, magnesium chloride, aluminium chloride, other chlorides and bromides of sodium or potassium, and 2% for chlorides of iron and copper, with no anti-dumping measure and no general suspension on the main lines.
Sodium chloride, including road salt, is in heading 2501, and prepared de-icing mixtures or polyaluminium chloride solutions may be classified as preparations rather than as the plain chloride, so confirm the commodity code from the product specification. Other inorganic chemicals are covered in our silica and inorganic acids guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonium chloride | 2827 10 00 00 | 4% | None |
| Calcium chloride | 2827 20 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Magnesium chloride | 2827 31 00 00 | 4% | None |
| Aluminium chloride | 2827 32 00 00 | 4% | None |
| Iron chlorides | 2827 39 20 00 | 2% | None |
| Copper chlorides | 2827 41 00 00 | 2% | None |
| Bromides of sodium or potassium | 2827 51 00 00 | 4% | None |
Grades and rules by use
Calcium chloride sold as a food additive is E 509 and magnesium chloride E 511 under retained Regulation 1333/2008, and food-grade lots must meet the purity specification for heavy metals such as lead and arsenic in the GB Register of Food Additive Authorisations, which replaced retained Regulation 231/2012 on 1 April 2025. Technical grades for de-icing, dust control, oil well brines, concrete acceleration or pool chemistry are specified by the buyer's application, usually assay, moisture, insolubles, alkalinity and iron.
Each substance imported at one tonne or more a year needs UK REACH registration or a valid transitional notification, an English safety data sheet and GB CLP labels. Calcium chloride is an eye irritant and gives off heat when it dissolves, so handling instructions matter for retail packs. Bath and cosmetic magnesium flakes are cosmetics if sold for use on the skin, with their own safety assessment.
Worked duty example
Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 50 tonnes of magnesium chloride flakes for de-icing under 2827 31 00 00. At £9,000 free on board and £4,500 to ship and insure, the customs value is £13,500. Magnesium chloride at 4% pay £540 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £14,040, giving £2,808. Of the £3,348 paid at import, only the £540 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. Calcium chloride under 2827 20 00 00 would pay no duty at all on the same value, so the choice of salt changes the landed cost as well as the de-icing performance. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.
What goes wrong
Chlorides fail on assay, moisture and packaging. Flake or granular calcium chloride absorbs moisture and cakes in the bag, so the product arrives as a solid block or the assay drops, magnesium chloride sold as a purer grade contains more sulphate or calcium, food-grade claims are made without a specification, and woven bags without liners split or leak brine onto the pallet.
Test each lot for assay by titration, moisture or water of crystallisation, insolubles and, for food grades, lead and arsenic against the additive specification; specify lined, heat-sealed bags and shrink-wrapped pallets; and check bag weights and caking at inspection.
Cambridge China Bridge sources calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and other chlorides for de-icing, food, construction and chemical buyers, from trial pallets to full containers. See our container programme service.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on calcium chloride from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, calcium chloride carried 0% from China, with no anti-dumping duty.
What is the duty on magnesium chloride flakes?
4%, with no anti-dumping duty.
Which rules apply to food-grade calcium chloride?
It is the additive E 509, and lots must meet the purity specification in the GB Register of Food Additive Authorisations, which replaced retained Regulation 231/2012 on 1 April 2025.
Why does calcium chloride cake in transit?
It absorbs moisture, so it needs lined, heat-sealed bags and protected pallets.