Sourcing calcium lactate from China

Calcium lactate duty and classification

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 2918 covers carboxylic acids with additional oxygen function and their derivatives. Calcium lactate belongs to the lactic acid salts family. The relevant candidate line is 2918 11 00 80, for other lactic acid, salts and esters. The table shows purchasing variants within this same line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions.

The supplied tariff record gives 0% duty for goods from China, with no listed anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension on this line. It attaches an export control for waste. Ask your customs broker to confirm its relevance if the consignment involves discarded material; the attached measure concerns waste exports.

Give your broker the substance identity, hydrate form, composition and intended use to confirm the commodity code. Describe any added ingredients separately. For the wider family, see lactic acid and its salts.

Specify hydrate form and intended use

State whether you need anhydrous or hydrated calcium lactate, powder or granules, and food, laboratory or technical grade. Agree assay basis, water content, particle size, impurity tests and a dissolution trial in your actual process. Request a batch certificate of analysis with named methods and acceptance criteria.

For food use, check the intended food category and any applicable use limits. Official guidance says most additives have restrictions on the foods and quantities in which they can be used. Compare the proposed material with the calcium lactate specification in the food-additive register rather than accepting a general food-grade statement.

For non-food use, assess whether UK REACH registration applies. Confirm with HSE or your customs broker how your annual import quantity and intended use affect registration, including whether any food-use exemption is relevant. Settle the intended use before agreeing the supply specification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 25 tonnes of calcium lactate powder; order quantity, FOB value and freight are illustrative under 2918 11 00 80, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,500, so it is £4,900. 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

Identity and form: check that the certificate and bag labels identify calcium lactate and the agreed hydrate form.

Batch analysis: compare assay basis, water content and impurity results with the purchase specification; retain a sealed sample for independent testing.

Process performance: check particle size, caking and dissolution using the agreed method and your intended process conditions.

Packing and traceability: inspect liners, seals and moisture damage; match bag lot numbers to certificates during quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A certificate can report assay on a different moisture basis from the order, making apparently similar lots difficult to compare. A different hydrate form or particle size can also change weighing and dissolution behaviour. Agree the reporting basis and test a representative sample before accepting a substitute.

Wet liners, broken seals, hard lumps and missing batch references are reasons to hold the affected bags for investigation. A technical-grade certificate does not establish suitability for the intended food use. Resolve the batch evidence and application checks before releasing stock.

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.