Sourcing Camellia seed oil from China

Camellia seed oil duty by processing and use

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 1515 covers fixed vegetable or microbial oils and their fractions, whether refined or not, but not chemically modified. Relevant liquid Camellia seed oil lines carry 6% when crude and 8% otherwise; non-food technical or industrial lines carry 2% and 4%. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty is recorded. The 0.00 % suspension on 1515 90 99 99 is restricted to specified arachidonic-acid or docosahexaenoic-acid compositions, rather than Camellia oil generally.

The relevant lines attach CITES and waste import controls; the non-industrial lines also attach an organic control. For organic food, your importer must be based and certified in the UK. The inspection certificate is issued by the exporter’s control body. Confirm consignment requirements with your customs broker. Check the botanical species with APHA: permits are required for species listed in Annex A, B or C. If oil is waste subject to notification controls, the exporter must seek dispatch-country consent.

Confirm the commodity code and eligibility for the intended-use line with your broker using the composition, processing record and intended use. The sesame oil and tung oil guide covers the wider heading.

Specify the seed species and extraction method

Write the botanical species in the purchase specification, rather than accepting “tea oil” alone. Describe whether the oil is pressed or solvent-extracted, crude or refined, filtered or deodorised. State whether you need edible oil or a bulk ingredient for non-food manufacture. Agree any added oils, antioxidants or other ingredients explicitly.

Agree a fatty acid profile, acid value, peroxide value, moisture and insoluble impurities with the supplier and laboratory. Set colour, odour and, for edible lots, flavour against an approved sample. Specify drum material, closure, batch identification, storage conditions and remaining shelf life on arrival.

For food sales, descriptions and advertising must be truthful. Make sure claims such as pure, cold-pressed and organic match the supplied lot and its documents. Compare the factory’s extraction and refining records with its quotation through factory verification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of refined liquid Camellia seed oil in sealed drums under 1515 90 99 99, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £19,500. Duty at 8% is £1,560. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £21,060, so it is £4,212. Import taxes total £5,772; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,560 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the botanical species, extraction record and batch analysis to the order; investigate a fatty acid profile inconsistent with the approved reference.

Freshness: test acid and peroxide values against the agreed specification; compare colour and odour, and assess flavour only for edible samples.

Packing: check drum cleanliness, seals, dents, leaks, net contents and batch markings on arrival; record damaged or opened containers separately.

Documents: reconcile labels, batch certificates and invoices; check organic certificate details and obtain your broker’s confirmation of the attached controls. Use the quality inspection guide to agree sampling.

What goes wrong

A vague description such as “tea oil” can leave the seed species or processing method unclear. Undeclared blending can change the fatty acid profile, while refining can remove the flavour expected from a pressed sample. Heat exposure, leaking closures and dirty drums can leave an otherwise acceptable lot unsuitable for the buyer’s process.

Do not accept a sample certificate as evidence for the delivered batch. Match independent test results to the shipment, retain a sealed reference sample and hold discrepant lots for investigation. A supplier’s organic claim also needs the import paperwork checked before dispatch.

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.