Sourcing carmine colourant from China

0% duty on carmine colourant

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 8 November 2026, carmine colourant and preparations based on it fall within the animal-origin colouring matter line, 3203 00 90 00, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. Heading 3203 covers vegetable- and animal-origin colouring matter, including dyeing extracts, but excludes animal black.

The tariff attaches veterinary control and waste import and export controls to this line. Carmine may need a common health entry document; confirm the requirement for your Chinese-origin product with your customs broker before shipping. Where the animal-product rules apply, medium and high risk imports need a health certificate. If importing waste under notification controls, obtain consent from the dispatch, destination and transit authorities before shipment.

The table shows different forms under the same tariff line, rather than separate commodity codes. Give your broker the composition, carrier ingredients, manufacturing process and intended use to confirm the commodity code. For the rest of this heading, see natural colours and dyes.

Specify carmine strength, form and application

Specify carmine from cochineal, the required colour strength and shade, and whether you need powder, liquid or a dispersible preparation. Ask for the complete formulation, including carriers, and the extraction solvents used. Agree the colour-strength test method and retain an approved sample.

For food use, confirm with the relevant food authority the authorisation position for carmine in the intended food and the applicable additive specification. Ask the supplier to identify that specification and provide batch results for purity and contaminants. Test the sample in your actual recipe through heating, storage and changes in acidity before approving production.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative small production batch of carmine powder in sealed drums under 3203 00 90 00, invoiced at £24,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £25,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £25,500, so it is £5,100. 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 formulation: check that the certificate, specification and supplied material describe the same carmine grade and declared carriers.

Strength and shade: measure colour strength against the agreed method and compare the batch with the approved sample in your own product.

Purity: for food use, compare laboratory results for lead, arsenic, mercury and residual extraction solvents with the applicable additive specification.

Packing and batch records: check seals, moisture protection, caking and leakage on arrival; match drum labels and batch numbers to the certificate of analysis.

What goes wrong

A carmine batch can look acceptable as powder yet give a different shade or weaker colour in the finished recipe. Undeclared carriers change the formulation, while damp packing causes caking. A certificate for a different batch does not establish the quality of the delivered material.

Agree acceptance criteria before ordering, test the production batch in the intended application and retain a reference sample. Resolve the veterinary-control position before dispatch. Use the quality inspection guide to turn these checks into an 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.