Sourcing cast iron hollow bars from China

UK duty on cast iron hollow bars

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 7303 covers tubes, pipes and hollow profiles of cast iron. For hollow bars classified as other hollow profiles, the relevant residual line is 7303 00 90 90. Only that line is shown here because the remaining supplied lines describe pipes. See the ductile iron and cast iron pipes guide for the wider heading.

The supplied snapshot shows 0% duty for goods from China throughout the heading. It lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, steel measure, suspension or attached import control. Ask your customs broker to check the proposed code using the drawing, material description and condition as imported. Our commodity code guide explains the classification process.

Ask HMRC or your customs broker to confirm whether your goods classified under heading 7303 fall within the iron and steel scope of the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism, which comes into effect on 1 January 2027. Ask the foundry about available production and emissions records before agreeing future deliveries. Read the UK carbon border adjustment guide and the import duty and VAT guide when planning landed costs.

Specify the grade, bore and machining allowance

State whether you need grey or ductile cast iron, the agreed material grade, casting process and delivery condition. Provide a drawing showing the outside section, bore shape and position, cut length, straightness and dimensional tolerances. Specify machining allowance on both the outside surface and bore, together with the required hardness range and any agreed microstructure checks.

Agree batch identification, material reports, sample machining and acceptance criteria before production. Specify rust protection, bore protection and secure supports for heavy bundles. Solid wood pallets, crates and dunnage used to import the bars into Great Britain must meet ISPM15 standards; include the packaging requirement in the supplier brief.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 50 tonnes of cast iron hollow bars under 7303 00 90 90, invoiced at £32,000 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £36,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £36,000, so it is £7,200. 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

Material: match batch markings to material reports and check the agreed hardness and microstructure results.

Geometry: measure the outside section, bore position, minimum wall, cut length and straightness against the drawing.

Machining: machine an agreed sample to check clean-up allowance, hard areas and exposed pores or inclusions.

Arrival: inspect cut ends and bores for cracks, chips and corrosion; check bundle security and retain batch identification. Use our quality inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

An off-centre bore can leave insufficient wall after machining even when the outside diameter passes inspection. Pores may appear only after boring, while hard areas can interrupt cutting and damage tools. A material report alone does not show that the ordered geometry will produce the finished part.

Agree a sample-machining check before accepting the batch. Compare defects against written acceptance criteria and photograph damaged ends or wet packaging on arrival. Keep rejected bars identifiable so the foundry can trace the affected batch.

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.