Sourcing Chinese five-spice powder from China
Chinese five-spice powder qualifying as a ground spice mixture under heading 0910 carries 0% UK duty from China. Food business registration, compliant labels and pesticide residue limits matter more than duty. Agree the recipe and test each batch. Cambridge China Bridge sources Chinese five-spice powder.
Duty and classification for five-spice powder
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 16 October 2026, the supplied heading 0910 lines carry 0% duty from China, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions. Heading 0910 covers ginger, saffron, turmeric, thyme, bay leaves, curry and other spices. The ground-mixture line is 0910 91 90 00. The other table rows concern whole mixtures or separately purchased ingredients, rather than alternative codes for the same finished powder.
The tariff attaches import control of organic products. Organic spices need a certificate of inspection to be released as organic. For an organic shipment from China, the certificate is issued by the exporter’s control body in the country of export. Confirm the paperwork with your customs broker before shipment.
Confirm the commodity code against the complete recipe and processing method. Do not choose a code from the product name alone. See the wider spices guide for the rest of this heading.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground spice mixtures, including qualifying five-spice powder | 0910 91 90 00 | 0% | None |
| Whole spice mixtures for grinding into blends | 0910 91 10 00 | 0% | None |
| Ground ginger supplied separately for a specified blend | 0910 12 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Other ground spices, supplied separately where applicable | 0910 99 99 00 | 0% | None |
Specify the recipe and grind
Write down every spice and its proportion. For a recipe using star anise, cassia, cloves, fennel and Sichuan pepper, identify each ingredient and agree substitutions in writing. Ask the processor to disclose salt, starch, flavourings or other additions. Approve a reference sample for aroma, colour, flavour and fineness, then specify moisture, foreign matter and sealed packing.
Confirm food-business registration requirements with the relevant food authority. Before printing retail packs, confirm the applicable requirements for the name, net weight, best-before date, storage information, UK address, English wording, ingredient list and allergen emphasis. Confirm applicable pesticide residue limits for Great Britain with the relevant food authority. Agree batch testing for residues, microbiology and adulterants with an accredited laboratory.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order only: 10 tonnes of Chinese five-spice powder for a small spice packer under 0910 91 90 00, invoiced at £16,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £18,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £18,000, so it is £3,600. 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. 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
Recipe: compare the production ingredient record and sample with the approved blend, including any additions or substitutions.
Powder: check aroma, colour, particle size, moisture and foreign matter against the specification; investigate clumping or a weak spice smell.
Batch evidence: match lot numbers to laboratory reports, check residue and microbiology results, and retain a sample of each lot.
Packing and labels: check seals, liners, insect damage, bag weights and the English label artwork. Use the inspection guide to agree the checks before dispatch.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
What goes wrong
A blend can match the approved colour while its flavour changes because ingredient proportions or spice quality have changed. Grinding also makes adulteration harder to spot. Damp powder can cake, while damaged seals allow moisture and insects into the pack. Compare production samples with the approved sample and review batch reports before shipping.
An attractive pack does not resolve an incomplete ingredient list or missing batch evidence. Settle the recipe, label artwork and organic paperwork before printing packaging. On arrival, hold any suspect lot apart while the supplier and laboratory investigate.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on Chinese five-spice powder?
The supplied tariff data shows 0% duty from China for ground spice mixtures under 0910 91 90 00, with no listed trade remedies or suspensions. Confirm that the recipe belongs in this line.
Is every five-spice powder recipe the same?
Do not assume so. Agree the ingredient identities, proportions, additions and grind with the processor, and approve a reference sample before ordering.
Does five-spice powder normally need a health certificate?
Official guidance says herbs and spices do not normally need a health certificate. Organic imports have separate certificate-of-inspection paperwork.
What should I test before importing five-spice powder?
Agree batch tests for pesticide residues, microbiology and adulteration with an accredited laboratory. Match reports to the shipped lot and check moisture, aroma, foreign matter and seals.