Sourcing clay building bricks from China
Ceramic building bricks and clay flooring or filler blocks from China pay 2% UK duty on both lines of heading 6904, with no anti-dumping duty. As construction products they need a declaration of performance and UKCA or CE marking where a designated standard covers them, and buyers check dimensions, water absorption, frost resistance and colour consistency.
2% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 October 2026, heading 6904 covers ceramic building bricks, flooring blocks, support or filler tiles and the like. Both lines carried 2% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Refractory bricks for furnaces are chapter 69 refractory headings, covered in our refractory bricks guide; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic building bricks | 6904 10 00 00 | 2% | None |
| Ceramic flooring blocks, support or filler tiles and the like | 6904 90 00 00 | 2% | None |
Construction product rules
Under the retained Construction Products Regulation, a product covered by a designated standard must be placed on the GB market with a declaration of performance and UKCA or CE marking. Clay masonry units are covered by a designated standard, so ask the factory for the declaration of performance and the test reports behind it before ordering.
The performance that matters for bricks includes compressive strength, water absorption, frost resistance category, active soluble salts and dimensional tolerances. For facing bricks, colour and texture across batches matter as much.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 20,000 reclaimed-style clay facing bricks under 6904 10 00 00, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £3,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £12,500. Duty at 2% is £250. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £12,750, so it is £2,550. Import taxes total £2,800; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £250 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.
Inspection checklist
Dimensions and strength: measure samples and ask for compressive strength and water absorption results per batch.
Appearance: lay out bricks from several pallets to check colour blend and texture against the approved sample.
Packing: check pallets are strapped and wrapped, and count broken bricks. See our quality inspection guide.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
What goes wrong
Brick orders fail on performance evidence, colour and freight. The factory has no declaration of performance for GB, colour varies between batches, and heavy low-value pallets make freight a large share of the landed cost.
Cambridge China Bridge sources clay products for UK builders' merchants and developers, with performance evidence agreed before production. See container programmes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on bricks from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 October 2026, ceramic building bricks under 6904 10 00 00 carried 2% from China.
Do imported bricks need UKCA marking?
Clay masonry units are covered by a designated standard, so they need a declaration of performance and UKCA or CE marking.
What performance should I ask for?
Compressive strength, water absorption, frost resistance category, active soluble salts and dimensional tolerances.
Are refractory bricks in the same heading?
No. Refractory bricks for furnaces are in separate chapter 69 headings.