Sourcing coal and coal briquettes from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 16 November 2026, heading 2701 covers coal and briquettes, ovoids and similar solid fuels manufactured from coal. All five lines carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Charcoal is heading 4402, covered in our barbecue charcoal guide; confirm the commodity code.

Selling to households in England

The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 define bituminous coal as coal under code 2701 12 placed on the market for burning in domestic premises. A person must not supply it pre-packed, and must not supply loose coal directly to a consumer, apart from a narrow exemption for coal from the Forest of Dean.

Manufactured solid fuels for domestic use in England, including those made from coal, must be certified by an approved certification body, appear on the government's list, and carry the certificate details and the logo set out in the regulations. Industrial and commercial supplies fall outside these household rules, so state the end use in the contract.

Specifying coal and briquettes

Specify the coal type, size grading, fixed carbon, volatile matter, ash, sulphur and moisture, calorific value, and for briquettes the binder, shape and strength. Ask for a laboratory analysis per lot and the safety data sheet.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 20 tonnes of sized anthracite in bulk bags for industrial use under 2701 11 00 00, invoiced at £5,000 free on board, with £1,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,800, so it is £1,360. 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 example assumes the standard rate. Coal sold as fuel for qualifying use, such as domestic heating, takes the reduced rate of VAT under HMRC's VAT Notice 701/19; other supplies are standard-rated.

Inspection checklist

Analysis: sample at loading and test ash, sulphur, moisture and calorific value at an independent laboratory.

Grading: screen samples against the size specification and check fines content.

Packing and marking: check bags, and for household fuels the certification details and logo. See our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

Coal orders fail on analysis, fines and compliance. Ash or sulphur is higher than the certificate, fines make up too much of the lot, briquettes crumble in transit, and household fuel arrives without the certification that England requires.

Cambridge China Bridge sources fuels for UK industrial and trade buyers with sampling and analysis agreed before payment. See factory verification.