Sourcing cobalt crucibles from China

Duty on finished cobalt crucibles

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 8105 covers cobalt mattes and other intermediate products of cobalt metallurgy, cobalt and articles thereof, including waste and scrap. Finished cobalt crucibles are candidates for the other-articles line, 8105 90 00 00. The table shows product forms sharing that line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions.

The supplied tariff facts show 0% duty for goods from China on this line, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure, suspension or attached import control. The waste-and-scrap line carries waste import and export controls. If buying discarded crucibles from China as scrap, confirm the applicable requirement with your customs broker before shipment.

Confirm the material and finished product description through finding your commodity code. A cobalt-containing ceramic or a crucible made from a different metal needs its own classification assessment. For the wider heading, see cobalt metal and powders.

Specify the metal and the laboratory process

State whether the crucible is cobalt metal or a named cobalt alloy. Agree cobalt content and impurity limits, capacity, internal and external dimensions, wall and base thickness, rim shape, lid fit and surface finish. Request a batch-linked material certificate and a drawing showing the dimensions to be checked.

Describe the charge, furnace atmosphere, heating and cooling cycle, cleaning method and acceptable contamination of the sample. Ask the supplier to support compatibility claims with a trial using your process. Agree how to judge leakage, distortion and material transfer before accepting the sample.

For Great Britain, UK REACH registration applies to substances in articles only in certain limited cases; assess the finished crucible rather than automatically applying powder registration advice. Assess exposure to harmful substances arising from machining or cleaning. Use testing and certification support to define the evidence needed for your intended use.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative trial batch of custom cobalt laboratory crucibles under 8105 90 00 00, invoiced at £2,500 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £3,300. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £3,300, so it is £660. 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 identity to the certificate and independently check chemistry against the ordered metal or alloy.

Dimensions: measure wall and base thickness, capacity and rim geometry; check that the lid and furnace holder fit.

Surface and integrity: inspect for cracks, pits, burrs, embedded particles and machining residue; use an agreed leakage check where relevant.

Packing and trial: check for dented rims and loose lids, then assess sampled crucibles in the agreed heating and cleaning cycle. See quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A description such as cobalt crucible can conceal an unspecified alloy or a cobalt-containing ceramic. A certificate without matching batch identity leaves the composition unproven. Thin areas, rough internal surfaces and damaged rims can defeat an otherwise acceptable drawing.

A crucible may fit the furnace yet contaminate the charge, leak or distort during the buyer's process. Approve the material, drawing and process trial together, and record acceptance criteria before ordering the production 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.