Sourcing cobalt ores from China

Duty and waste controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, heading 2605 covers cobalt ores and concentrates. Its sole commodity line, 2605 00 00 00, carries 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension.

The tariff attaches import waste controls and an export waste control. For a shipment from China, ask your customs broker to confirm whether the import control applies to the actual material. For waste entering England under notification controls, the exporter applies to the dispatch country's competent authority; shipment needs consent from the dispatch, destination and transit authorities. Confirm the separate export control before any onward export.

Give your broker the mineral description, assay, production process and intended use to confirm the commodity code. The tariff record contains a single line, so the table has a single entry.

Specify dry cobalt content and mineral form

State whether you want ore or concentrate, its mineral form and the receiving plant's process. Agree cobalt content on a dry basis, moisture, particle size and limits for copper, nickel, iron, arsenic and sulphur. Ask the supplier to describe how the concentrate is produced and identify the mine or feedstock source.

Agree representative sampling, an independent laboratory and a method for resolving conflicting assays. Keep wet shipment weight separate from dry material weight when comparing offers. Ask HSE or your customs broker to confirm whether natural ores and ore concentrates that are not chemically modified qualify for a UK REACH registration exemption; ask the supplier to explain any chemical processing.

UK workplace law requires adequate control of exposure to materials that cause ill health. Plan how bags will be opened, sampled and emptied, and ask for safety information on the actual mineral mixture.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative trial lot of bagged cobalt concentrate under 2605 00 00 00, invoiced at £40,000 free on board, with £6,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £46,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £46,000, so it is £9,200. 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

Assay: check representative lot samples for cobalt and agreed impurities against the purchase specification.

Moisture: compare arrival moisture and wet weight with the dispatch records before accepting the dry-weight calculation.

Identity: match bag marks, lot references, seals and assay certificates; retain sealed samples for disputes.

Packing: check liners, closures, tears, leakage and signs of wetting or contamination.

What goes wrong

A selected sample can conceal variation across the shipment. Excess moisture makes wet weight look attractive while reducing the dry material received. Impurities can also make an apparently acceptable cobalt assay unsuitable for the receiving process.

Descriptions such as recovered concentrate can leave the shipment's waste status unclear. Resolve that question before dispatch, and compare arrival results with retained samples. Use the inspection guide to organise the checks.

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.