Compounded rubber and masterbatch from China
Compounded unvulcanised rubber from China, including carbon black or silica filled compound, rubber solutions and dispersions, and compound in sheets, strip or slabs, pays 0% UK duty on all 4 lines of heading 4005, with no anti-dumping duty. Buyers test viscosity, cure behaviour and cured properties, because compound has a limited shelf life.
Unvulcanised rubber compound with carbon black or silica, rubber solutions and compound sheet from China pay 0% UK duty. Cure, scorch and shelf life checks.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 4005 covers compounded rubber, unvulcanised, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strip. All 4 lines carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure: compounded with carbon black or silica, solutions and dispersions, and other compound in plates, sheets and strip or in other forms.
Raw synthetic rubber is heading 4002 (see our synthetic rubber guide), shaped unvulcanised forms and retread strip are 4006 (see our retread strip guide), and additives are covered in our rubber additives guide; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compounded with carbon black or silica | 4005 10 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Solutions; dispersions other than 4005 10 | 4005 20 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Other, plates, sheets and strip | 4005 91 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Other | 4005 99 00 00 | 0% | None |
Chemical rules
The substances in a compound, such as extender oils, accelerators and solvents in rubber solutions, fall under UK REACH, so ask for the supplier's REACH position and a safety data sheet. If the finished parts will be in prolonged skin contact and sold to the public, entry 50 of Annex XVII to UK REACH limits the listed PAHs in rubber components to 1 mg/kg each, which the compound must allow.
Specifying compound
Specify polymer (natural rubber, SBR, EPDM, NBR, CR), hardness after cure, tensile strength and elongation, Mooney viscosity range, cure characteristics at your moulding temperature, specific gravity, colour, form and interleaving, shelf life and storage temperature.
Worked duty example
For a made-up shipment of 20 tonnes of carbon black filled rubber compound in slabs under 4005 10 00 00, add the £3,000 of freight and insurance to the £52,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £55,000. Duty on rubber compound is zero, leaving import VAT of £11,000, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.
Inspection checklist
Uncured: check Mooney viscosity and cure-curve results per batch against the agreed ranges.
Cured: mould test slabs and check hardness, tensile strength, elongation and specific gravity.
Storage: check production date, interleaving, temperature records and signs of scorch.
What goes wrong
Compound orders fail on batch variation, scorch and shelf life. Viscosity and cure speed drift between batches, compound scorches in a hot container, and slabs arrive near the end of their shelf life.
Test each batch before shipping and ship in cool conditions. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources rubber compound for UK moulders and extruders, checking the mixing plant and its lab first. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on rubber compound from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, compounded unvulcanised rubber under 4005 carried 0% from China on all 4 lines.
Is raw rubber in heading 4005?
No. Uncompounded synthetic rubber is heading 4002.
How long does compound keep?
It has a limited shelf life, so specify storage temperature and check production dates.
Do compounds need REACH checks?
Yes. Ask for the supplier's REACH position and safety data sheet.