Cooked shrimp and shellfish from China

8% to 25%

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, prepared or preserved, heading 1605, carried 8% on crab, 20% on shrimps and prawns, lobster, other crustaceans such as crayfish, and molluscs including oysters, scallops, mussels, squid, octopus and clams, and 25% on sea cucumbers, sea urchins, jellyfish and other aquatic invertebrates, on goods from China. No line had an anti-dumping measure.

From the current tariff, frozen whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) cooked and peeled for processing, under 1605 21 90 91, is suspended to 0% until 30 June 2027. Raw or simply boiled-in-shell crustaceans stay in heading 0306; see our frozen shrimp and crayfish guide and our squid and octopus guide. Confirm the commodity code from the species, the preparation and the pack size. For prepared fish purchases, see our guide to canned tuna and prepared fish. For mackerel, see our guide to sourcing canned mackerel.

Border, allergens and Listeria

Prepared shellfish is a product of animal origin: it must come from an approved establishment, with a health certificate, pre-notification and a border control post check, as set out in the GOV.UK guidance on importing products of animal origin. For the reverse trade route, see our guide to exporting UK prepared seafood to China. For cooked poultry, see our fully cooked chicken skewers sourcing guide. For chicken meatballs, see our guide to sourcing fully cooked chicken meatballs. For goose, see our fully cooked goose sourcing guide.

Crustaceans and molluscs are both among the allergens that must be emphasised under retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, and sulphites above 10 mg/kg must be declared. Cooked shrimp and other ready-to-eat shellfish must meet the Listeria monocytogenes criteria for ready-to-eat foods in retained Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005.

Specifying prepared shellfish

Cooked shrimp is bought on species, count per kilo, cooking and peeling style, glaze, added phosphates or salt, and pack; crayfish tails on brine or dill preparation and drained weight; clams and sea cucumbers on size grade, moisture and whether they are dried, frozen or in brine. Agree how glaze and drained weight are measured before the first order.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 10 tonnes of cooked and peeled frozen shrimp in 1 kg retail bags, commodity code 1605 21 10 91, bought for £70,000 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £74,000. Duty at 20% is £14,800. Shellfish sold as food is generally zero-rated for VAT under VAT Notice 701/14, so in that case no import VAT is added, but check the liability for the exact product. Cooked and peeled frozen whiteleg shrimp for processing in larger packs under 1605 21 90 91 would enter at 0% while its suspension runs. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.

Inspection checklist

Microbiology: test each production lot of ready-to-eat shellfish for Listeria monocytogenes to ISO 11290-1 and Salmonella to ISO 6579-1 against the Regulation 2073/2005 criteria, and hold the lot until results are in.

Net and drained weight: deglaze frozen product and drain brined product from sampled packs, weigh against the declared quantity, and count pieces per kilo against the size grade.

Contaminants and additives: test cadmium, lead and mercury against retained Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 on the first lot, check phosphate and sulphite levels, and check all additives and allergens appear on the English label.

What goes wrong

Prepared shellfish fails on microbiology, weight and the border. Cooked shrimp tests positive for Listeria, glaze or brine is heavier than declared so drained weight is short, shrimp is soaked with phosphate to hold water, allergens are not emphasised on the label, and consignments are held because the plant is not approved for the product.

Check plant approval before sampling, test microbiology and weight on the first lots, and check labels before printing. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources cooked shrimp, crayfish tails, crab and prepared molluscs for UK processors, wholesalers and food service, usually by the full reefer container. See container programmes.