Sourcing copper alloy leadframe strip from China

Duty on copper alloy leadframe strip

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7409 covers copper plates, sheets and strip exceeding 0.15 mm in thickness. This guide concerns unformed copper alloy strip bought for making semiconductor leadframes. Copper foil of 0.15 mm or less falls under heading 7410.

The relevant copper alloy lines all carry 0% UK duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty, tariff suspension or attached import control is listed for these alloy lines in the supplied tariff record. Select the line by alloy composition and whether the strip is supplied in coils.

Do not choose a code from the description “leadframe strip” alone. Give your broker the composition, thickness and supply form, and confirm the commodity code. For related material within the wider heading, see the beryllium copper strip guide.

Specify strip for stamping and bonding

Specify alloy composition, temper, thickness and width tolerances, conductivity, hardness and forming direction. Agree limits for camber, flatness and slit-edge burrs against your tooling drawing. State coil inner diameter, winding direction, permissible joins and coil weight. Define the surface finish, residual oil condition and any plating, including where it is applied. Approve a sample through your stamping, cleaning and bonding process before releasing the production order.

UK REACH restrictions can limit, ban or set conditions on the sale or use of substances. Check the alloy and coating composition against applicable restrictions. For equipment covered by the electrical hazardous-substance regulations in Great Britain, manufacturers must produce and maintain compliance documentation. Request material and coating reports to support the customer's documentation.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 15 tonnes of copper alloy leadframe strip in coils under 7409 90 00 00, invoiced at £105,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £107,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £107,500, so it is £21,500. 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 mill certificates, heat references and coil labels to the ordered alloy and temper. Check composition, hardness and conductivity against the agreed specification.

Dimensions: measure thickness across the strip and along sampled lengths. Check width, camber, flatness and burr direction against the tooling requirements.

Surface: inspect for rolling marks, scratches, oxidation and oil residue. Where plated, check coverage and adhesion against the agreed sample and test method.

Coils and trials: check winding, edge damage, joins and protective wrapping. Retain labelled samples and run a stamping and bonding trial before accepting the batch.

What goes wrong

A substitute alloy may meet hardness requirements while missing conductivity or forming behaviour. Incorrect temper can cause cracking or distortion during stamping. Width variation, camber and edge burrs can disrupt strip feeding. Scratches, oxidation or residual oil can interfere with plating and bonding.

Agree acceptance criteria before ordering and keep inspection results tied to each coil. A clean-looking sample does not establish consistency across the shipment. Use the quality inspection guide to brief checks and factory verification to examine the mill's rolling, slitting and traceability records.

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.