Copper foil and clad laminate from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, copper foil of a thickness not exceeding 0.15 mm excluding any backing, heading 7410, carried 0% on goods from China on every line: unbacked refined copper foil including electrolytic foil for PCB laminates and battery electrodes, unbacked copper alloy foil, backed refined copper foil including listed laminate sheets, and backed copper alloy foil. No line carried an anti-dumping measure.

Printed circuit boards with a conductor pattern are under heading 8534 (see our printed circuit boards guide), and thicker copper sheet under 7409 (see our copper sheet guide).

Standards and substances

Copper foil for printed boards is specified to IPC-4562, and rigid copper-clad laminates to IPC-4101, which set thickness, profile, peel strength and other properties. Laminates and foil going into electrical products must let the product meet the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012, so ask for RoHS and halogen-free declarations where needed.

Specifying foil

Specify foil type (electrodeposited or rolled annealed), thickness or weight per area, width and roll length, profile (standard, low or very low), surface treatment, tensile strength and elongation, peel strength for laminates, and moisture-proof, oxidation-protected packing.

Worked duty example

For a made-up shipment of 10 tonnes of electrodeposited copper foil under 7410 11 00 50, add the £2,200 of freight and insurance to the £110,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £112,200. Duty on copper foil is zero, leaving import VAT of £22,440, 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

Properties: check the certificate for each roll for weight per area, tensile strength, elongation and roughness, and test a sample independently for critical uses.

Surface: inspect for pinholes, wrinkles, oxidation and dents under good light, especially on thin battery foil.

Packing: check rolls are sealed with desiccant, supported on cores so they cannot deform, and labelled by lot.

What goes wrong

Foil orders fail on thickness, surface and oxidation. Foil runs thin or uneven, pinholes and wrinkles appear on thin gauges, the treated side oxidises in humid transit, laminates delaminate or fall short on peel strength, and rolls are dented by poor packing.

Test each lot, inspect surfaces, and specify sealed packing. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources copper foil and laminates for UK PCB makers and battery developers, checking the plant's laboratory first. See factory verification.