Sourcing cortisone acetate API from China
The supplied heading 2937 tariff lines all carry 0% UK duty for goods from China. Confirm the acetate's commodity code before ordering. For human medicines, UK active-substance importers must register with the MHRA; confirm the producer's applicable good manufacturing practice obligations with the MHRA. Cambridge China Bridge sources cortisone acetate active ingredient.
Duty and classification for cortisone acetate
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 7 October 2026, heading 2937 covers hormones and their derivatives and structural analogues. The supplied facts name cortisone under 2937 21 00 00, but do not name cortisone acetate. Ask your broker whether the acetate belongs under other steroidal derivatives, 2937 29 00 00. The table includes neighbouring corticosteroids for comparison; they are different substances, rather than interchangeable descriptions of your order.
All supplied lines carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions. The other-steroidal-hormones line attaches Home Office controlled-drug import and export controls. If the substance is controlled, commercial imports or exports require a licence. Confirm applicability with your customs broker before shipment. The tariff also attaches a waste export control; confirm its requirements with your broker if returning rejected material.
Give your broker the full substance name, composition, intended use and certificate of analysis to confirm the commodity code. Keep bulk active ingredient separate from finished medicines when describing the goods. For wider heading context, see our hydrocortisone active ingredient guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other steroidal hormones and derivatives | 2937 29 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Cortisone | 2937 21 00 00 | 0% | None |
Specify the acetate and its intended process
Write cortisone acetate in the purchase specification, invoice and batch documents. Specify the agreed pharmacopoeial monograph, identity method, assay basis, related substances, residual solvents and moisture. If your process needs micronised material, agree the particle-size distribution and test method. Set acceptance criteria with the receiving manufacturer's quality team rather than accepting a supplier's generic purity statement.
For human-medicine manufacture, the UK importer must register with the MHRA. Confirm the producer's applicable good manufacturing practice obligations with the MHRA. Request manufacturing-site details, supporting manufacturing-quality documents, batch analysis, storage conditions and retest date. Agree the documents the receiving medicine manufacturer needs before ordering. Use factory verification to check the actual producer behind a trading-company quotation.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 25 kg of cortisone acetate active ingredient, illustrative only and subject to classification confirmation under 2937 29 00 00, invoiced at £40,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £40,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £40,800, so it is £8,160. 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
Identity: check that drum labels, invoice and certificate of analysis all identify cortisone acetate and the same batch.
Laboratory: independently test identity, assay, related substances and residual solvents against the agreed specification; include particle size where specified.
Documents: match the manufacturing site and batch records to the approved supplier file, and review the importer's registration and any applicable licence.
Packing: inspect seals, inner liners, moisture damage and labels; compare storage instructions and retest date with the batch documents.
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What goes wrong
A quotation shortened to 'cortisone' can conceal a substance mismatch. Other problems include an assay reported on a different basis, an impurity profile outside the agreed specification, and micronised material supplied without particle-size evidence. Compare documents with the purchase specification and test the delivered batch before accepting it for production.
A satisfactory sample does not resolve missing manufacturing-site documents or the importer's registration. Agree who reviews documents, takes samples and authorises acceptance. For the sampling and reporting process, see quality inspection explained.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on cortisone acetate from China?
The supplied heading 2937 lines all carry 0% duty for China. Confirm the acetate's precise code with your broker; the facts do not name cortisone acetate separately.
Do I need MHRA registration to import cortisone acetate?
Yes, if you are a UK-based importer of active substances for human medicines. UK-based distributors of these active substances must also register with the MHRA.
Can I use the commodity code for cortisone?
Do not assume that the parent substance and acetate share a code. Ask your broker to assess the full substance identity against the named cortisone and other steroidal-derivative lines.
What should I test on a cortisone acetate batch?
Agree identity, assay, related substances, residual solvents and moisture tests. Include particle-size testing if you ordered micronised material, and compare results with the agreed monograph and specification.