Sourcing cyclohexanol from China

Cyclohexanol duty and tariff scope

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 November 2026, cyclohexanol under 2906 12 00 00 carries 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied data records no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no tariff suspension for this line. Import VAT is normally 20%.

Heading 2906 covers cyclic alcohols and specified derivatives. The cyclohexanol line also includes methylcyclohexanols and dimethylcyclohexanols. Only this line directly covers the product in this guide, so the table contains a single entry. The tariff attaches an export waste control; ask your customs broker to confirm its relevance to your consignment.

Give your broker the composition, intended use and supplier specification to confirm the commodity code. Related substances are covered in our menthol and cyclic alcohols guide.

Specify cyclohexanol purity and batch evidence

Specify cyclohexanol by chemical identity rather than accepting a description such as cyclic alcohol. Agree assay, water content, residual cyclohexanone, other impurities, colour and test methods. State whether recycled material is acceptable. Ask for a batch-specific certificate of analysis and retain an approved sample for comparison.

For Great Britain, confirm UK REACH registration responsibilities with HSE or your customs broker against annual imports of the substance. Everyone in the supply chain must ensure correct labelling and packaging before placing chemicals on the market. A safety data sheet is required where a hazardous chemical is supplied for workplace use.

Agree drum material, closure, seals, net weight and handling arrangements against the supplier's safety data sheet. Define how arrival samples will be taken and how disputed results will be checked.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2 tonnes of cyclohexanol in sealed drums under 2906 12 00 00, invoiced at £3,500 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £5,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £5,000, so it is £1,000. 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: match the purchase order, drum labels, certificate of analysis and safety data sheet to cyclohexanol.

Batch quality: check assay, water and residual cyclohexanone against the agreed specification using representative samples.

Packaging: inspect closures, seals, leaks and contamination around drum openings before accepting the delivery.

Traceability: reconcile batch references, drum weights and quantities with the packing list and laboratory records.

What goes wrong

A shared tariff code does not make cyclohexanol interchangeable with methylcyclohexanol. An imprecise purchase description can lead to the wrong substance being supplied. A generic certificate also leaves the buyer unable to link reported purity to the delivered batch.

Water, residual cyclohexanone or contamination from reused drums can put a batch outside your agreed specification. Keep affected stock separate while checking samples and records. Decide acceptance against the written specification rather than appearance alone.

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.