Sourcing dicyclopentadiene from China

Dicyclopentadiene: 0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 2902 covers cyclic hydrocarbons. For dicyclopentadiene supplied as a chemical substance, check 2902 19 00 00, other cyclanes, cyclenes and cycloterpenes. This line carries 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension recorded. The table's purchasing descriptions share this candidate tariff line.

The supplied tariff record attaches an export waste control to this line. Ask your customs broker to confirm its relevance to the shipment. If material from China is waste subject to notification controls, shipment must await consent from the competent authorities of dispatch, transit and destination. Confirm the applicable waste procedure before ordering recovered or discarded material.

Give your broker the complete composition, declared additives and intended use to confirm the commodity code. Formulated moulding compounds and finished resins need their own classification assessment. For the wider heading, see toluene, xylene and styrene.

Dicyclopentadiene purity and process compatibility

Specify assay, isomer composition where relevant, water, colour, sulphur, residual cyclopentadiene and heavier components. Ask the factory to identify every stabiliser or other additive and provide the batch analysis methods. Trial the proposed grade in your resin, moulding or synthesis process before accepting a substitution. Agree the expected physical state on arrival, storage conditions and a written procedure for transferring or melting material.

For Great Britain, confirm with HSE whether UK REACH registration or only representative coverage is needed for your annual import volume and supply arrangements. Chemical classification and labelling must be undertaken by someone with scientific competence, and supply-chain businesses are responsible for correct labelling and packaging before placing chemicals on the market. Hazardous chemicals supplied for use at work require a safety data sheet.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 20 tonnes of dicyclopentadiene in a tank container; illustrative calculation only under 2902 19 00 00, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £21,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £21,000, so it is £4,200. 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 product name, composition, batch number and declared additives across the analysis certificate, safety data sheet and shipment documents.

Purity: have a laboratory compare representative batch samples with the agreed assay, impurity profile and analysis methods.

Condition: check water, colour, sediment and physical state against the contract; investigate differences before releasing material to production.

Packaging: check seals, leaks, drum condition or tank cleanliness, labels and handling instructions. Use the quality inspection guide to agree sampling and release decisions.

What goes wrong

A quoted purity can conceal a different impurity profile, isomer balance or additive package. Material may meet the headline assay yet behave differently in your process. Require approval for grade changes and retain a reference sample from the accepted trial.

Solidified drums can create unloading and transfer problems when the receiving site expected liquid material. Do not improvise heating or open containers to investigate odour. Obtain written supplier handling instructions and arrange a suitable receiving procedure before dispatch.

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.