Sourcing doped GaSb wafers from China

Duty on doped gallium antimonide wafers

Heading 3818 covers chemical elements doped for electronics in wafer or similar form and chemical compounds doped for electronics. Doped gallium antimonide wafers fall within the other doped compounds line. The table shows different purchase specifications sharing the same commodity code.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, the supplied record shows 0% duty for goods from China under 3818 00 90 00. It lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control for this line.

Confirm the composition, intentional doping and processing stage through finding your commodity code. For the wider heading, see the doped gallium arsenide wafer guide.

Specify the dopant and wafer surface

Specify gallium antimonide as the substrate material, the dopant identity, carrier type, carrier concentration and resistivity ranges. Agree crystal orientation, orientation marker, diameter, thickness, thickness variation, bow and warp. State which surfaces are polished and how roughness, scratches, edge chips and surface contamination will be assessed.

UK REACH regulates chemicals placed on the market in Great Britain. Confirm with HSE whether registration is required for the proposed import. Ask a chemical compliance adviser to establish the wafer's substance or article status and applicable obligations before ordering.

If supplied as a hazardous chemical for workplace use, a safety data sheet is required. Request product-specific safety information covering the substrate and dopant, and agree handling and storage instructions with the receiving laboratory.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 200 doped gallium antimonide wafers, illustrative order under 3818 00 90 00, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £32,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £32,500, so it is £6,500. 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

Identity: match the substrate, dopant, carrier type and batch identifiers to the order and batch test report.

Electrical properties: compare carrier concentration and resistivity results with the agreed ranges, including the test method and measurement conditions.

Geometry and surface: check orientation markers, thickness, bow, warp, polishing, scratches, chips and contamination against the purchase specification.

Packing: check that wafers are restrained without surface contact, carriers are intact and seals remain closed; record breakage before releasing the batch.

What goes wrong

An order described only as doped gallium antimonide can leave the dopant, carrier properties or polishing ambiguous. A batch report without matching wafer or carrier identifiers cannot establish which material was tested. Scratches, chipped edges and loose carriers can also make an otherwise acceptable batch unusable.

Approve a sample against the intended process, agree measurable acceptance criteria and retain batch records. Quarantine arrivals with mismatched identity or damaged packaging until checks are complete. Use the quality inspection guide to organise the inspection brief.

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.