Sourcing dried bird's eye chillies from China

Whole pods: 0%; crushed or ground: suspension

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 0904 covers pepper and dried, crushed or ground Capsicum and Pimenta fruit. Whole dried bird's eye chillies fall within 0904 21 90 20 at 0% duty from China. Crushed or ground bird's eye chillies fall within 0904 22 00 19 at a 4% base rate, with a 0% autonomous suspension. The supplied facts list no trade remedies on these lines. The suspension excludes mixtures and preparations.

The tariff attaches an organic import control to both lines. For organic chillies from China entering Great Britain, obtain a Great Britain certificate of inspection for each consignment and check the exporter’s control body and export country against the non-UK organic registers. Your company must be based and certified in the UK to import organic products. Confirm the documents with your organic control body before shipment.

Confirm the commodity code using the species, ingredients and whether the chillies are whole, crushed or ground. The table separates buying forms that share commodity codes. For other products within the heading, see pepper and dried chillies. Confirm the VAT treatment of culinary dried chillies with HMRC or your customs broker; see UK import duty and VAT for the calculation method.

Specify bird's eye variety, heat and drying

Name the bird's eye variety and botanical species in the purchase specification rather than accepting 'small red chilli'. Agree whole pods, flakes or powder, stem removal, seed content, colour, aroma and acceptable broken material. Use an approved sample and agree a measured pungency range, moisture limit and foreign-matter tolerance with the supplier.

Specify drying and any microbial reduction treatment, inner liners, sealed packs and storage conditions. Imports must meet the same food hygiene and safety standards as food produced in Great Britain. Agree batch testing for aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, pesticide residues and Salmonella; include an illegal-dye screen for flakes and powder. Check the current high-risk food restriction list before booking, and ask the relevant food authority or your customs broker to confirm any pre-notification and border-check requirements for the consignment.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 5 tonnes of whole dried bird's eye chillies; illustrative order, not a quotation under 0904 21 90 20, invoiced at £15,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £16,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £16,500, so it is £3,300. 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. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Identity and heat: compare pod shape, colour, aroma and measured pungency with the approved bird's eye sample; check for substituted varieties.

Condition: check moisture, mould, insect damage, stones, loose stems and excessive breakage; inspect liners and cartons for dampness.

Batch evidence: match laboratory reports to the shipment lot and agreed test panel; retain a sealed reference sample. Agree the sampling plan through testing and certification.

Labels and documents: check the product name, net quantity and UK business address on retail packs. For organic orders, match the inspection certificate to the consignment and check certification before accepting organic claims.

What goes wrong

A supplier can match pod colour while delivering a different heat level or variety. Excess stems, broken pods or loose seeds change cooking performance. Compare shipment samples with the approved sample and the written specification rather than accepting photographs as evidence.

Damp drying or storage can leave mouldy pods and mycotoxin failures, while pesticide residues or illegal dyes can make a batch unsuitable for sale. Keep suspect lots separate while investigating and obtain batch-specific laboratory results. A clean-looking pod does not establish compliance.

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.