Sourcing dried guajillo chillies from China

Whole guajillo: 0%; ground chilli: 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 guajillo belongs on the dried Capsicum line, 0904 21 90 20, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. The table shows different presentations sharing the same tariff lines. See the pepper and dried chillies guide for the wider heading.

Crushed or ground guajillo under 0904 22 00 19 has a 4% base duty and a 0% autonomous suspension in the supplied snapshot. The suspension excludes mixtures, preparations and products containing different components. No anti-dumping duty is recorded. Both guajillo lines carry an organic import control. For organic consignments from China into Great Britain, obtain a certificate of inspection and check the exporter’s control body against the non-UK organic registers.

Confirm the commodity code using the product identity, presentation and ingredients before ordering. A guajillo description alone does not establish the classification of a blend or sauce. 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 guajillo identity and drying

Ask the supplier to identify the guajillo variety and where the chillies were grown, dried and packed. Approve a sample for your intended sauce, paste or seasoning. Record pod appearance, colour, aroma and heat so that a generic red dried chilli cannot be substituted without agreement.

Specify whole pods, whole destemmed pods, flakes or powder. Agree acceptable moisture, broken pods, seeds, stalks and foreign matter, together with the drying and any microbial treatment. Ask for sealed inner packaging and a retained batch sample. Arrange batch testing for aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, pesticide residues and Salmonella, plus an illegal dye screen for flakes or powder.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of whole dried guajillo chillies 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: compare the delivered pods and a prepared sample with the approved guajillo sample; check colour, aroma, heat and the agreed stem and seed content.

Condition: inspect for dampness, mould, insects, stones and excessive breakage; measure moisture against the agreed specification.

Batch evidence: match the laboratory report to the delivered batch and review contaminant and pesticide results against applicable food limits. Use testing and certification support to agree the test scope.

Packaging and labels: check seals, batch identification and net quantity. Confirm retail food-name and business-address requirements with the relevant food authority. Check declared treatments; for irradiated spices, confirm facility approval and irradiation-labelling requirements before ordering.

What goes wrong

A supplier may match the red colour but supply a different chilli variety, changing the flavour and heat of your recipe. Excess stalks, seeds or broken material can also change processing yield. Compare the shipment with the approved sample before releasing it into production.

Slow drying or damp storage can leave a batch with mould or excessive mycotoxins. Appearance cannot establish whether pesticide or contaminant limits are met. Check the current high-risk food list before booking and confirm any pre-notification and border-check requirements with your broker or port health authority. For organic orders, the importing company must be based and certified in the UK; settle certification and consignment documents 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.