Sourcing aluminium coffee capsules from China

Duty and classification for empty capsules

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7612 covers aluminium containers, whether lined or unlined, without mechanical or thermal equipment. Empty coffee capsule shells made from foil not exceeding 0.2 mm are candidates for 7612 90 30 00; other aluminium shells need assessment against 7612 90 80 00. The table repeats these lines for plain and printed variants. See the wider aluminium beverage cans guide.

Both candidate lines carry 6% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. It attaches an import control of fluorinated greenhouse gases. Official guidance prohibits placing products containing banned fluorinated gases on the Great Britain market, but does not establish the declaration needed for these empty capsules. Confirm the attached control and applicable paperwork with your customs broker.

Send the broker a shell drawing, material specification, foil thickness and details of any lining to confirm the commodity code. Ask your customs broker to confirm whether and when these aluminium container lines are covered by the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism; consult the UK carbon border guide.

Shell geometry, coating and sealing lid

Specify the intended coffee machine system and test samples in the actual machines you plan to support. Agree the shell profile, rim diameter, flange flatness, height, wall thickness and tolerances on a drawing. State whether the order includes sealing lids, and match the lid sealant to the capsule coating and your filling equipment.

Capsules used to package coffee must be suitable for food use. Ask for the alloy and coating identification, supplier food-contact declaration and migration reports covering the finished shell and lid under the intended storage and hot-water brewing conditions. Treat these documents as purchasing evidence to review through testing and certification, rather than accepting a generic report for an unrelated foil product.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative annual stock order of empty foil coffee capsules for a small roaster under 7612 90 30 00, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £33,000. Duty at 6% is £1,980. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £34,980, so it is £6,996. Import taxes total £8,976; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,980 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Geometry: measure shell and flange dimensions against the approved drawing; check rim distortion, cracks and burrs, and trial insertion, puncturing and ejection in the intended machine.

Seal: run filling and sealing trials with your coffee and matching lids; check lid adhesion, wrinkles, leakage and behaviour during brewing.

Surface: inspect for pinholes, coating scratches, flaking, oil residue and odour; compare print and colour with the approved sample.

Arrival and records: check for crushed rims, moisture, dirt and shells that stick when stacked; match carton counts, batch references and material reports to the shipment.

What goes wrong

A shell can look like the approved sample yet jam during ejection or deform during puncturing. Uneven flanges and mismatched sealants can cause leaking lids. A successful empty-shell fit trial does not replace a filled, sealed brewing trial.

Thin walls, pinholes and damaged coatings can remain hidden in nested stacks. Inspect samples after separating them, and repeat the agreed machine and sealing trials on production stock. Retain an approved shell and lid combination so substitutions can be identified.

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.