Sourcing excavators from China: the duty by weight

Operating weight decides the duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, track-laying excavators carried 0% customs duty on goods from China, and so did other excavators, shovel loaders and other earthmoving machines. Track-laying excavators, however, carry a definitive anti-dumping and a countervailing duty on China, set by Trade Remedies notices 2025/10 and 2025/11, which run from 14 May 2025 to 14 May 2030. For grader purchases, see our sourcing motor graders from China guide. For compaction equipment, see our guide to sourcing self-propelled road rollers. For bulldozer purchases, see our guide to sourcing bulldozers from China.

The measures apply by operating weight. Excavators below 11,000 kg are exempt, and so are those of 80,000 kg and above. Between the two, exporters not named pay 40.08% anti-dumping and 2.98% countervailing duty; named groups pay lower rates, from 18.81% to 32.82% anti-dumping and 0% to 2.44% countervailing, subject to the invoice conditions in the tariff. A mini excavator and a 20-tonne machine from the same factory therefore land very differently; check the model with the anti-dumping duty checker. For amphibious models, see sourcing amphibious excavators from China. For walking models, see our walking excavator sourcing guide.

Rechecked on 27 September 2026, the line 8429 52 10 00 also carries a registration of imports from 16 July 2026 under Trade remedies notice 2026/20. It supports an absorption review the Trade Remedies Authority opened on 30 March 2026, and if the review leads to a change in the anti-dumping duty, the change can apply to imports from the date of that notice, so price contracts for 11 to 80 tonne machines should say who carries that risk. A reconsideration requested by two exporters upheld the original measure in December 2025.

Machinery, engine and noise

An excavator is machinery under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, so it needs the conformity assessment, technical file and declaration for the exact model and configuration. The engine falls under the non-road engine emission rules, and earthmoving machines are outdoor equipment with noise obligations, so ask for the engine emission approval and the noise test report with the quotation, and check the engine plate at inspection.

Attachments are a separate purchase and a separate duty question: buckets and other parts carry no anti-dumping measure, as the machinery parts guide sets out. Match the quick coupler to the attachments your customers already own.

What to check on the machine

Hydraulic pumps and motors, the engine make and the undercarriage decide how long an excavator lasts, and they are where a cheaper machine differs from a dearer one. Name the component brands in the product specification, and check them, with a function test and a hydraulic leak check, before the machine is crated.

Manuals, safety decals and the operator's controls should be in English, and the parts book should come with the machine, because a hire fleet or contractor will need parts long after delivery.

Worked duty example

A hypothetical order, not a quote: one 13-tonne track-laying excavator under 8429 52 10 00 from a producer not named in the measures, bought for £60,000 free on board with £5,000 of flat-rack freight and insurance, so the customs value is £65,000. Customs duty is 0%, but the residual anti-dumping duty at 40.08% is £26,052 and the countervailing duty at 2.98% is £1,937. Import VAT is 20% of £92,989, which is £18,597.80. The £27,989 of trade remedy duty is a lasting cost; a mini excavator under 11 tonnes or a machine of 80 tonnes and above would pay neither. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Safety standards: ask for the machine's assessment against BS EN 474-1 and BS EN 474-5 for hydraulic excavators, and the roll-over protective structure test to ISO 12117-2 for the cab fitted to the machine you import.

Noise: check the guaranteed sound power on the label is backed by a measurement by the method of ISO 6395, and that the label format meets the outdoor equipment noise rules.

Hydraulics: take an oil sample from the hydraulic system at the pre-shipment test and check the cleanliness code to ISO 4406 against the manufacturer's limit, alongside the pressure and leak checks.

What goes wrong

Excavator imports fail on the weight band, documents and components. A machine marketed as under 11 tonnes has an operating weight in the measure's band once the standard equipment is fitted, or the producer on the invoice is not the named company, so the wrong rate is declared. Engines lack the non-road emission approval the UK expects, ROPS or FOPS cab certificates are missing, hydraulic hoses and fittings weep, and the parts book and English decals do not arrive with the machine.

Confirm operating mass to ISO 6016 in the configuration you will import and keep the weighing record, check the producer's name and invoice declaration against the measure, check the engine emission plate, ROPS and FOPS certificates and the machinery declaration, run a full function test and hydraulic leak check before shipment, and require English manuals, decals and a parts book.

Shipping and support

Mini excavators ship in containers; larger machines go by flat rack or roll-on roll-off vessel, which changes the freight and the landed price. Order filters, teeth, tracks and a service kit with the first machines. Compare container, flat-rack and roll-on roll-off options for the machine's size when planning shipping excavators from China to the UK.

Cambridge China Bridge sources mini and midi excavators for dealers, hire fleets and contractors, with the trade remedy, the machinery documents and a pre-shipment function test checked for each model. See how our sourcing service works.