Flexible metal hoses from China

Zero duty on flexible metal tubing

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, flexible tubing of iron or steel and of other base metals, with or without fittings, carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Lines for use in civil aircraft are listed separately but carry the same rate.

Rubber hose with a metal braid outside is classified by its rubber core in heading 4009, and plastic hose in 3917, so the core material decides the code; see our rubber hose guide. Confirm the commodity code.

Standards by use

Industrial corrugated metal hoses and assemblies are specified to ISO 10380, which covers design, pressure rating, bending and testing, with the corrugated tube and braid material stated, usually a 300-series stainless steel. Hoses for connecting domestic gas appliances must meet BS EN 14800, and shower hoses BS EN 1113, which sets pressure, tensile, bending and flow tests.

Hoses and connectors that carry drinking water in England and Wales must be suitable under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, which is why merchants ask for WRAS approval of the exact product. End fittings of brass should be of a dezincification-resistant alloy where water chemistry needs it; see our pipe fittings guide.

A shower hose or tap connector on a mains water supply is a water fitting: in England and Wales, regulation 4 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 requires every water fitting to be of an appropriate quality and standard and suitable for the circumstances in which it is used, which is why merchants ask for test evidence before they stock a hose.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 20,000 stainless steel braided connector hoses, commodity code 8307 90 00 90, bought for £24,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance, so £25,500 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on flexible metal hoses; import VAT at 20% of £25,500 is £5,100. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. Rubber hoses with a stainless braid over them are classified as rubber hose in heading 4009 at a different rate, so the core material decides the code. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

Each connector carries about £1.28 of customs value and no duty, so for mains connectors the cost that matters is the evidence your merchant will ask for before stocking them, not the tariff.

What goes wrong

Metal hoses fail at the weld, the braid and the fitting. Corrugations crack from fatigue because the tube wall is thinner than specified or the hose is bent tighter than its rated radius, braid wires break or corrode when a lower grade of stainless steel is used, crimped or welded end fittings pull off or leak, and connector nuts made of ordinary brass dezincify.

Check tube and braid material with a handheld XRF analyser, pressure-test every assembly or an agreed sample as ISO 10380 or the product standard requires, bend samples to the rated radius and cycle them, pull-test end fittings, gauge threads, and check approvals and markings for gas and water products against the certificate.

Cambridge China Bridge sources corrugated metal hoses, braided connectors and flexible conduit for merchants, installers and equipment makers, verifying the factory's welding and test equipment before ordering. See how we verify a factory.