Sourcing foundry moulding boxes from China

Duty on foundry moulding boxes

Heading 8480 covers foundry moulding boxes and other moulding tooling. Foundry boxes hold the sand mould during moulding and casting. The box line is 8480 10 00 00. The table also identifies related mould bases and patterns so they can be distinguished when ordered alongside boxes. For pressure die-casting tooling, see our pressure die-casting mould sourcing guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 16 October 2026, foundry moulding boxes from China carried 0% duty. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension, steel measure or attached import control for this line. The related tooling lines shown also carried 0%. Suppliers must supply safe work equipment.

Confirm the commodity code using drawings, photographs and the goods description, rather than the factory's general description of foundry equipment. See foundry patterns and related tooling for the wider heading.

Specify the box and its mating equipment

State whether you need cast iron, fabricated steel or aluminium boxes, and identify the upper and lower halves. Provide drawings showing internal opening, depth, wall sections, ribs, mating faces, locating pins and bushes. Specify compatibility with the existing pattern plate, moulding machine and clamping arrangement.

Agree the loaded handling arrangement, lifting points, repair policy and replaceable wear parts. Ask for material records and dimensional reports tied to the supplied boxes. For solid wood crates or pallets used to import into Great Britain, the packaging must meet the international phytosanitary standard specified by the government. Include that requirement in the packing specification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative batch of matched upper and lower foundry moulding boxes under 8480 10 00 00, invoiced at £20,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £22,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £22,000, so it is £4,400. 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.

Inspection checklist

Dimensions: measure the internal opening, depth, diagonals and mating-face flatness against the approved drawings.

Alignment: assemble the matched halves and check pin engagement, bush fit, joint gaps and compatibility with the buyer's pattern plate.

Structure: inspect castings for visible cracks and cavities, and fabricated boxes for weld defects, distortion and sharp edges. Check lifting points against the agreed design.

Arrival condition: check for transport distortion, corrosion, damaged pins and missing bushes or clamps. Match box identification to the inspection reports before acceptance.

What goes wrong

Boxes can meet the quoted outer dimensions yet fail to fit the pattern plate because pin centres, bush positions or mating faces differ. Warped joints allow sand leakage and misalignment. Weak ribs or poorly executed welds can distort under handling. Approve a trial assembly against the actual mating equipment before accepting the batch.

Loose packing lets heavy boxes strike each other and bend locating pins. Specify restraints and protection for machined faces, and photograph packing before dispatch. Use a pre-shipment inspection to check the agreed dimensions and assembly before the goods leave the factory.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For machinery and equipment, see machinery imports.