Sourcing fresh mangoes from China

Fresh mango duty and import controls

Heading 0804 covers dates, figs, pineapples, avocados, guavas, mangoes and mangosteens, fresh or dried. This guide concerns whole fresh mangoes under 0804 50 00 40. The table shows buying formats using that same code, rather than separate tariff subdivisions. For the wider heading and dried mango purchases, see the dried mango guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, fresh mangoes from China carried 0% duty, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no tariff suspension shown. The tariff attaches an organic-products import control. Organic mango consignments need a Great Britain certificate of inspection issued by the exporter’s control body; confirm the paperwork with your customs broker before dispatch.

Mango fruit is exempt from Great Britain’s plant-health controls, so a phytosanitary certificate is not required for the fruit itself. This does not remove food safety or marketing requirements. Confirm the actual goods and destination with your broker and use the commodity-code guide before declaring them.

Specify mango maturity and packing

Agree the variety, growing origin, harvest maturity, arrival firmness, flesh colour, flavour and intended ripening method. State fruit size or weight range, carton count, net weight and acceptable skin marks. Do not approve a shipment from skin colour alone: cut representative fruit to check flesh development, internal browning and eating quality.

Agree ventilation, cushioning, stacking strength and temperature handling with the packhouse and carrier. Request orchard and packing-lot records, pesticide-use records and laboratory residue reports for the shipment. Imported fruit must meet the same hygiene standards and safety procedures as food produced in Great Britain. Fresh mangoes fall under the general marketing standard.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: An illustrative trial pallet of fresh mangoes; values are illustrative under 0804 50 00 40, invoiced at £2,500 free on board, with £1,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £4,300. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £4,300, so it is £860. 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

Maturity: compare firmness and cut flesh with the agreed specification; check for uneven ripening, sour flavour and internal breakdown.

Condition: inspect for bruising, sap burns, shrivelling, mould, stem-end decay and insect damage across cartons from different pallet positions.

Packing: check fruit count, net weight, cushioning, ventilation and crushed cartons; compare arrival temperatures and transit records with the agreed handling plan.

Documents: match the shipment to packing-lot records and residue reports; check organic inspection paperwork where relevant. Loose fruit sold at retail must be clearly labelled with its country of origin.

What goes wrong

Fruit can look acceptable outside while remaining immature or showing internal browning when cut. Mixed maturity makes ripening uneven; bruising and leaking fruit can spoil neighbouring packs. Set aside affected cartons, photograph the damage and record the packing lot before agreeing a claim.

An approved sample does not establish the condition of the shipment. Inspect the actual packed lot before dispatch and again on arrival, including cut-fruit checks and document matching. Agree acceptance and claim procedures in advance using the quality inspection guide.

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.