Sourcing fresh pineapples from China

Fresh-pineapple duty and attached controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0804 covers dates, figs, pineapples, avocados, guavas, mangoes and mangosteens, fresh or dried. Fresh pineapples fall under 0804 30 00 90. The table shows different buying uses of this same tariff line. For the dried product within the wider heading, see dried pineapple.

The supplied tariff record shows 4% duty on goods from China, with an autonomous suspension to 0%. The suspension excludes mixtures, preparations and products containing different components. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty is recorded. Organic import control is attached: confirm with your customs broker whether an inspection certificate is required for each organic consignment. The certificate is issued by the exporter’s control body.

The tariff also attaches a unit-price measure. Simplified valuation rates require the absence of a transaction value and eligibility for the scheme; ask your customs broker whether this applies to your shipment. Confirm the product description, code and suspension before declaring, using finding your commodity code.

Specify ripeness, size and packing

Agree the variety, fruit weight range, count per carton, crown condition, skin colour, flesh colour, sweetness and permitted defects. Describe the ripeness wanted on arrival, rather than accepting a loading photograph as the specification. Record whether fruit is supplied whole with crowns or trimmed.

Agree carton strength, ventilation, stacking and transport temperature with the packer and carrier. Ask for harvest and packing records, lot identification and pesticide test results tied to the shipment. Fresh fruit must meet quality and labelling requirements throughout production and marketing; approve the proposed labels before packing.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order only: 10 tonnes of fresh pineapples under 0804 30 00 90, invoiced at £26,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £28,500. Duty at 4% is £1,140. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £29,640, so it is £5,928. Import taxes total £7,068; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,140 of duty. 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

Fruit: weigh samples and compare carton counts, crown condition, skin colour and firmness with the agreed specification.

Cut sample: check sweetness, flesh colour, internal browning, translucency, bruising and fermented smell across sampled cartons.

Packing and transport: inspect crushed cartons, wet bases, ventilation and stacking; compare temperature records with the agreed transport conditions.

Documents: match carton lot marks to packing records and test reports; for organic orders, check the consignment inspection certificate. Use quality inspection explained to agree the inspection scope.

What goes wrong

An acceptable-looking skin can conceal bruised or browned flesh. Uneven maturity gives a mixed delivery of hard fruit and fruit already softening. Wet carton bases, mould around cut stems, crushed crowns and fermentation are arrival faults to look for.

A sample carton may differ from the packed shipment in size or ripeness. Inspect across the lot, cut fruit during inspection and keep photographs linked to carton marks. Agree how disputed defects will be assessed before shipment.

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.