Sourcing fresh sword beans from China

Sword-bean classification and duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0708 covers fresh or chilled leguminous vegetables, shelled or unshelled. The other-legumes line, 0708 90 00 90, is a candidate for fresh sword beans. The table includes neighbouring bean lines for comparison, rather than suggesting that all these codes describe sword beans.

The candidate line carries 10% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record shows no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension. It attaches organic-product import control: organic produce from China requires a Great Britain certificate of inspection. The green-bean comparison line also carries a unit-price measure; ask your customs broker to confirm its application if that line is proposed.

Give your broker the botanical identity, photographs and confirmation of whether the goods are pods or shelled beans, fresh or chilled. Confirm the commodity code before ordering. For the wider heading, see the fresh winged beans guide.

Specify young sword-bean pods

Ask the grower and packing facility to identify the species and variety. Agree whether the order is whole young pods or shelled beans, with photographs and an approved sample. Specify pod length and width, seed development, tenderness, trimming, pack weight and acceptable defects. Reject substitutions described only as green beans.

Agree pre-cooling, transport conditions, temperature records and remaining saleable life on arrival. Request batch-linked pesticide residue reports. Confirm food-business registration and applicable pesticide residue limits with the relevant food-safety authority before importing.

Confirm the plant-health category for the identified species with APHA before shipment. Official guidance requires a phytosanitary certificate for medium-risk B fruit and vegetables. Fresh produce is also subject to quality and labelling requirements called marketing standards. Agree origin and supplier identification on packs, together with lot codes and net weight.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of fresh sword-bean pods under 0708 90 00 90, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £4,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £22,500. Duty at 10% is £2,250. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,750, so it is £4,950. Import taxes total £7,200; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,250 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

Identity and maturity: compare pods with the approved sample; check shape, colour, seed swelling and fibrous seams.

Condition: check firmness, wilting, bruising, splits, decay, pest damage and foreign matter across the load.

Packing and cold chain: check net weights, crushed cartons, condensation and temperature records against the agreed specification.

Documents: match carton lots to packing records and residue reports; check agreed import paperwork before dispatch. Use the quality inspection guide to organise the checks.

What goes wrong

An order described simply as beans can arrive as another species or as mature pods with prominent seeds and tough fibres. Photographs alone may hide uneven maturity. Inspect opened cartons and cut sample pods before accepting the shipment.

Warm handling, dehydration and wet packing can leave pods limp, discoloured or decaying. Record arrival condition before sorting or repacking. Agree rejection criteria and how the supplier will investigate a failed lot before placing the order.

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.