Sourcing quartz furnace boats from China

Duty and classification

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7020 covers other articles of glass. The relevant lines carry 0% duty from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measures or suspensions recorded in the supplied tariff extract.

Code 7020 00 05 00 describes quartz reactor tubes and holders designed for semiconductor diffusion and oxidation furnaces. Other fused quartz articles fall under 7020 00 10 90 when that description fits. The latter line attaches cat and dog fur import and export controls. Imports and exports of such fur and products made from it are banned. For a quartz-only boat, ask your customs broker to confirm how the attached control is declared.

The table separates boat forms sharing a code; these are not separate tariff subdivisions. Confirm the commodity code using the material, drawing and intended furnace process. See fused quartz furnace tubes for the wider heading.

Boat geometry and furnace compatibility

Specify fused quartz grade, purity, hydroxyl content and acceptable bubbles and inclusions. Ask for a material certificate tied to the production batch. Give the factory the furnace loading arrangement, process atmosphere and heating and cooling conditions rather than accepting a generic temperature claim.

For slotted boats, agree slot pitch, width, depth and alignment, wafer clearance and contact-edge finish. For trough boats, define internal dimensions, wall thickness, base flatness and support positions. Include weld locations, handle geometry and the clearance needed inside the furnace tube. Approve a sample against the drawing before production.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative batch of custom fused quartz furnace boats under 7020 00 10 90, invoiced at £15,000 free on board, with £1,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £16,200. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £16,200, so it is £3,240. 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

Material: match the batch certificate to the agreed purity and hydroxyl limits; inspect bubbles, inclusions and surface contamination.

Geometry: measure slots, overall dimensions, base flatness and support positions; check fit with the intended loading arrangement.

Finish and stress: inspect slot edges and welded joints for chips and cracks; examine residual stress and trial the agreed thermal cycle on samples.

Packing: keep each boat separately supported without loading delicate slots or handles; inspect unpacked pieces for transit damage and record defects by batch.

What goes wrong

Misaligned slots can prevent loading or chip the workpiece. A distorted base can rock on its supports, while poor edge finishing leaves fragile contact points. Bubbles, contamination and residual stress can make an apparently acceptable boat unsuitable for its furnace process.

Inspect the sample in the actual loading arrangement and repeat dimensional checks on arrival. Record photographs of cracks, chips and packing damage before putting the boats into service. Use the inspection guide to agree what the factory and inspector must record.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For own-brand ranges, see sourcing for brands.