Sourcing Gardenia blue colourant from China

Gardenia blue duty and tariff controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, vegetable-origin colouring matter and preparations based on it, code 3203 00 10 00, carried 0% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is recorded. Heading 3203 includes vegetable and animal colouring matter and dyeing extracts, excluding animal black. The table shows presentations of the same vegetable-origin line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions.

The tariff attaches veterinary, CITES and waste import controls, plus CITES and waste export controls. Ask your customs broker to confirm the requirements for the complete formulation, including veterinary documents or exemptions. CITES specimens require an import permit. Waste subject to notification cannot ship until the dispatch, transit and destination authorities consent. Confirm the waste procedure with the broker before importing discarded material from China, and check export controls before any re-export.

Give the broker the composition, botanical identity, manufacturing process, carrier and intended use to confirm your commodity code. Do not classify from the trade name alone. The Gardenia yellow guide provides related heading context; its product specification does not establish the identity or permitted use of Gardenia blue.

Specify the blue colour and its intended use

Ask for the Gardenia species, plant part, extraction process and subsequent blue-colour production process. Specify the powder or liquid form, all reaction ingredients and carriers, colour strength, measurement solvent and wavelength, and the approved shade sample. Identify Gardenia blue explicitly so the factory cannot substitute Gardenia yellow or a mixed colour.

Food additives must be authorised before placement on the Great Britain market; confirm the applicable use conditions and specification with the Food Standards Agency. This guide does not establish a Gardenia blue food-use authorisation. Obtain documentary confirmation before ordering for food. For textile or craft use, confirm any applicable UK REACH registration requirements with HSE before importing.

Agree trials in the intended material under its actual heat, light and acidity conditions. Specify acceptable shade change, dispersion, sediment and moisture against agreed test methods. Use factory verification to check whether the supplier makes the colourant or blends purchased material.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2 tonnes of Gardenia blue colouring powder for textile trials under 3203 00 10 00, invoiced at £24,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £25,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £25,500, so it is £5,100. 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

Identity and composition: match the batch certificate, production description and ingredient declaration to the approved Gardenia blue formulation; investigate undeclared carriers or added synthetic colours.

Shade and strength: compare the arrival sample with the retained reference using the agreed solvent and measurement method, then repeat the application trial in the intended material.

Condition and packing: check powders for caking, liquids for separation or sediment, seals for leakage and packaging for moisture or light damage.

Batch records: match container labels to certificates and retain samples from the received lots. Agree independent checks through testing and certification.

What goes wrong

A blue sample can match visually while having different colouring strength or carrier content. A formulation change can alter dispersion and shade in the buyer's material. Test the supplied formulation against the retained sample rather than accepting a photograph or a certificate covering a different batch.

A supplier's food-grade description leaves the authorisation question unresolved. Keep food-use orders on hold until the intended use is confirmed. For quality failures, separate the affected lots and compare batch records, retained samples and application results before agreeing replacement material.

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.