Garnet, pumice and other abrasives from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 2513 covers pumice stone, emery, natural corundum, natural garnet and other natural abrasives, whether or not heat-treated. Both lines, pumice stone (2513 10 00 00) and emery, natural corundum, natural garnet and other natural abrasives (2513 20 00 00), carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Artificial corundum and silicon carbide are chapter 28, abrasives on a backing are heading 6805 (see our sandpaper guide), and bonded wheels 6804 (see our grinding and cutting wheels guide); confirm the commodity code. For belts, see our abrasive sanding belts sourcing guide.

Neighbouring codes to rule out

Blasting and cutting media come from several headings, and the choice changes the documents more than the duty. Natural garnet and emery are heading 2513; silica sand is heading 2505, and its crystalline silica content is why buyers set free-silica limits on blasting media; steel shot and grit are heading 7205, see our steel shot and grit guide; and abrasive coated on cloth or paper is heading 6805, see our sandpaper guide. All were 0% on goods from China when read.

Safety and chemical rules

Natural abrasives are substances under UK REACH, and the safety data sheet should state crystalline silica and other hazardous content. Blasting media produce dust, so buyers set a free silica limit and use the supplier's data in their own workplace risk assessment.

Specifying abrasives

Specify mineral (almandine garnet, emery, corundum, pumice), mesh or grit range, hardness, bulk density, free silica, chloride and soluble salts, moisture, and packing in 25 kg bags or bulk bags.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 40 tonnes of 80 mesh garnet abrasive for waterjet cutting under 2513 20 00 00. At £14,000 free on board and £3,200 to ship and insure, the customs value is £17,200. With 0% duty on garnet abrasive, the only charge is import VAT: 20% of £17,200, or £3,440. VAT-registered businesses usually recover that in their next return. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Grading: sieve samples against the specified mesh range and check fines content.

Purity: check free silica, chloride and foreign mineral content on the certificate and a test sample.

Moisture and packing: check moisture, bag integrity and lot marking.

What goes wrong

Abrasive orders fail on grading, contamination and moisture. Mesh drifts so cutting speed changes, garnet is blended with cheaper minerals, chloride is high enough to affect blasted steel, and damp media clog feed systems.

Test lots before shipping. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources garnet, emery and pumice for UK waterjet, blasting and cosmetic buyers, checking the processor's grading first. See factory verification.