Sourcing gas cylinders from China

2% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, containers for compressed or liquefied gas of iron or steel, heading 7311, carried 2% on goods from China on all eighteen lines, split by seamless or welded construction, pressure and capacity, with no anti-dumping measure and no steel measure on these lines.

Empty portable medical oxygen cylinders of steel fitted with a valve and a pressure and flow regulator are suspended to 0% until 31 December 2028, and cylinders for certain aircraft have an authorised-use suspension. Aluminium cylinders are classified under heading 7613, so confirm the commodity code from the material, construction, working pressure and water capacity.

Pressure equipment rules

Cylinders used to carry gas by road are transportable pressure equipment under the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009, so each design needs the conformity assessment, inspection and marking those rules require before it is filled and carried. Ask the manufacturer which scheme and inspection body it uses and for the certificate covering the exact design.

Seamless steel cylinders are usually designed to ISO 9809-1 and welded LPG cylinders to BS EN 1442; the design standard, test pressure, water capacity, tare weight and manufacturing date are stamped on the shoulder. Medical oxygen cylinders with integral valves also fall under the medical device rules; see our medical and PPE guide.

Specifying cylinders

Specify gas service, working and test pressure, water capacity, diameter and length, steel grade and heat treatment, neck thread and valve, internal finish, paint colour and markings, and the shoulder stamping. Name the valve and its thread, because a valve that does not match the neck is the most common rejection.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 2,000 seamless steel industrial gas cylinders of 50 litres under 7311 00 13 85. At £120,000 free on board and £8,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £128,000. Steel gas cylinders at 2% pay £2,560 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £130,560, giving £26,112. Of the £28,672 paid at import, only the £2,560 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Tests and certificates: check the batch test records for hydraulic proof testing, hardness and the burst and tensile tests required by the design standard such as ISO 9809-1, and the inspection body's certificate for the batch.

Stamping and threads: check the shoulder stamping on every sampled cylinder shows the standard, serial number, test pressure, water capacity, tare and date, and gauge the neck thread against the specified valve thread.

Finish and packing: check inside for scale and moisture on sampled cylinders, check paint colour and labels for the gas service, and check valve guards or caps and crate strapping before loading.

What goes wrong

Gas cylinders fail on certification, threads and cleanliness. Cylinders arrive without the conformity documents the filling station needs, stampings are incomplete or unreadable, neck threads do not match the valves, cylinders carry moisture or scale inside that contaminates the gas, and paint colours do not match the gas they are meant for.

Agree the design standard and certification before production, gauge threads and read stampings on samples, and check interiors before loading. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources steel gas cylinders for gas distributors, fire and welding suppliers and equipment makers, checking the plant's test equipment and certification before an order. See factory verification.