Sourcing generators from China: duty and noise

Zero duty at every size

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, generating sets with diesel engines up to 7.5 kVA and from 7.5 to 75 kVA, and with spark-ignition engines up to 7.5 kVA and from 7.5 to 375 kVA, all carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Generators are heavy and often crated, so the container load and the crate size decide much of the landed price. Confirm the commodity code by engine type and output.

Noise limits

The Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001 list power generators under 400 kW and welding generators in Schedule 1, among the equipment subject to noise limits as well as noise marking. The permissible level depends on the electrical power, so ask the factory for the noise test report for each model and check the guaranteed sound power level on the label against it.

Canopied, silent generators exist for exactly this reason. A factory that sells an open-frame set into markets without these limits may need a different canopy or silencer for the UK; name the tested configuration in the product specification.

Engine, electrics and documents

Generator engines fall under the non-road engine emission rules, so ask for the engine's emission approval and the engine plate details, and check them against the unit at inspection. As machinery and electrical equipment, a generator also needs the machinery conformity assessment and electrical safety evidence; the CE and UKCA guide lists what to ask for.

For site and hire use, check the socket types and residual current protection against what your customers use, the earthing arrangement, and whether the alternator is brushless. Run a load test on a sample from every batch.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 300 petrol generators up to 7.5 kVA under 8502 20 20 90. At £90,000 free on board and £5,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £95,000. With 0% duty on petrol generating sets, the only charge is import VAT: 20% of £95,000, or £19,000. VAT-registered businesses usually recover that in their next return. Freight assumes crated sea shipment, and engines must be drained or shipped under dangerous goods rules if fuel is left in. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Safety file: ask for the test report to BS EN ISO 8528-13 on the safety of generating sets for the model as sold, covering guards, hot surfaces, fuel system and electrical protection.

Alternator and panel: measure insulation resistance of the alternator windings and earth continuity on sampled units, check the alternator rating plate against IEC 60034-1, and check the degree of protection of the control panel and sockets to IEC 60529.

Fluids and shipping: check each unit is drained or its fuel system purged as the shipping method requires, and that petrol sets are declared as UN 3528 and diesel sets as UN 3530 engine-powered machinery where dangerous goods rules apply.

What goes wrong

Generators fail on rated output, power quality and the paperwork. The output on the box is a peak figure the set cannot hold continuously, voltage and frequency sag under load because the regulator is weak, and a conventional alternator's waveform distortion damages electronics that an inverter set would power safely. Measured noise exceeds the label, fuel lines leak, and the engine plate does not match the emission approval.

Load-bank test a sample from every batch at the rated continuous power and record voltage and frequency regulation to the ISO 8528 performance classes, measure waveform distortion if customers will run electronics, measure sound power against the label, check fuel system joints for leaks, confirm engine plates against the emission approval, and check sockets to BS EN 60309 for 110 V site sets and residual current protection.

Parts and service

A generator is judged on how long it keeps running. Order filters, spark plugs, starter parts and a service kit with the first shipment, and ask the factory how long it will supply the same engine and alternator.

Cambridge China Bridge sources diesel and petrol generators for hire fleets, sites and resellers, with the noise, engine and electrical documents checked and a load test before shipment. See how our sourcing service works.

Related guides: Acetylene and gas generators from China. For wind-powered equipment, see our guide to sourcing small wind turbines from China. For gas-powered CHP equipment, see our gas CHP sourcing guide. For rotary converters, see our rotary frequency converter sourcing guide.

For air compressors, see Sourcing air compressors from China.