Sourcing glass bottle stoppers from China

UK duty on glass bottle stoppers

Heading 7010 covers glass containers for conveying or packing goods, preserving jars, and glass stoppers, lids and other closures. This guide concerns separately supplied glass bottle stoppers. The table shows stopper variants sharing the same commodity line, rather than separate tariff classifications. See the glass beverage bottle guide for the wider bottle family.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, glass stoppers under 7010 20 00 00 carried 0% ordinary duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or import control for this line. The published candle-jar guide also states that standalone glass closures are excluded from the glass-container anti-dumping measure.

Confirm the material, closure design and whether the stopper is supplied separately before agreeing the declaration with your customs broker. Use the commodity code guide, particularly when a stopper is supplied with a bottle or incorporates other materials.

Specify the stopper against the bottle neck

Send the factory the actual bottle and a neck drawing. Specify stopper insertion depth, taper, contact diameter, head shape, glass colour and whether the contact surface is ground or smooth. Describe any sealing ring separately. Agree dimensional tolerances and acceptable insertion and removal behaviour against retained samples.

State the intended contents, contact time, cleaning method and reuse conditions. If you package food yourself, you must use packaging suitable for food use. Ask for evidence covering the supplied glass, decoration and any seal against your intended use, and agree relevant testing through testing and certification.

For consumer products, UK importers are responsible for safety and the applicable labelling requirements. Keep records identifying your suppliers. Retain the approved bottle-and-stopper pair, specification and inspection records with the order.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 500 glass bottle stoppers; FOB and freight values are illustrative under 7010 20 00 00, invoiced at £2,400 free on board, with £500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,900. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,900, so it is £580. 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

Fit: measure the contact surfaces and insertion depth, then try production stoppers across bottles from the intended batch. Check seating, wobble and removal without excessive force.

Glass: inspect the rim, stem and head for chips, cracks, sharp edges and embedded debris. Compare colour and finish with the approved sample.

Seal: check leakage with the intended bottle and contents under the agreed storage and handling conditions. Inspect any sealing ring for damage or displacement.

Packing: open packed cartons before dispatch and on arrival. Check individual separation, cushioning, loose glass fragments and batch identification. Record defects using the inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A stopper can fit the sample bottle yet wobble or jam in production necks. Mixing neck batches, changing the taper or altering the grinding can change the contact area. Approve the bottle and stopper together, and require the factory to flag changes before production.

Glass-to-glass contact in cartons can chip the stem or head. A stopper that seats neatly may still leak during handling. Agree protective separation and a leakage check suited to the intended use; isolate damaged arrivals before putting them into stock.

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.