Sourcing glass perfume bottles from China

UK duty on empty glass perfume bottles

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 16 October 2026, heading 7010 covers glass containers used to convey or pack goods, including empty perfume bottles and glass closures. Ordinary duty on the selected lines is 0%. Colourless and coloured bottles for other products below 2.5 litres use different lines. See glass cosmetic jars for the wider packaging family.

The moulded bottle lines show 52.97% residual provisional anti-dumping duty and import registration for China. HMRC registers covered imports. Importers must provide a guarantee for the estimated provisional duty; the secured amount becomes payable only if definitive measures are imposed. Exporter-specific rates require the prescribed invoice declaration. The selected tubular-glass and standalone glass-closure lines show no trade remedy or control. No suspensions are listed for these selected lines.

Confirm the commodity code using the bottle's manufacture, glass colour, capacity and intended contents. Send your broker the bottle drawing, supplier identity and invoice declaration before shipment, and ask them to confirm registration and guarantee arrangements. Keep ordinary duty separate from provisional anti-dumping security when budgeting.

Specify the perfume bottle and neck

Specify glass colour, bottle shape, usable fill capacity, brim capacity, dimensions, weight and decoration. Define whether the neck takes a screw closure, crimped pump or glass stopper. Obtain matching drawings from the bottle and closure suppliers, and approve assembled samples made with production glass.

Test samples with your actual fragrance, gasket, pump and dip tube. Check leakage, spray operation, evaporation, discolouration and decoration adhesion after handling. Agree the test conditions and acceptance criteria in the order. Businesses importing or selling consumer bottles are responsible for their safety.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 empty colourless glass perfume bottles; FOB and freight values are illustrative; provisional anti-dumping security must also be considered under 7010 90 91 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

Glass: check neck and rim for chips, the body for cracks and inclusions, and the base for stability against the approved sample.

Dimensions: measure neck fit, bottle height, fill capacity and weight across the batch; try closures on bottles taken from different cartons.

Assembly: check seals, pump seating, dip-tube clearance and leakage using the agreed test; compare decoration position and adhesion with the reference sample.

Arrival packing: open cartons from different parts of the shipment, check dividers and neck protection, and record broken bottles, loose glass fragments and carton damage.

What goes wrong

A pump can fit the sample but leak on production bottles when neck dimensions vary. A heavy base can hide uneven glass, while coatings may rub off or react with spilled fragrance. Approve the bottle and closure together, retain the tested assembly and compare production samples before dispatch.

Bottle-to-bottle contact and unsupported necks cause transit damage. Agree individual separation and carton packing before ordering. A quote based only on 0% ordinary duty also misses provisional anti-dumping security on the relevant moulded bottles.

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.