Glass shelves and worked glass from China
Float and other flat glass from China that is edge-worked, bent, engraved, drilled or painted but not toughened or laminated, such as glass shelves and back-painted panels, pays 0% UK duty with no anti-dumping duty. Where glass is used where people could hit it, safety glass is usually needed instead. Cambridge China Bridge sources worked glass.
Edge-polished glass shelves, bevelled, back-painted and engraved glass from China pay 0% UK duty. When safety glass is needed, and a worked example.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, glass of heading 7003, 7004 or 7005, bent, edge-worked, engraved, drilled, enamelled or otherwise worked but not framed or fitted with other materials, heading 7006, carried 0% on goods from China on both lines, optical glass and other, with no anti-dumping measure.
Toughened and laminated glass are classified under heading 7007 (see our toughened and laminated glass guide), plain float glass under 7005 (see our float glass guide), and glass fitted in frames or with other materials by the finished article. Confirm the commodity code from how the glass is processed.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optical glass, worked | 7006 00 10 00 | 0% | None |
| Other worked glass (shelves, bevelled, back-painted, engraved) | 7006 00 90 00 | 0% | None |
Safety and standards
Annealed worked glass breaks into sharp pieces, so consumer products must be safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, and glass in doors, low-level glazing and furniture where people could impact it usually needs toughened or laminated safety glass instead. The base glass is specified to BS EN 572 for soda lime silicate glass.
Glass shelves must carry their stated load with a safety margin, so ask for a load test for the thickness, span and support you will use.
Specifying worked glass
Specify glass type (clear, low-iron, tinted), thickness and tolerance, size and cut-outs, edge work (arrised, flat polished, bevelled), drilling, back-paint colour and coating adhesion, engraving or sandblasting, load rating for shelves, and packing with separators in wooden crates.
Worked duty example
For a made-up shipment of 8,000 edge-polished annealed glass shelves under 7006 00 90 00, add the £2,500 of freight and insurance to the £24,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £26,500. Duty on glass shelves is zero, leaving import VAT of £5,300, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.
Inspection checklist
Dimensions and edges: measure size, thickness and hole positions on sampled pieces, and check edges are polished without chips or shells.
Surface and coating: check for scratches, bubbles and distortion in daylight at the agreed viewing distance, and check back-paint colour and adhesion with a tape test.
Load and packing: load-test sample shelves on the intended supports, and check pieces are separated and braced in crates.
What goes wrong
Worked glass fails on edges, coatings and breakage. Edges chip or are left sharp, back-paint peels or varies in colour, shelves are too thin for the load, glass sold for doors or low-level use is not safety glass, and pieces break in poorly braced crates.
Check edges and coatings on samples, confirm safety glass where it is needed, and inspect crating. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources glass shelves and processed glass for UK furniture, retail display and bathroom brands, and can start with a first order across a few sizes. See small orders.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on glass shelves from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, worked glass of heading 7006, such as edge-polished shelves, carried 0% from China.
Is toughened glass the same code?
No. Toughened and laminated safety glass are classified under heading 7007.
When do I need safety glass?
Where people could impact the glass, such as doors, low-level glazing and some furniture.
Is there anti-dumping duty?
No line of heading 7006 had a UK anti-dumping measure on 27 September 2026.