Glucose, maltodextrin and sugars from China
Other sugars from China under heading 1702, including glucose syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, lactose and fructose, mostly pay specific UK duties per 100 kg: £16 for maltodextrin and most glucose syrup, £22 for crystalline glucose, £11 for lactose and £42 for isoglucose, with no anti-dumping duty. Work specific duty out per kilogram before buying.
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Specific duties
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 1702 covers other sugars, including chemically pure lactose, maltose, glucose and fructose, in solid form, sugar syrups without added flavouring or colouring, artificial honey and caramel. Most of its 26 leaves carry a specific duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure and no registration. The table shows selected lines.
Flavoured or coloured solid maple sugar (1702 20 10), inulin syrup, caramel with 50% or more sucrose, other fructose syrup and other sugars (1702 90 95 00) pay £0.30 per 100 kg for each 1% of sucrose content; other maple sugar and maple syrup (1702 20 90) pay 8% and chemically pure maltose 12%. One suspension applies: blue weber agave syrup under 1702 60 95 00 (footnote DS648) is suspended to 0% until 30 June 2027. Pure sugars such as xylose and trehalose are heading 2940 (see our pure sugars guide); confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lactose and lactose syrup, 99% or more lactose | 1702 11 00 00 | £11 per 100 kg | None |
| Lactose and lactose syrup, other | 1702 19 00 00 | £11 per 100 kg | None |
| Isoglucose | 1702 30 10 00 | £42 per 100 kg net dry matter | None |
| Glucose, white crystalline powder, 99% or more glucose (dry) | 1702 30 50 10 | £22 per 100 kg | None |
| Glucose, white crystalline powder, other | 1702 30 50 90 | £22 per 100 kg | None |
| Other glucose and glucose syrup, 99% or more glucose (dry) | 1702 30 90 10 | £16 per 100 kg | None |
| Other glucose and glucose syrup, other | 1702 30 90 90 | £16 per 100 kg | None |
| Glucose syrup with 20% to under 50% fructose | 1702 40 90 00 | £16 per 100 kg | None |
| Chemically pure fructose | 1702 50 00 00 | 16% + £42 per 100 kg net dry matter | None |
| Chemically pure maltose, for feeding | 1702 90 10 10 | 12% | None |
| Chemically pure maltose, other | 1702 90 10 90 | 12% | None |
| Maltodextrin and maltodextrin syrup | 1702 90 50 00 | £16 per 100 kg | None |
| Caramel powder (under 50% sucrose) | 1702 90 75 00 | £23 per 100 kg | None |
| Other caramel (under 50% sucrose) | 1702 90 79 00 | £16 per 100 kg | None |
Food rules
These sugars are food ingredients, so the importer needs food business registration, traceability and labels with the legal name. Starch-based products such as dextrins are covered in our modified starch and dextrins guide. For finished confectionery, see our guide to sourcing sweets and sugar confectionery. For the reverse trade in finished sweets, see our guide to exporting UK sugar confectionery to China. For sugar-free confectionery, see our guide to sourcing sugar-free boiled sweets.
Specifying sugars
Specify the product and its dextrose equivalent (DE) for glucose syrup and maltodextrin, dry substance, purity, the starch source, colour, sulphur dioxide, ash, microbiological limits, grade (food, pharmaceutical or feed), and packing in drums, IBCs or bags.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 20 tonnes of maltodextrin under 1702 90 50 00: £9,000 free on board plus £1,500 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £10,500. The duty is specific, £16 per 100 kg, so 200 × £16 = £3,200, about 30% of the customs value. VAT Notice 701/14 zero-rates most food other than excepted items, so maltodextrin sold as a food ingredient is likely to carry no import VAT; check the liability for your use, and if 20% applied it would be £2,740 on £13,700. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.
Inspection checklist
Analysis: check dextrose equivalent, dry substance and microbiology on the certificate, and verify a sample in an independent laboratory.
Documents: check the food safety certification of the plant and batch traceability.
Packing: check drums and IBCs for leaks and crystallisation, and bags for caking and moisture.
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What goes wrong
Sugar orders fail on grade and landed cost. Dextrose equivalent is outside the range, syrups crystallise or ferment in transit, and buyers price on the free-on-board figure and are surprised by specific duty.
Test samples before shipping. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources glucose, maltodextrin and other sugars for UK food, drink and supplement makers, checking the plant first. See factory verification. For the reverse trade, see our guide to exporting UK sugar to China.
Rice, cane and corn syrups are also the main adulterants of imported honey; our honey guide covers authenticity testing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on maltodextrin from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, maltodextrin under 1702 90 50 00 carried £16 per 100 kg from China.
What is the duty on dextrose?
White crystalline glucose powder under 1702 30 50 carried £22 per 100 kg.
Is any sugar in 1702 suspended?
Yes. Blue weber agave syrup under 1702 60 95 00 is suspended to 0% until 30 June 2027.
Is there VAT on glucose syrup?
Most food is zero-rated under VAT Notice 701/14 apart from excepted items; check for your use.