Sourcing glues and adhesives from China
Prepared glues and adhesives from China, including super glue, PVA, hot melt, contact and construction adhesives, pay 6% UK duty, with 0% for some optically clear adhesives for displays, and no anti-dumping duty. Many adhesives are hazardous mixtures that need GB CLP labels, and cyanoacrylate glues must carry a specific skin warning. Cambridge China Bridge sources glues and adhesives.
Buying from China for a business? How our UK China sourcing agent service works · China sourcing agent for small orders and first imports
Mostly 6%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, glues and adhesives put up for retail sale in packs of 1 kg or less, other adhesives based on polymers or rubber and other prepared glues of heading 3506 carried 6% duty on goods from China, and optically clear free-film and curable liquid adhesives of a kind used for flat panel displays 0%, with no anti-dumping measure. Adhesive aerosols containing fluorinated gases also face F-gas import controls. Rechecked on 27 September 2026, a listed acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive on a release liner (3506 91 90 40) is suspended to 0% until 31 December 2028, as are named products under 3506 91 90 99, such as temporary wafer-bonding adhesives, and a listed polyurethane adhesive in 300 ml cartridges under 3506 99 00 00.
Adhesive tapes are in heading 3919, covered in the tape guide, and sealants and mastics in 3214; confirm the commodity code. For starch-based glues, see our modified starch and dextrins guide. For threadlocking products, see our anaerobic threadlocker sourcing guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glues put up for retail sale, 1 kg or less | 3506 10 00 00 | 6% | None |
| Optically clear adhesives for flat panel displays | 3506 91 10 00 | 0% | None |
| Other polymer or rubber-based adhesives, other | 3506 91 90 99 | 6% | None |
| Other prepared glues and adhesives | 3506 99 00 00 | 6% | None |
Hazard labels
Adhesives are mixtures under the GB CLP Regulation, so solvent-based, reactive and cyanoacrylate products usually need hazard pictograms, signal words and hazard statements in English, and business customers need a safety data sheet. Annex II requires cyanoacrylate adhesives to carry the statement that they bond skin and eyes in seconds and must be kept out of the reach of children, and some solvent glues sold to the public need child-resistant fastenings and tactile warnings.
Solvent-based and aerosol adhesives are often dangerous goods for sea and air freight, so the safety data sheet must give the transport classification before booking.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: 100,000 retail tubes of super glue, commodity code 3506 10 00 00, bought for £18,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance, so £19,500 is the value customs works from. Duty at the 6% rate for retail glues is £1,170. VAT at 20% applies to £20,670, so £4,134. A VAT-registered buyer usually recovers the VAT, so the border adds £1,170 to the landed cost. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.
What goes wrong
Adhesives fail on shelf life, strength and labelling. Super glue that is too close to its manufacture date on arrival cures in the tube within months, hot melt sticks soften in a hot container, and water-based glues freeze and separate in winter shipping. Bond strength can fall short of the claim on the pack, and labels copied from a Chinese version miss the English hazard statements or the UFI where required.
Agree a maximum age at shipment and a shelf-life test, test bond strength on the substrates named on the pack, check packing for heat and frost, and check every label and safety data sheet against GB CLP before the artwork is printed.
Cambridge China Bridge sources retail glues, hot melt and industrial adhesives, with labels, safety data sheets and shelf life agreed before the order. Read how we source chemicals and DIY products. For the reverse trade, see exporting UK adhesives to China.
Rosin and ester gums are common tackifiers in hot-melt adhesives; see our gum rosin and ester gums guide.
Solvent-based coatings share the flammable labelling and shipping rules; see our solvent-based paints and varnishes guide.
Related guides: Sourcing hydrocarbon resins from China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on glue from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, most glues and adhesives of heading 3506 carried 6% duty from China.
What warning must super glue carry?
GB CLP Annex II requires cyanoacrylate adhesives to warn that they bond skin and eyes in seconds and to keep them away from children.
Where do adhesive tapes go?
Adhesive tapes are in heading 3919, not 3506.
Why does super glue go hard in the tube?
Usually age and heat. Agree a maximum age at shipment and keep stock cool.