Sourcing gold ore concentrates from China

Duty and waste controls on gold concentrates

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 2616 covers precious-metal ores and concentrates. Gold ores and concentrates use 2616 90 00 10. The table describes commercial forms within this same supplied commodity line, rather than separate tariff categories. See the precious-metal ores guide for the wider heading.

The supplied record shows 0% duty for goods from China, no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions. It attaches import waste controls and export waste controls. Waste shipment controls apply only when the material is waste. For a shipment from China, establish its status and ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable import procedure and the relevance of the attached export control.

Confirm the commodity code using the mineral identity, assay and processing history. For waste imports into England potentially subject to notification controls, ask the Environment Agency or your customs broker to confirm who must apply, which authorities are involved and what consent is needed before shipment. Ask HSE to confirm whether the processing history supports a UK REACH registration exemption.

Specify dry-basis gold content and settlement

Identify the mine or feedstock source, concentration process and receiving processor. Specify gold content on a dry basis, moisture, particle size and agreed limits for arsenic, mercury, lead and sulphur. Ask the receiving processor to approve the concentrate before ordering, including any impurity deductions and the basis for payable gold.

Agree representative sampling across the lot, sample preparation, independent assay, sealed retained samples and a dispute laboratory. Record how wet weight becomes dry weight for settlement. Specify bag construction, liners, lot identification and handling arrangements. Use factory verification to check the processor and its sampling facilities.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative bagged trial consignment for a specialist gold processor under 2616 90 00 10, invoiced at £40,000 free on board, with £6,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £46,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £46,000, so it is £9,200. 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

Identity: match the source, processing record, bag marks and lot references to the order and assay report.

Assay: independently sample the shipment and compare dry-basis gold content and agreed impurities with the processor's acceptance specification.

Moisture: check moisture and particle size, recording wet pockets, caking and differences between bags.

Packing: inspect seams, liners, leakage, seals and container dryness. Plan sampling and arrival checks with the quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A selected sample can overstate the shipment's gold content. Uneven blending can conceal impurity pockets, and excess moisture increases wet weight without increasing payable gold. Agree representative sampling, dry-basis settlement and assay dispute terms before payment.

Recovered residues described as concentrate can leave waste status unresolved. Establish the material's history before booking transport. For notified waste imports into England, ask the Environment Agency to confirm any carrier, broker or dealer registration or licensing requirements for the importer and any permit or exemption needed by the recovery facility for the proposed treatment.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.