Hexane and acyclic hydrocarbons from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, acyclic hydrocarbons of heading 2901 carried 0% on goods from China on all six lines: saturated hydrocarbons such as hexane, pentane and heptane, ethylene, propylene, butenes, buta-1,3-diene and isoprene, and other unsaturated acyclic hydrocarbons. No line had an anti-dumping measure.

Petroleum spirits and solvent naphthas that are mixtures are classified in chapter 27, and cyclic solvents are in our toluene, xylene and styrene guide; confirm the commodity code from the purity on the certificate.

Dangerous goods and food use

These are flammable liquids or gases: n-hexane ships as UN 1208, pentanes as UN 1265, heptanes as UN 1206, stabilised isoprene as UN 1218 and stabilised butadiene as UN 1010, a flammable gas, each with approved packaging, labels and a dangerous goods declaration. Importing one tonne or more a year needs a UK REACH registration or an only representative.

Hexane used to extract vegetable oils or other food ingredients must be used within the conditions and residue limits of the Extraction Solvents in Food Regulations 1993, so food-grade hexane is bought on low benzene and aromatics as well as purity.

Grades

Hexane is sold as technical hexane, a mixture of hexane isomers, or as n-hexane of high purity for laboratory and pharmaceutical use; buyers specify n-hexane content, benzene, sulphur, non-volatile residue, water and distillation range. Isoprene for synthetic rubber is bought on purity, inhibitor and dimer content.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 18 tonnes of n-hexane in drums under 2901 10 00 00. At £21,000 free on board and £3,200 to ship and insure, the customs value is £24,200. With 0% duty on hexane, the only charge is import VAT: 20% of £24,200, or £4,840. VAT-registered businesses usually recover that in their next return. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Purity: test n-hexane or other isomer content, benzene and aromatics by gas chromatography on samples drawn from several drums or the tank, against the certificate for the lot.

Water, colour and residue: measure water by the Karl Fischer method, for example as in ISO 760, colour on the platinum-cobalt scale to ISO 6271, and non-volatile residue on evaporation against the grade specification.

Packing: check drums or ISO tanks are UN-marked for the class, sealed, earthed for filling and labelled with the UN number, flammable labels, lot and date, with tank cleaning certificates and an English safety data sheet.

What goes wrong

Acyclic hydrocarbons fail on grade, contamination and handling. Technical hexane is supplied where n-hexane was ordered, benzene is above the food-grade limit, tanks carry residues from earlier cargo, isoprene or butadiene loses inhibitor and forms dimers or polymer, and shipments are held for missing dangerous goods documents.

Specify the grade and tank cleaning in the contract, test the first load in a UK laboratory, and check documents before loading. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources hexane and other acyclic hydrocarbons for oil extraction, laboratories and chemical producers, usually by the tank or full container. See container programmes.