Hydro turbines and water wheels from China
Hydraulic turbines and water wheels from China, including Pelton, Turgo, Francis, Kaplan and crossflow turbines for small hydro schemes, their governors and regulators, and parts such as runners, rotors and stators, pay 0% UK duty with no anti-dumping duty. Efficiency at your head and flow decides the return. Cambridge China Bridge sources small hydro equipment.
Small hydro turbines such as Pelton, Francis, Kaplan and crossflow, water wheels, governors and turbine parts from China pay 0% UK duty. Tests and an example.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, hydraulic turbines, water wheels and regulators for them, heading 8410, carried 0% on goods from China on all six lines, whatever the power, including rotors, stators and other parts, with no anti-dumping measure.
Generators driven by the turbine are classified separately as electrical machines, and complete generating sets may fall under 8502, so confirm the commodity code for each item. See our renewable energy guide for related equipment.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydraulic turbines and water wheels, up to 1,000 kW | 8410 11 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Over 1,000 kW up to 10,000 kW | 8410 12 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Over 10,000 kW | 8410 13 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Rotors | 8410 90 10 00 | 0% | None |
| Stators | 8410 90 20 00 | 0% | None |
| Other parts, including regulators | 8410 90 90 00 | 0% | None |
Performance and safety
Turbines are machinery under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, with a declaration of conformity and instructions in English. Performance is proved by model tests to IEC 60193 or field acceptance tests to IEC 60041, which measure efficiency against head and flow, so agree which will be used before ordering.
Planning, water abstraction and grid connection for a hydro scheme are separate from the import and take longer than the equipment, so the equipment order should follow those approvals.
Specifying a turbine
Specify net head, design flow and flow range, turbine type, rated output and efficiency curve, runaway speed, runner material, governor and control system, generator type and voltage, grid protection requirements, inlet valve, and the spares, installation and commissioning package.
Worked duty example
For a made-up shipment of 2 small Francis turbines of 250 kW under 8410 11 00 00, add the £9,000 of freight and insurance to the £160,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £169,000. Duty on hydro turbines is zero, leaving import VAT of £33,800, 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
Runner and machining: check runner material certificates, blade profiles and surface finish against the drawings, and check balancing records for rotating parts.
Performance evidence: check model or reference test results to IEC 60193 for the runner design at your specific speed, and agree the field acceptance test to IEC 60041 in the contract.
Assembly and documents: witness a shop assembly and spin test where possible, check governor and control functions, and check the declaration of conformity, manuals and spares list before crating.
What goes wrong
Hydro turbines fail on efficiency, cavitation and controls. Efficiency falls short at your head and flow because the runner was not designed for the site, cavitation erodes the runner, governors hunt or trip on grid events, and parts and support are slow for a remote site.
Design to measured site data, agree performance tests in the contract, and plan commissioning and spares before shipment. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources small hydro turbines and parts for UK and overseas scheme developers, checking the builder's references and test data before an order. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on hydro turbines from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, hydraulic turbines up to 1,000 kW (8410 11 00 00) carried 0% from China, as did larger turbines and parts.
Are the generators included?
No. The generator is classified separately as an electrical machine.
How is turbine performance proved?
By model tests to IEC 60193 or field acceptance tests to IEC 60041.
Is there anti-dumping duty?
No line of heading 8410 had a UK anti-dumping measure on 27 September 2026.