Sourcing hydrogenated rapeseed oil from China

Duty by pack size and intended use

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 1516 covers partly or wholly hydrogenated fats and oils, whether refined or not, but not further prepared. For plain hydrogenated rapeseed oil from China, immediate packs not exceeding 1 kg carry 12%; other packs for technical or industrial uses excluding human food manufacture carry 4%; other oil, including bulk food-grade oil, carries 10%. These lines show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension.

The supplied tariff attaches waste import and export controls to these lines, and organic import control to the small-pack and other-oil lines. For waste from China subject to notification controls, the exporter must apply to the competent authority in the dispatch country for consent. Confirm the waste route with your customs broker. Organic eligibility for this hydrogenated product remains unconfirmed: consult an approved UK organic control body and have your broker confirm the attached import requirement before ordering.

The small-pack examples share a commodity code. Give your broker the composition, processing description, immediate pack weight and intended use to confirm the commodity code. See the wider hydrogenated fats and oils guide for the rest of the heading.

Specify hydrogenation and melting behaviour

Specify rapeseed as the oil source, whether hydrogenation is full or partial, food or industrial use, and whether any other oils or additives are present. Agree melting point, solid fat content across your working temperatures, iodine value, acid value, peroxide value, moisture, impurities and colour. Request a trans-fat analysis rather than relying on the product name.

For food ingredient labelling, the hydrogenated oil indication must be accompanied by ‘fully hydrogenated’ or ‘partly hydrogenated’, as appropriate. Agree the wording before printing. Define blocks, flakes or liquid delivery, packaging, storage conditions and a retained sample. Trial the sample in your recipe or process before approving the batch specification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of bulk food-grade hydrogenated rapeseed oil under 1516 20 98 80, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £32,500. Duty at 10% is £3,250. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £35,750, so it is £7,150. Import taxes total £10,400; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £3,250 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Identity: check the batch analysis and production records against the agreed rapeseed source, hydrogenation state and declared composition.

Performance: independently check melting behaviour, iodine value and solid fat content against the approved sample; test trans fats for food applications.

Condition: check peroxide value, acid value, moisture, foreign matter and unusual odour on arrival before releasing the batch.

Packing and records: check seals, leaks, pack weights and batch identification; match the analysis certificate and food ingredient wording to the delivered lot.

What goes wrong

A batch can match the agreed melting point yet behave differently during cooling or mixing. Partial hydrogenation may be supplied against a fully hydrogenated specification, another oil may be substituted, or moisture and oxidation may make the batch unsuitable. Assess the melting profile and composition together, and keep suspect stock separate while investigating.

Pack size or intended use can change the tariff line. A generic ‘vegetable oil’ description leaves the broker without useful classification evidence and the food buyer without the hydrogenation detail needed for ingredient wording. Settle the specification and documents before dispatch, then follow the quality inspection guide.

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.