Sourcing industrial CT scanners from China

Zero duty on industrial CT scanners

Heading 9022 covers apparatus using X-rays or other ionising radiation, plus specified components. Computed tomography apparatus has its own line, 9022 12 00 00. The table includes separately supplied tubes, parts and other industrial X-ray apparatus; these are not alternative codes for a complete CT scanner. See the wider industrial X-ray cabinet guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, all selected lines carried 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or attached import controls in the supplied data. Elsewhere in this heading, 9022 29 00 00 has a fluorinated greenhouse gas import control. For equipment containing those gases, check labelling and product bans, and ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable import requirements.

Confirm whether the shipment is complete computed tomography apparatus, a separately supplied tube or a component. Give your broker the operating description, model specification and packing list before choosing the commodity code.

Specify scans using your actual components

Specify the materials, maximum component size and weight, defects to detect and dimensional measurements needed. Agree the tube, detector, rotation stage, fixtures and reconstruction software. Require scans of representative components, with raw projections, reconstructed volumes and an agreed acceptance report. Voxel size alone should not be your acceptance test.

Establish whether a person can enter the cabinet. HSE requires registration for work with radiation generators unless the work requires consent. Its industrial radiography definition excludes testing in a cabinet a person cannot enter; industrial radiography using radiation generators requires consent. Have your radiation protection adviser review the installation and radiation risk assessment before commissioning.

New machinery placed on the Great Britain market must have UKCA or CE marking, a declaration of conformity and instructions in English. Request documents for the exact scanner configuration, together with shielding, interlock and warning-system evidence. Agree software licences, data export, installation, training and UK service support.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: a compact industrial computed tomography scanner under 9022 12 00 00, invoiced at £64,000 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £68,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £68,000, so it is £13,600. 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

Scan performance: repeat the agreed component scans and compare defect visibility, dimensional results and reconstruction artefacts with the acceptance report.

Radiation protection: have a competent specialist check the installed shielding, leakage survey, door interlocks and warning signals before operation.

Transport and alignment: inspect the tube, detector and stage for damage, check stage movement and repeat calibration after installation.

Documents and software: match model and serial details to the declaration and manuals; test licences, reconstruction, data export and restoration from backup.

What goes wrong

A supplier demonstration on a thin, simple sample may not show whether the scanner can inspect your dense or mixed-material components. Attractive rendered images can hide beam-hardening artefacts, poor defect visibility or unstable dimensional results. Put acceptance criteria and representative sample scans into the purchase specification.

Transport can disturb alignment, while unavailable replacement tubes, detectors or software licences can leave the scanner unusable. Agree installation acceptance and service responsibilities before shipment. Use a factory verification visit to check that the supplier can assemble, calibrate and demonstrate the offered configuration.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For components and parts, see sourcing for manufacturers.