Sourcing integrated circuits and chips from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, processors and controllers, memories of every type, amplifiers, other electronic integrated circuits, multi-component integrated circuits and parts of heading 8542 carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Modules and assembled boards are usually classified with the product they belong to; confirm the commodity code for each part.

Counterfeit and remarked parts

Chips bought from brokers can be fakes, remarked lower grades or parts pulled from scrap. Buy from the maker's franchised distributors where possible, and for broker stock ask for the original reel labels, date codes, lot numbers and a certificate of conformity traceable to the maker.

For Chinese-designed chips, ask for the datasheet, reliability reports and the maker's long-term supply commitment. For isolated gate drivers, see our isolated gate-driver IC sourcing guide. For signal-conversion chips, see our analogue-to-digital converter sourcing guide. For memory components, see our EEPROM memory IC sourcing guide.

Testing

Test samples before release: visual and marking checks, X-ray of the die and bond wires, and electrical tests against the datasheet. For critical parts, add decapsulation. Check moisture sensitivity packing and storage for reel stock.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 50,000 microcontroller chips on reels, commodity code 8542 39 90 00, bought for £40,000 free on board, with £600 of freight and insurance, so £40,600 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on integrated circuits; import VAT at 20% of £40,600 is £8,120. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

Inspection checklist

Counterfeit screening: broker stock inspected to the external visual method of IDEA-STD-1010 and tested to the risk-based methods of SAE AS6171, with the supplier's own controls checked against SAE AS6081, and X-ray, marking permanency and, for critical parts, decapsulation to compare the die with a known good sample.

Moisture and ESD handling: moisture sensitivity level on the reel label matched to the maker's classification under IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020, dry packs checked for sealed moisture barrier bags, desiccant, humidity indicator cards and bag seal dates under J-STD-033, and parts handled only at workstations run to IEC 61340-5-1.

Solderability and records: solderability tested to J-STD-002 on older date codes, electrical tests against the datasheet at room and at the temperature extremes of the grade ordered, RoHS declarations under the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012 matched to part numbers, and a sample retained from every lot.

What goes wrong

Chips fail through counterfeits and handling. Broker stock can be remarked, recycled from scrap boards or an older revision, and a chip that passes a visual check can still fail at temperature. Moisture-sensitive parts that arrive without sealed bags, humidity cards or dates crack during reflow, and reels with mixed date codes or lots make traceability impossible when a batch fails.

Buy from franchised distribution where possible, and for other stock check reel labels, date codes and lot numbers against the maker's records, X-ray samples and compare die markings, run electrical tests against the datasheet, and check moisture barrier bags and humidity indicators. Keep a sample of each lot.

Compliance of the finished product

Components themselves are not UKCA marked, but the product they go into must meet RoHS, electrical safety and EMC rules, so ask for RoHS declarations for each part. The components guide covers boards and modules.

Cambridge China Bridge sources integrated circuits and electronic components, with traceability and test plans settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.