Sourcing investment casting wax blends from China
Investment casting wax blends from China carry 0% UK duty when classified in heading 3404. Importers are responsible for chemical classification; hazardous blends supplied for workplace use need a safety data sheet. Specify shrinkage, melt behaviour and ash residue before a foundry trial. Cambridge China Bridge sources investment casting wax blends.
Zero duty on qualifying prepared casting waxes
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 3404 covers artificial and prepared waxes. Investment casting blends should be classified from their composition, rather than their foundry use alone. Plain paraffin and microcrystalline wax belong to heading 2712. See the wider artificial and prepared waxes guide.
The supplied tariff facts show 0% duty for goods from China on both listed lines, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control recorded. The table contains only the available tariff lines; filled and unfilled pattern waxes are formulation choices, rather than separate lines in these facts.
Ask the blender for constituent identities, proportions and filler details before confirming the commodity code. Polyethylene glycol waxes have their own line; other qualifying prepared blends use the other-waxes line. For landed-cost calculations, see UK import duty and VAT.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepared investment casting wax blends, other than polyethylene glycol waxes | 3404 90 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Polyethylene glycol casting waxes, where the composition fits | 3404 20 00 00 | 0% | None |
Specify the blend for your pattern and shell process
State whether the wax is for injected patterns, runners or repairs, and whether you want filled or unfilled material. Agree melting behaviour, viscosity at the intended injection temperature, hardness, shrinkage, dimensional stability and ash residue. Record the test methods and acceptance criteria, along with the supplied form and packaging.
Trial the sample in your own tooling and shell process. Check thin-section filling, release, handling strength, pattern dimensions after storage, dewaxing behaviour and burnout residue. If you reclaim wax, agree how the new blend will be evaluated with your recovered material.
For supply in Great Britain, importers are responsible for chemical classification and correct labelling and packaging before placing the blend on the market. Hazardous blends supplied for workplace use need a safety data sheet. For any constituent you have not previously imported, consider whether UK REACH registration is required; ask for the full formulation to support that assessment.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 20 tonnes of investment casting wax blend in slabs, illustrative only under 3404 90 00 00, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £2,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £32,200. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £32,200, so it is £6,440. 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
Identity: check batch references, formulation designation and supplier test results against the approved sample; review the safety data sheet and any hazard labels against the supplied formulation.
Wax properties: compare melting behaviour, viscosity, hardness, filler dispersion and ash residue using the agreed methods; retain a sample from each delivered batch.
Pattern trial: check cavity filling, surface finish, shrinkage and warping in your tooling, then assess dewaxing and burnout in your shell process.
Arrival condition: check pack seals, contamination, moisture, damaged slabs and mixed batches before melting material into production. Agree sampling through the quality inspection guide.
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What goes wrong
A matching colour does not establish a matching blend. Changed filler or resin content can alter flow and shrinkage, leaving incomplete patterns or dimensions outside your drawing tolerances. Poor filler dispersion can make samples taken from different parts of the same batch behave differently.
Moisture or contamination can disrupt injection, while excessive residue can compromise the shell and casting surface. Keep suspect batches separate and compare them with retained samples before mixing them into reclaimed wax. Approve the blend through a process trial rather than accepting a melting-point result alone.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on investment casting wax from China?
The supplied tariff facts show 0% duty under heading 3404, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty recorded. Confirm that the formulation qualifies as an artificial or prepared wax.
Does imported casting wax need a safety data sheet?
A hazardous blend supplied for workplace use needs a safety data sheet. Obtain the formulation and classification assessment rather than assuming all casting waxes have the same hazards.
Should I specify filled or unfilled casting wax?
Specify the type your tooling and shell process need. Compare flow, shrinkage, handling strength, filler dispersion and burnout residue through a foundry trial.
How do I check that a repeat batch matches the sample?
Compare retained samples using agreed melting, viscosity, hardness and ash tests. Inject patterns in your tooling and check dimensions, surface finish and dewaxing behaviour before production release.