Sourcing lampblack pigment from China

Lampblack pigment duty and waste controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 2803 covers carbon blacks and other forms of carbon not elsewhere specified or included. Lampblack pigment powder uses 2803 00 00 00 and carries 0% duty from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is recorded. The application rows repeat the same commodity line.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. For a China-to-England shipment subject to waste notification controls, shipment must wait for consent from the Environment Agency and the other competent authorities involved. Ask your customs broker to confirm whether the material is waste and the applicable import procedure; confirm export requirements before returning rejected material.

Confirm the commodity code for the actual composition and supplied form, especially dispersions and masterbatches. For the wider heading, see carbon black from China. Use the import duty and VAT guide for landed-cost calculations.

Specify lampblack in your binder

Specify lampblack pigment explicitly, its production route, supplied form and any surface treatment or additives. Agree jetness, undertone, tint strength and dispersibility against an approved sample. Test it in the intended ink, coating or plastic formulation using the same pigment loading and mixing method. Agree checks for moisture, ash, grit and oil absorption rather than accepting a grade name alone.

For supply in Great Britain, importers are responsible for chemical classification and correct labelling and packaging before placing chemicals on the market. Check whether a first import requires UK REACH registration; see UK REACH for importers. Request the supplier's safety data sheet and batch analysis, and plan handling to minimise dust.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of bagged lampblack pigment powder for a coating business under 2803 00 00 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,000, so it is £4,800. 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: match the ordered lampblack grade, declared additives, batch analysis and bag markings; retain a sample from each lot.

Colour: compare jetness, undertone and tint strength with the approved sample in the intended binder, using the agreed preparation method.

Dispersion: check the prepared ink or coating for agglomerates, grit and visible specks; compare moisture, ash and oil absorption with the contract.

Packing: check sealed liners, dry bags, legible batch identification, net weights and powder leakage; photograph damage before unloading.

What goes wrong

A supplier substitutes another black pigment, or the lampblack matches as dry powder but gives a different undertone in the finished formulation. Poor dispersion produces specks, while changing oil absorption can alter viscosity and processing. Moisture, grit and torn bags make an otherwise acceptable batch difficult to use.

Keep the approved sample and preparation method with the purchase specification. Compare arrival samples before releasing the lot into production, and agree how failed batches will be investigated. A generic carbon-black certificate does not establish that the delivered lampblack performs in your formulation.

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.