Sourcing Lanolin Wax from China

Zero duty, with animal by-product checks

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 1505 covers wool grease and fatty substances derived from it, including lanolin. Lanolin wax belongs within the derived-substances family; check 1505 00 90 00 against the actual composition and processing. The supplied facts contain only this relevant line, so the table does not create separate codes for different wax grades.

The duty for goods from China is 0%, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension recorded. The tariff attaches veterinary control, import control for waste and export control for waste. Ask your customs broker to confirm the veterinary documents and whether either waste control applies to the consignment.

Animal by-product consignments must enter through an approved border control post. Describe the wax's processing and intended use to APHA and your broker, and agree pre-notification, documents and the receiving premises before dispatch. Confirm classification using finding your commodity code. For related products across the heading, see lanolin oil sourcing.

Specify the wax fraction and melting behaviour

Define what the supplier means by lanolin wax: a separated wax fraction, its refining process and any added ingredients. Agree melting or softening behaviour, hardness, colour, odour and performance in your formulation. Set acceptance criteria for moisture, acid value, peroxide value and pesticide residues, with named test methods and a batch-specific certificate of analysis.

For consignments following the wool-grease import route, a commercial document signed by the manufacturer or consignor is required. If APHA confirms the intermediate-product route applies, the producing establishment must be approved to export to Great Britain. Ask your broker to settle the applicable route rather than accepting a supplier's generic paperwork.

If you sell the wax as a finished cosmetic product to consumers in Great Britain, a qualified safety assessor must check its safety before it is made available. For bulk ingredient purchases, give the formulator the composition, impurity results and processing information needed to assess the finished formulation.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 4 tonnes of refined lanolin wax in drums under 1505 00 90 00, invoiced at £36,000 free on board, with £1,400 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £37,400. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £37,400, so it is £7,480. 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. 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: match the wax fraction, ingredient declaration, batch marks and analysis certificate to the approved sample.

Performance: test melting or softening behaviour and hardness, then check compatibility in the intended balm, cream or coating.

Condition: compare colour and odour with the retained sample; test moisture, acid value, peroxide value and agreed residues.

Packing and records: check drum seals, liners, leaks and contamination on arrival; reconcile batch marks with the import documents. Use quality inspection explained to brief the inspection.

What goes wrong

The name lanolin wax can conceal a different fraction or an added wax blend. The material may be too soft, too hard or incompatible with the buyer's formulation. Old or overheated stock can darken and develop an off-odour. Approve a sample by performance and composition, then compare the shipment against it.

Paperwork can describe generic lanolin while the supplied material has different processing or intended use. Settle those details before shipment. If material is waste sent to England under notification controls, consent from the dispatch, transit and destination authorities is required before it moves; ask your broker to confirm the applicable waste requirements.

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.