Sourcing lard stearin from China

Lard stearin duty and import eligibility

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 1503 covers lard stearin and related animal fat fractions, not emulsified, mixed or otherwise prepared. Lard stearin falls within the industrial-use or other-use stearin lines. Both carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension recorded. The comparison rows cover other products, not alternative lard stearin codes. See the wider animal fat fractions guide.

Before ordering ordinary food-grade lard stearin from China, ask APHA and your customs broker to confirm whether it can be imported into Great Britain and which animal-origin food restrictions apply. Industrial goods need a separate eligibility check with APHA and your customs broker. Both stearin lines have veterinary and waste import and export controls attached. Confirm their application before shipment. Where veterinary checks apply, consignments must enter through an approved border control post.

The other-use stearin line also has organic import control. Confirm consignment inspection-certificate requirements with the relevant organic control body, and ask APHA and your customs broker separately about food import eligibility. If the material is waste, ask your broker and environmental authority to establish the applicable shipment route. Under notification controls, shipment cannot start until the relevant authorities consent. Confirm the commodity code from the fraction, processing history and intended use.

Specify the pig-fat fraction and melting behaviour

Specify lard stearin as the solid fraction of pig fat. Record the raw-material source, fractionation and refining steps, intended industrial process and whether anything has been added. A specification saying only ‘animal stearin’ leaves the species and fraction unclear. Keep the illustrative industrial order conditional on import eligibility.

Agree melting behaviour, acid value, peroxide value, moisture, insoluble impurities, colour and odour against a retained sample. Describe the packing format and storage conditions. For the rendered-fat route outside the feed chain, ask APHA to confirm establishment approval requirements for export to Great Britain. Use factory verification to compare the producer’s identity with its records.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative only: 20 tonnes of industrial lard stearin, conditional on confirmed import eligibility under 1503 00 11 00, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £34,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £34,000, so it is £6,800. 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. 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 pig-fat origin, stearin fraction and intended use across the purchase order, batch analysis and shipping documents.

Performance: compare melting behaviour with the retained sample and test acid value, peroxide value, moisture and insoluble impurities against the agreed specification.

Packing: check seals, leaks, container cleanliness, batch markings and storage records on arrival.

Documents: match the delivered batch to the confirmed import route and establishment records. For the rendered-fat route outside the feed chain, packaging must indicate that the contents are not for human or animal consumption. Arrange quality inspection before dispatch.

What goes wrong

A supplier offers food-grade lard stearin and treats the duty rate as permission to ship. Confirm with APHA and your customs broker whether ordinary food-grade material from China can be imported into Great Britain. Changing the invoice to ‘industrial’ does not establish eligibility. Resolve the actual end use and import route before paying for production.

A batch can meet a generic supplier specification yet melt differently in the buyer’s process. Other failures include rancid odour, excess moisture, sediment and contamination from reused containers. Agree acceptance criteria using the retained sample and inspect the actual shipment batch.

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.