LED backlights and electrical parts from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, electrical parts of machinery or apparatus not specified or included elsewhere in chapter 85, heading 8548, carried 0% on goods from China on every line: multicombinational memories such as stacked DRAM modules, LED backlight modules for LCDs, listed resonator units, contact image sensors, EMI filters, listed optical units and other electrical parts. No line carried an anti-dumping measure.

Parts made for a particular machine are usually classified with that machine's parts heading first, so check whether a more specific parts heading applies before using 8548; see our LED lighting guide for LED lamps and finding your commodity code.

Restricted substances

Parts going into electrical products sold in the UK must let the finished product meet the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2012, so ask for RoHS declarations and material data for each part number, and a statement on substances of very high concern for plastics and adhesives.

Specifying backlights and parts

Specify the drawing and part number, LED count, colour temperature and binning, luminance and uniformity, forward voltage and current, connector and cable, light guide and film stack, dimensions and tolerances, and packing against static and scratches.

Worked duty example

For a made-up shipment of 20,000 LED backlight modules under 8548 00 30 00, add the £1,200 of freight and insurance to the £42,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £43,200. Duty on backlight modules is zero, leaving import VAT of £8,640, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.

Inspection checklist

Light output: measure luminance and uniformity on samples with a meter and check colour consistency between batches.

Fit and electrics: check dimensions and connectors against the drawing, and forward voltage and current.

Packing: check antistatic packing, protective films and cartons that stop the light guide scratching.

What goes wrong

Backlight and parts orders fail on binning, fit and handling. LEDs from mixed bins give uneven colour, connectors or dimensions differ from the drawing, light guides scratch, and parts fail early from overdriving.

Specify bins and drawings, measure samples, and check packing. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources LED backlights and electrical parts for UK display and equipment makers, and can add lot checks to an existing supplier. See existing suppliers.