Sourcing manganese metal from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 8111 covers manganese and articles thereof, including waste and scrap: unwrought manganese and powders, waste and scrap, and other manganese articles. All 3 lines carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure and no tariff suspension. The waste and scrap line is subject to waste import controls.

Ferromanganese and silicomanganese are ferro-alloys of heading 7202 (see our ferro-alloys guide), and manganese ore is 2602, so confirm the commodity code.

Chemical rules

Manganese metal is a substance for UK REACH, so importers of one tonne or more a year need a registration position. Any required safety data sheet follows UK REACH, and classification and labelling follow the retained CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008. Fine powders need dust control in handling.

Dust and workplace safety in Great Britain

Manganese flake is coarse, but manganese powder and the fines that break off flake in transit can form a combustible dust. Under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, a dust that can form an explosive mixture with air is a dangerous substance, and regulation 5 requires an employer where it is present to assess the risk, using the supplier's safety data sheet among other information. An alloy maker feeding powder or screening flake should ask the supplier for the powder's particle size and any explosibility data, and set a limit on fines in the flake specification.

Specifying manganese

Specify form (flake, briquette or powder), manganese content, limits for selenium, sulphur, carbon, iron and silicon, flake size or powder particle size, passivation, and packing in drums or bulk bags with moisture protection. For cobalt procurement, see our cobalt metal and powders sourcing guide.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 25 tonnes of electrolytic manganese flake, commodity code 8111 00 11 00, bought for £52,000 free on board, with £2,600 of freight and insurance, so £54,600 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on manganese flake; import VAT at 20% of £54,600 is £10,920. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

Inspection checklist

Chemistry: check the certificate of analysis against the specified manganese and impurity limits, and verify on a sample with an independent laboratory for large lots. For bismuth purity specifications, see our bismuth sourcing guide.

Form: check flake size and thickness distribution or powder particle size, and look for oxidation.

Packing: check drum or bag integrity, lot marking and net weight.

What goes wrong

Manganese orders fail on impurities and oxidation. Selenium or sulphur is above the alloy maker's limit, flakes oxidise in damp storage, powders arrive with the wrong particle size, and certificates are not traceable to the lot.

Test lots independently and check packing before shipping. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources manganese metal for UK aluminium and steel alloy producers, checking the producer's analysis first. See factory verification.