Sourcing manual cherry pitters from China

UK duty on manual cherry pitters

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 8210 covers hand-operated mechanical appliances weighing 10 kg or less used to prepare, condition or serve food or drink. Manual mechanical cherry pitters fall within this description. The supplied tariff file contains only one commodity line, shown above.

Goods from China carry 2% duty. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control. Confirm the commodity code against the actual mechanism and product description before shipment.

For other appliances in this heading, see the manual kitchen gadgets guide.

Specify the fruit cup and pitting mechanism

Specify handheld or bench-mounted construction, the intended cherry size range, fruit cup shape, plunger travel and stone exit opening. Agree the metal grades, plastic materials, spring construction, handle finish and cleaning method. Test the approved sample with cherries across the agreed size range, recording missed stones, crushed fruit and jams.

Ask the relevant food safety authority to confirm how Regulation 1935/2004 applies to the food-contact parts and whether Regulation 10/2011 requires a declaration of compliance and supporting evidence for the plastic parts and their intended use. Include the fruit cup, plunger, splash shield and collection tray where they touch fruit or juice.

Consumer products sold in Great Britain must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. Assess finger clearance, exposed plunger tips and spring return on the assembled pitter. Agree clear operating and cleaning instructions, and substantiate any dishwasher-safe claim with testing.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 3,000 manual cherry pitters under 8210 00 00 00, invoiced at £4,500 free on board, with £450 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £4,950. Duty at 2% is £99. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £5,049, so it is £1,009.80. Import taxes total £1,108.80; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £99 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Pitting action: check that the plunger enters the fruit cup cleanly, ejects the stone and returns without sticking; inspect fruit for retained stones and excessive tearing.

Mechanism and finish: check spring return, hinge play, handle security, sharp burrs, finger traps and movement of any bench clamp or suction base.

Materials and cleaning: match food-contact documents to the supplied materials; inspect for flaking coatings, rust, trapped pulp and inaccessible juice residues.

Packing and instructions: check that the pitter cannot operate through its packaging, any storage lock holds, all removable parts are present and cleaning instructions match the assembly.

What goes wrong

A poorly aligned plunger can miss the stone or strike the cup. A narrow exit can trap stones, while a weak return spring leaves the mechanism stuck. Loose hinges change the alignment under pressure. Use real fruit during sample approval and arrival inspection rather than accepting an empty demonstration.

Juice can collect around hinge pins and beneath removable cups. Coatings can wear where the plunger rubs, and an unsuitable metal can rust after washing. Agree cleaning access and material evidence before production, then compare delivered stock with the approved sample.

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.