Sourcing Maraging Steel Wire from China

UK duty and the relevant wire code

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7229 covers wire of other alloy steel. The relevant candidate for maraging steel wire is 7229 90 90 00, other alloy steel wire, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied record shows no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, steel measure or suspension. Only this line is relevant to the focused table. See the wider alloy steel wire guide.

The tariff attaches an import waste control and also records an export waste control. For imports into England subject to waste notification controls, the exporter must apply for consent to the competent authority in the dispatch country. Before buying scrap, rejected coils or material for recovery from China, ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable waste requirements. Do not treat the tariff code as waste clearance.

Confirm the commodity code using the mill chemistry, manufacturing process and supplied form. Ask your customs broker to confirm whether and when these wire lines fall within the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism. Ask the mill for emissions data and review the UK carbon border adjustment guide before planning future imports.

Specify grade, delivery condition and ageing

Order by an agreed material specification and chemistry, rather than the description “maraging wire” alone. Specify diameter, tolerance, surface finish, coil or spool arrangement, delivery condition and intended use. Ask for heat-linked chemistry covering nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, titanium and carbon as applicable to the chosen grade.

State whether the wire is supplied solution-treated, cold-drawn or aged. Agree the mechanical properties to be demonstrated in the delivery condition and after your intended ageing treatment. For welding or deposition, agree winding, feeding behaviour and a trial using your own equipment. Keep the accepted sample and its test results as the purchase reference.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 1 tonne of maraging steel wire in coils under 7229 90 90 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,500, so it is £4,900. 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.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match each coil label and packing list to the heat number and mill chemistry certificate.

Dimensions: measure diameter and ovality along sampled wire, and check winding, kinks and surface defects.

Condition: compare hardness and tensile results with the agreed delivery condition; test an aged sample when aged performance is part of the order.

Packing: check moisture protection, coil restraint and spool damage before storage or feeding. Set the sampling scope through the quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A grade name can conceal a chemistry substitution or an unsuitable delivery condition. Test results from an aged specimen can also be mistaken for the properties of the wire as delivered. Keep these conditions separate in the order and require results linked to the supplied heat.

Mixed heats, surface scoring, rust and poor winding can make an otherwise acceptable material unusable in your process. Approve a production-representative sample, trial the intended treatment or feeding process, and hold unidentified coils apart until their records are resolved.

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.