Sourcing metal bird feeders from China

Duty depends on the feeder's construction

Heading 7326 covers other articles of iron or steel. Wire feeders and fabricated sheet-steel feeders have different candidate lines. The component rows below apply only where the manufacturing process and condition match their descriptions; they are not alternative codes for every finished feeder. Aluminium feeders need a separate classification.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, the listed candidate lines carry 2% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty recorded. The suspensions on the stamped and forged lines describe specialised goods, not ordinary feeder components. The residual finished-article line has no suspension and attaches torture-and-repression import and export controls. Confirm the linked descriptions and any declaration requirement with your customs broker; do not treat the heading-level flag as a ban on bird feeders.

Confirm the commodity code using photographs, materials and manufacturing details. Our pet products guide covers the wider range. Confirm with HMRC or your customs broker whether the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism will apply to your imports and include any applicable future obligation in your import planning.

Specify mesh, drainage and cleaning access

Describe the intended feed: peanuts, seeds or fat balls. Agree mesh openings, feeding ports, perch shape, capacity, lid fastening and how the feeder hangs. Specify the steel grade, wire diameter or sheet thickness, weld locations and coating against an approved sample. Require access for emptying and cleaning, with drainage that remains open after coating.

For consumer feeders sold in Great Britain, the importer must ensure safety in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. Review sharp edges, detachable fittings and lid or hanger failure when filling and cleaning. Where reasonable, the product or packaging must identify the responsible producer by name and address and carry a product or batch reference.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 5,000 wire bird feeders under 7326 20 00 90, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £5,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £35,000. Duty at 2% is £700. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £35,700, so it is £7,140. Import taxes total £7,840; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £700 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Mesh and edges: compare openings with the approved sample and check cut wire ends, seams and feeding ports for burrs.

Hanging assembly: load the feeder with its intended feed and check the hanger, lid catch, welds and any supplied bracket.

Drainage and cleaning: wet the sample, check that water drains, and empty and reassemble it without trapped feed.

Finish and identification: check coating coverage around welds and inside the base, rubbing in the carton, and agreed traceability details. Use the approved sample for inspection.

What goes wrong

A supplier can change mesh or wire thickness while keeping the same overall shape. Feed then escapes, filling becomes awkward, or the hanging assembly bends. Keep the approved sample and drawing together, and check production against both rather than accepting a catalogue photograph.

Coating can bridge drainage holes or miss weld recesses. Trapped water wets feed, exposed steel rusts, and loosely packed feeders scrape each other in transit. Inspect a packed sample as well as an unpacked feeder, and agree separators and protection for projecting perches.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification.