Sourcing metal cans, drums and tins from China
Iron or steel tanks, drums, kegs, cans, tins and boxes of 300 litres or less from China, including food cans, gift tins and paint cans, pay 0% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. Tins for food need food contact evidence for the lacquer, drums for dangerous goods need UN packaging approval, and metal packaging counts for packaging EPR. Cambridge China Bridge sources cans, tins and drums.
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Zero duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, iron or steel containers of heading 7310, from 50 to 300 litres and under 50 litres, including cans for preserving food or drink, other cans with thin or thick walls, and other containers, carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Aluminium cans are in heading 7612, and containers over 300 litres in 7309; confirm the commodity code. For aluminium packaging, see our aluminium container sourcing guide.
All the lines in the table above are in the iron and steel sector of the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which applies to imports from 1 January 2027. An importer who expects £50,000 or more of CBAM goods within 30 days, or has imported that much in the previous 12 months, must register, keep records for 6 years, and should ask suppliers for emissions data now. See our UK CBAM guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Containers of 50 to 300 litres, other | 7310 10 00 90 | 0% | None |
| Cans for preserving food | 7310 21 11 00 | 0% | None |
| Cans for preserving drink | 7310 21 19 00 | 0% | None |
| Other closed cans, wall under 0.5 mm | 7310 21 91 00 | 0% | None |
| Other containers, wall under 0.5 mm, such as gift tins | 7310 29 10 00 | 0% | None |
| Other containers, other | 7310 29 90 90 | 0% | None |
Food contact
Tins that hold food need food contact evidence for the tinplate and any internal lacquer, with a declaration of compliance and migration test report. Printed outer surfaces should not transfer to food.
Dangerous goods and packaging EPR
Drums and cans used to transport dangerous goods generally must be UN-approved packaging tested for that use, with the UN marking on each unit, unless a transport exemption applies, so ask for the test certificate where approval is required. Metal packaging you supply also counts towards packaging EPR reporting, although steel is outside Plastic Packaging Tax.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 20,000 printed gift tins under 7310 29 10 00, invoiced at £12,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £13,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £13,500, so it is £2,700. 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
Material and seams: tinplate thickness and tin coating mass checked against the grade ordered under BS EN 10202, and double seams on food cans torn down and measured for seam thickness, width and overlap against the can maker's specification on samples from each line.
Food contact and lacquer: a declaration of compliance for the tinplate and internal lacquer, overall and specific migration results for the intended foods, and confirmation that epoxy coatings meet the bisphenol A limits of retained Regulation 2018/213, with lacquer coverage checked for bare spots on opened samples.
Transport and print: drums and cans for dangerous goods checked for the UN marking and the test report for drop, leakproofness and hydraulic pressure tests for the packing group and product, printed tins measured for colour against the approved proof, and dents, rust spots and lid pull force checked on cartons sampled to ISO 2859-1.
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What goes wrong
Tins fail on rust, dents and print. Tinplate that is too thin dents in the carton, seams that are not sealed let in moisture, and lids that are too tight or too loose frustrate customers. Printed tins show colour shift between runs, scratches from stacking and misregistered artwork. For food tins, an internal lacquer that is not food grade is the costly mistake.
Specify tinplate thickness, internal lacquer, lid fit and embossing, approve a printed pre-production sample, and at inspection check dents, rust spots, print registration against the proof, lid pull force and packing with dividers.
Print and inspection
Approve printed tins on a pre-production sample with Pantone references, and specify seams, lids and embossing. At inspection, check dents, rust, print registration and lid fit.
Cambridge China Bridge sources food cans, gift tins and steel drums, with food contact, UN approval and print settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.
Related guides: Sourcing aluminium tubes and aerosol cans. For steel packaging, see our guide to sourcing steel aerosol cans.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on tin cans from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, iron or steel cans, tins, drums and boxes of 300 litres or less carried 0% duty from China.
Do food tins need testing?
Yes. Tins holding food need food contact evidence for the tinplate and lacquer, with a declaration of compliance.
Do drums for chemicals need approval?
Drums used to transport dangerous goods generally must be UN-approved packaging with the UN marking, unless an applicable transport exemption applies.
Are aluminium cans in heading 7310?
No. Aluminium cans are in heading 7612.