Sourcing methyl ethyl ketone from China

Methyl ethyl ketone: 4% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 20 October 2026, methyl ethyl ketone, also called butanone, falls under 2914 12 00 00 within heading 2914. Goods from China carry 4% duty. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this line.

The tariff attaches an export control for waste. Waste shipment controls only apply where the material is waste; for recovered or spent solvent, ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable requirements before shipping from China. The export-control entry should be checked separately from the import arrangements.

Confirm the substance and composition through finding your commodity code. Solvent blends and thinners fall under heading 3814 in the site's published background. This focused table contains the sole methyl ethyl ketone line in the supplied data. See acetone and ketone solvents for the wider heading.

Specify MEK purity and the compliance position

Specify virgin or recovered material, intended use, assay, water content, acidity, colour and residue on evaporation. Agree the test methods and acceptance limits with the factory. Ask for a batch certificate of analysis and a retained loading sample, then arrange laboratory testing of the first delivery.

Confirm MEK's drug-precursor status with the Home Office. Confirm the Home Office licensing and registration position for your activity before ordering, especially if you will export it onwards. If you have not previously imported the substance, consider whether UK REACH registration is required. Agree an English safety data sheet, GB chemical classification and labelling, and dangerous goods packaging before shipment.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: one tonne of methyl ethyl ketone in drums under 2914 12 00 00, invoiced at £3,500 free on board, with £860 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £4,360. Duty at 4% is £174.40. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £4,534.40, so it is £906.88. Import taxes total £1,081.28; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £174.40 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match butanone on the order, batch certificate, safety data sheet and drum labels; check that the supplier has not substituted a solvent blend.

Batch quality: check assay and impurity profile by gas chromatography, water by Karl Fischer titration, and agreed colour, acidity and evaporation residue limits.

Packaging: inspect UN-marked drums suitable for the solvent, closures, gaskets and seals; record damage, leakage and package identifiers before accepting delivery.

Documents: match each batch certificate to the drum numbers, check the English safety data sheet and dangerous goods documents, and retain the loading sample for comparison.

What goes wrong

Water, residue and colour can exceed the agreed grade, while recovered solvent may arrive against a virgin-material order. A certificate stating only purity can miss these differences. Compare arrival samples with the loading sample and the full agreed specification before releasing the batch for use.

Poor drum closures can leak or lose solvent during transport. Inconsistent product names or missing dangerous goods details can interrupt freight booking. Check the labels, packaging and documents together before loading rather than relying on the factory's product description.

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.