Sourcing nails, staples and tacks from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, nails of iron or steel wire in strips or coils, other wire nails, and other nails, tacks, drawing pins and similar articles of heading 7317 carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. For horseshoe nails, see our horseshoe nail sourcing guide.

Staples in strips for staplers are in heading 8305, and screws and bolts in 7318; confirm the commodity code.

Standards and coatings

Nails for structural timber connections are dowel-type fasteners under BS EN 14592, a designated standard under the retained Construction Products Regulation, so they need a declaration of performance and UKCA or CE marking. Specify shank type (smooth, ring or screw), head, diameter, length and coating: hot-dip galvanised or stainless nails are needed for treated timber and outdoor work, because electro-galvanised nails rust.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 25 tonnes of collated coil nails under 7317 00 20 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,000, so it is £4,800. 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

Dimensions: shank diameter, length, head diameter and point against BS EN 10230-1 or the agreed drawing, measured on a sample from every lot, with the tolerance written into the order.

Material and coating: a bend test on shanks for ductility, and zinc coating mass on galvanised nails checked against the agreed class for wire coatings in BS EN 10244-2, with hot-dip and electro-galvanised finishes kept apart.

Collation and count: strip or coil collation strength after a drop test, a test-fire in the target gun, and box weight or count against the label, plus the declaration of performance for structural nails under BS EN 14592.

What goes wrong

Nails fail in the gun and in the wood. Collation angle, strip type (paper, plastic or wire) and head shape must match the nail gun or they jam; heads that are too small or off-centre pull through; soft wire bends when driven into hardwood; thin zinc coatings rust and stain timber. For brad nails, see our collated brad nail sourcing guide.

At inspection, gauge diameter and length, test-fire samples in the target gun, check collation and coating thickness, and weigh boxes against the stated count or weight.

Cambridge China Bridge sources collated and loose nails, tacks and fixings, with gun compatibility, coating and standards settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.