Sourcing natural bitumen from China

Zero duty across the heading

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 18 November 2026, heading 2714 covers natural bitumen and asphalt, bituminous or oil-shale and tar sands, asphaltites and asphaltic rocks. The supplied extract contains only the commodity lines shown in the table.

Both lines carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The extract attaches import and export waste controls to both. Waste shipment controls apply only if the material is waste. For a Chinese shipment to England under notification controls, the exporter applies to the dispatch authority, and shipment must await the Environment Agency's consent and that of the other authorities involved.

Have your customs broker confirm the waste requirement for the actual material and destination. Confirm the commodity code using its origin, composition and processing history. Petroleum bitumen is covered separately in our petroleum coke and bitumen guide.

Specify the mineral, not just the trade name

State whether you are buying natural bitumen, asphaltic rock, asphaltite, oil-shale or tar sands. Record the extraction source, processing history and intended use. Agree bituminous content, mineral or ash content, moisture, particle size and acceptable foreign matter, with named test methods and a retained approval sample.

For natural bitumen used as a binder ingredient, agree softening behaviour and compatibility testing with your intended formulation. For asphaltic rock, compare bituminous content and grading together. Ask for a batch certificate of analysis and a safety data sheet.

For supply in Great Britain, review your UK REACH position against the actual substance and use. HSE says UK REACH generally applies to individual chemical substances on their own, in mixtures or in articles. Confirm with HSE or a competent chemical adviser whether any exemption applies to your material. Do not assume that a natural origin settles the position; use our UK REACH guide.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of natural asphalt in bulk bags under 2714 90 00 00, invoiced at £24,000 free on board, with £1,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £25,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £25,800, so it is £5,160. 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 the extraction source, product description and batch references to the order and analysis certificate.

Composition: independently test bituminous content, mineral or ash content and moisture against the agreed specification.

Grading: sample across the consignment and check particle size, fines, lumps and foreign matter against the approved sample.

Packing: inspect bag seams, liners, wet patches and batch marks on arrival; record weights and retain samples. Follow our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A trade name can conceal a different material or an undeclared blend. Excess mineral content changes the effective binder content; excess moisture adds delivered weight and complicates processing. Variable grading, fines and hard lumps can make a production batch behave differently from the approval sample.

A commercial invoice does not settle waste status. Official guidance requires checking whether any country involved classes the material as waste. Obtain the source and processing history before booking transport, and have uncertain classifications reviewed rather than relying on the supplier's product name.

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.