Sourcing natural cork blocks and sheets from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, heading 4502 covers natural cork, debacked or roughly squared, or in rectangular (including square) blocks, plates, sheets or strip, including sharp-edged blanks for corks or stoppers. It is a single code carrying 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Finished natural cork stoppers are covered in our natural cork stoppers guide, and agglomerated cork in our cork products guide; confirm the commodity code.

Specifying natural cork

Specify grade by visual quality (pores and defects), density, thickness and tolerance, sheet or block size, moisture content, and whether it is boiled and treated. Cork used for food contact items needs the right compliance documents for the finished article.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 2,000 natural cork sheets for craft and noticeboards under 4502 00 00 00, invoiced at £5,000 free on board, with £600 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £5,600. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £5,600, so it is £1,120. 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

Grade: compare samples against the approved grade standard.

Dimensions: measure thickness and size tolerance across a batch.

Moisture and packing: check moisture and that packing prevents mould. See our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

Natural cork orders fail on grade, thickness and mould. Lower grades are mixed in, thickness varies, and damp cork grows mould in transit.

Cambridge China Bridge sources cork and natural materials for UK craft and product makers from small lots; see small orders.