Sourcing natural sausage casings from China
Natural casings and other animal guts, bladders and stomachs from China pay 0% UK duty, whether fresh, frozen, salted, dried or smoked, with no anti-dumping duty. Casings are products of animal origin, so they must come from an approved country and establishment, with a health certificate and pre-notification, and pass border checks.
Natural hog, sheep and beef casings and other animal guts, bladders and stomachs from China pay 0% UK duty. Animal-origin import rules and grading explained.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 0504 covers guts, bladders and stomachs of animals other than fish, whole and pieces, fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, in brine, dried or smoked. Both lines, casings and other products, carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Artificial casings of collagen, cellulose or plastics are classified by material in chapter 39 or elsewhere, and fish maws are heading 0511 or 0305, so confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casings | 0504 00 00 10 | 0% | None |
| Other guts, bladders and stomachs | 0504 00 00 90 | 0% | None |
Animal-origin import controls
Casings for food are products of animal origin. They may only be imported from countries and establishments approved for casings, with the correct health certificate, pre-notified on the import system before arrival and checked at a border control post. Check the approval status of the country and the processing plant for the species before ordering.
Casings and other guts not intended for human consumption are animal by-products under retained Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 and follow separate conditions.
Specifying casings
Specify species (hog, sheep or beef), calibre range, length per hank or bundle, number of pieces per hank, grade (defects allowed), preservation (dry salt, brine), tubed or untubed, packing in drums or bags, and storage temperature.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: 5 tonnes of salted natural hog casings in drums, commodity code 0504 00 00 10, bought for £60,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £63,000. Customs duty is 0%. Check the VAT liability of the product with HMRC's food guidance: if it is standard-rated, import VAT at 20% is £12,600, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.
Inspection checklist
Documents: check the health certificate, establishment approval and pre-notification before shipping.
Grading: measure calibre and length on sampled hanks, count holes and weak spots, and check colour and odour.
Storage: check salt coverage, drum seals and temperature records in transit.
What goes wrong
Casing orders fail on approval, grading and paperwork. The plant is not approved for the species, calibre and length do not match the order, holes cause bursting on the filling machine, and consignments are held at the border because the certificate is wrong.
Confirm approval first, grade samples, and check documents before shipping. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources natural casings for UK butchers and sausage makers, checking the processor's approval and grading first. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on sausage casings from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, casings (0504 00 00 10) carried 0% from China.
Do casings need a health certificate?
Yes. They are products of animal origin and must come from an approved establishment with a health certificate.
Are collagen casings in the same heading?
No. Artificial casings are classified by material, outside heading 0504.
What decides casing grade?
Calibre, length, number of pieces per hank and the defects allowed.