Sourcing nickel bars, wire and mesh from China
Nickel bars, rods, profiles and wire from China pay 0% UK duty if unalloyed and 2% if of nickel alloys such as nickel-chromium or nickel-copper, while nickel wire cloth, mesh and other articles of nickel, such as plating anodes, pay 0%, with no anti-dumping duty. Nickel is expensive, so prove the alloy with mill certificates and positive material identification.
Pure nickel and nickel alloy bars, rods and wire, nickel mesh, anodes and other nickel articles from China pay 0% or 2% UK duty. Certificates and PMI tests.
0% or 2% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, nickel bars, rods, profiles and wire, heading 7505, carried 0% on goods from China if of nickel, not alloyed, and 2% if of nickel alloys. Other articles of nickel, heading 7508, carried 0% for cloth, grill and netting of nickel wire and for other articles. No line carried an anti-dumping measure.
Nickel plates, sheet, strip and foil are under heading 7506 and nickel tubes under 7507, so confirm the commodity code from the form and whether the metal is alloyed.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, rods and profiles of nickel, not alloyed | 7505 11 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Bars, rods and profiles of nickel alloys | 7505 12 00 00 | 2% | None |
| Wire of nickel, not alloyed | 7505 21 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Wire of nickel alloys (such as nickel-chromium resistance wire) | 7505 22 00 00 | 2% | None |
| Cloth, grill and netting of nickel wire | 7508 10 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Other articles of nickel (such as plating anodes) | 7508 90 00 00 | 0% | None |
Certificates and substances
Ask for a mill certificate to EN 10204 type 3.1 stating the alloy, heat number, chemical composition and mechanical properties, and check the alloy against the specification you buy to. Nickel is a skin sensitiser, so articles in prolonged skin contact must meet the UK REACH nickel release limit, and a safety data sheet is needed for nickel powders and anodes.
Specifying nickel products
Specify alloy and specification, diameter or section and tolerance, condition (annealed, cold drawn), surface finish, length or coil weight, for resistance wire the resistance per metre, for mesh the wire diameter, aperture and weave, and packing.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: 2 tonnes of nickel-chromium resistance wire, commodity code 7505 22 00 00, bought for £46,000 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance, so £46,900 is the value customs works from. Duty at the 2% rate for nickel alloy wire is £938. VAT at 20% applies to £47,838, so £9,567.60. A VAT-registered buyer usually recovers the VAT, so the border adds £938 to the landed cost. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.
Inspection checklist
Identity: run positive material identification with a handheld analyser on samples from each heat, and compare with the mill certificate.
Dimensions and properties: measure diameter and tolerance, check resistance per metre for resistance wire, and aperture and weave for mesh.
Packing and marking: check each bundle or coil is tagged with alloy and heat number and packed against damage.
What goes wrong
Nickel orders fail on alloy identity and paperwork. A lower-nickel alloy is supplied under a premium grade name, heat numbers on tags do not match certificates, resistance wire is out of tolerance, mesh apertures vary, and certificates are generic rather than for the actual heat.
Test samples by PMI, match certificates to heats, and measure the critical property. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources nickel bars, wire and mesh for UK heating element makers, platers and engineers, checking the mill's certificates first. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on nickel wire from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, unalloyed nickel wire (7505 21 00 00) carried 0% from China and nickel alloy wire (7505 22 00 00) 2%.
What about nickel mesh and anodes?
Nickel wire cloth and mesh (7508 10 00 00) and other nickel articles (7508 90 00 00) carried 0%.
How do I check the alloy?
Positive material identification on samples, matched to an EN 10204 type 3.1 mill certificate for the heat.
Is there anti-dumping duty on nickel from China?
No. Headings 7505 and 7508 had no UK anti-dumping measure on 27 September 2026.