Sourcing nickel scrap from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 7503 covers nickel waste and scrap. Both lines, scrap of unalloyed nickel and scrap of nickel alloys, carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Nickel bars, wire and other wrought nickel are heading 7505 to 7508 (see our nickel bars, wire and mesh guide), and stainless steel scrap is 7204, so confirm the commodity code from the alloy. For finished tubular products, see our guide to nickel tubes and pipe fittings. For steel scrap moving from the UK to China, see our steel scrap export guide.

Waste shipment rules

Scrap is waste in law, so imports into Great Britain are controlled by the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007 and retained Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 on shipments of waste. Which procedure applies depends on how the scrap is classified and whether it goes for recovery, so confirm the waste classification, the paperwork and the receiving facility's permit before shipping.

Buyers also screen scrap for radioactive contamination and for hazardous residues such as oils and coatings, and agree how the assay will be sampled and who pays for umpire analysis.

Specifying nickel scrap

Specify the grade (for example pure nickel cathode offcuts, turnings or solids, or named alloys such as nickel-copper or nickel-chromium grades), minimum nickel content, limits for iron, copper, cobalt and other elements, oil and moisture limits, piece size, packing and the sampling and assay method.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 10 tonnes of unalloyed nickel scrap, commodity code 7503 00 10 00, bought for £120,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance, so £123,000 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on nickel scrap; import VAT at 20% of £123,000 is £24,600. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

Inspection checklist

Sorting: check each lot with a handheld XRF analyser to confirm alloy grade and to find mixed-in alloys.

Contamination: check for oil, coolant, moisture, coatings and foreign material, and screen containers for radiation.

Weight and assay: witness weighing and sampling, seal samples, and agree the independent laboratory for assay.

What goes wrong

Nickel scrap orders fail on assay, mixing and paperwork. Nickel content falls short of the invoice, cheaper alloys are mixed in, turnings arrive oily or wet, and shipments are held because the waste documents or permits do not match.

Sort and sample independently, agree assay rules in the contract, and settle the waste procedure first. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources nickel and nickel alloy scrap for UK melt shops and alloy makers, checking the supplier's sorting and assay records first. See factory verification.

Related guides: Sourcing cobalt metal and powders from China.