Sourcing Oleamide from China

Oleamide duty and the residual amide code

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 2924 covers carboxyamide-function compounds and amide-function compounds of carbonic acid. Oleamide supplied as a separate chemical fits the residual acyclic-amide description under 2924 19 00 90, subject to confirmation of its composition. The table shows purchasing forms sharing that code, rather than separate tariff subdivisions.

The supplied tariff record gives this line a 6% third-country duty for goods from China and lists no anti-dumping or countervailing measure. Its 0.00 % suspensions name other substances and do not name oleamide. The attached control is waste export control. If the shipment involves waste or a waste return, ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable requirement.

Give your broker the chemical identity, full composition, purity and intended use to confirm the commodity code. Ask for a separate classification review for a blend or polymer masterbatch. Our erucamide guide covers the related fatty-amide product within the wider heading.

Specify oleamide identity and slip performance

Specify oleamide by chemical identity, assay, impurity profile, moisture, residual free fatty acid, colour, melting behaviour and particle form. State whether you want the separate chemical or a formulated additive. Agree test methods and acceptance criteria, and request a batch certificate of analysis. For a slip-additive application, trial the sample in your actual resin and process, including friction, blocking, printing and sealing after storage.

For Great Britain, ask HSE to confirm UK REACH registration requirements for your annual imports. Before supplying the product, ensure labels and packaging comply with the applicable chemical supply rules. A safety data sheet is required when a hazardous chemical is supplied for workplace use. Arrange a review of the actual grade rather than relying on an unrelated supplier document.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 10 tonnes of technical oleamide; FOB value and freight are hypothetical under 2924 19 00 90, invoiced at £21,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £23,500. Duty at 6% is £1,410. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,910, so it is £4,982. Import taxes total £6,392; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,410 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the purchase specification, bag labels and batch certificate; test a retained sample to distinguish oleamide from erucamide or a blend.

Batch quality: check assay, moisture, free fatty acid, colour and melting behaviour against the agreed methods and limits.

Physical condition: inspect for caking, foreign particles, torn liners and damp bags; confirm the agreed powder, flake or granule form.

Process performance: compare the delivered batch with the approved sample in the intended resin, checking friction, blocking, print adhesion and seal strength.

What goes wrong

A supplier substitutes another fatty amide or changes the blend while retaining the same trade description. The material may look similar but behave differently in your process. Other rejection points include excess free fatty acid, colour variation, moisture, caking and a particle form that feeds poorly. Keep an approved sample and agree how disputed batches will be sampled and tested.

An acceptable assay alone does not establish acceptable film performance. A batch can pass the chemical specification yet give unwanted surface bloom or poor printing and sealing results. Test the material through the intended process and storage conditions before releasing the shipment for production.

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.