Sourcing palm kernel olein from China

Duty on palm kernel olein

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 1513 covers coconut, palm kernel and babassu oils and their fractions, refined or not, but not chemically modified. This guide concerns palm kernel olein, the liquid fraction. For solid fractions within the wider heading, see palm kernel stearin. Confirm the commodity code using the composition, processing, intended use and immediate packing size.

For goods from China, other bulk olein under 1513 29 90 00 carries 8%; immediate packs not exceeding 1 kg under 1513 29 50 00 carry 12%. Technical or industrial uses excluding food manufacture carry 4%. The recorded suspension under 1513 29 30 20 is 0.00 % for listed chemical manufacturing uses, subject to authorised-use customs supervision, and excludes mixtures, preparations and products containing different components. The relevant lines show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty.

The food-use lines attach organic-product controls. Organic olein from China entering Great Britain needs a certificate of inspection for each consignment. Waste import and export controls are also attached. For material classed as waste entering England under notification controls, the Chinese exporter must apply to its dispatch authority for consent. Ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable waste route and documents before shipment.

Specify the olein fraction and its behaviour

Describe the product as palm kernel olein and state whether it is refined, bleached and deodorised. Specify the fatty acid profile, iodine value, melting behaviour, free fatty acids, peroxide value, moisture, impurities, colour and odour. Agree test methods and acceptance criteria with the supplier. Record any additives, the intended food or industrial use, storage conditions and packing.

For food-grade olein, confirm applicable food hygiene, labelling and contaminant rules with the relevant food authority. A health certificate is not normally needed to import cooking oils. Request batch analysis and contamination testing appropriate to the intended use. Trial the sample in your recipe or process, including its behaviour after cooling, rather than approving it solely because it looks clear when warm.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of food-grade palm kernel olein in bulk under 1513 29 90 00, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £32,500. Duty at 8% is £2,600. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £35,100, so it is £7,020. Import taxes total £9,620; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,600 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Identity: check the batch analysis and fatty acid profile against the approved olein specification. Confirm that the supplier has not substituted whole palm kernel oil, stearin or a blend.

Condition: check odour, colour, free fatty acids and peroxide value on an arrival sample. Compare melting and cooling behaviour under the agreed test conditions.

Packing: check drum or tank seals, leaks, cleanliness and the supplier's storage and transport records. Investigate water, sediment or unexplained separation before using the batch.

Documents: match batch identifiers across the analysis, packing list and labels. Check organic paperwork where applicable. Agree sampling and release checks through quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A supplier quotes palm kernel oil without confirming the olein fraction. The delivered oil then behaves differently during cooling or changes the texture of the buyer's product. Other failures include oxidation during transport, inconsistent refining, moisture contamination and batch certificates that describe a different lot.

Keep an approved sample and a written specification with agreed test conditions. Hold a suspect batch separately while comparing arrival results with the dispatch sample. Do not assume that a suspension for listed industrial processing applies to an ordinary food ingredient.

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.