Sourcing pencils, crayons and paint sets
Pencils, leads, pastels and drawing charcoals from China pay 2% UK duty, and artists', students' and children's colours in sets or tubes 0%, with no anti-dumping duty. Crayons and paint sets made for children are toys under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, tested to EN 71-3 for heavy metals, and finger paints to EN 71-7. Cambridge China Bridge sources art materials.
Buying from China for a business? How our UK China sourcing agent service works · China sourcing agent for small orders and first imports
2% or 0%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, pencils with graphite and other leads, pencil leads, and pastels and drawing charcoals carried 2% duty on goods from China, other articles of heading 9609 such as writing and tailors' chalks 0%, and artists', students' or signboard painters' colours, modifying tints and amusement colours in sets or other packings 0%, with no anti-dumping measure. Pens and markers are covered in the pens guide; confirm the commodity code for wax crayons and mixed sets.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pencils with graphite leads | 9609 10 10 00 | 2% | None |
| Other pencils, such as coloured pencils | 9609 10 90 00 | 2% | None |
| Pencil leads, black or coloured | 9609 20 00 00 | 2% | None |
| Pastels and drawing charcoals | 9609 90 10 00 | 2% | None |
| Other, such as writing and tailors' chalks | 9609 90 90 00 | 0% | None |
| Artists' and students' colours in sets | 3213 10 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Other artists' and students' colours | 3213 90 00 00 | 0% | None |
Toy safety and chemicals
Crayons, coloured pencils, paint sets and modelling materials designed or intended for use in play by children under 14 are toys under the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, so they need UKCA or CE marking, a declaration of conformity and compliance with the essential safety requirements. Testing to EN 71-1, EN 71-2 and EN 71-3 is a common way to demonstrate compliance; EN 71-3 limits the migration of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and chromium. EN 71-7 covers finger paints, including permitted colourants and preservatives and a bitter taste, but using these standards is voluntary. For textile craft kits, see our guide to needlework and cross-stitch kits.
Artists' colours sold to adults fall under general product safety law and GB CLP, so paints containing hazardous pigments such as some cadmium or cobalt compounds need hazard labelling. Pencil coatings and lacquers on children's products are covered by the same EN 71-3 limits.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 500,000 graphite pencils, entered under 9609 10 10 00: £25,000 free on board plus £2,000 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £27,000. The 2% duty on graphite pencils comes to £540, and import VAT is 20% of £27,540, which is £5,508. If you are VAT-registered you normally reclaim the £5,508, leaving £540 as the real cost at the border. A children's paint set under 3213 10 00 00 would pay no duty, only import VAT. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
Spread over 500,000 pencils, the duty is about a tenth of a penny each, so for pencils the cost that matters is the unit price and the safety testing of anything sold to children.
What goes wrong
Art materials fail on chemistry, breakage and colour. Paint and pencil coatings exceed EN 71-3 migration limits for lead or chromium, children's sets are sold without toy testing, and finger paints use colourants not on the permitted list. Pencil leads snap inside the wood because they were not bonded, crayons are waxy with weak colour, paint cakes crack or go mouldy, and colours vary between batches.
Test samples of every colour for EN 71-3 migration in an accredited laboratory, check the toy declaration of conformity and markings for children's products, drop-test pencils and sharpen them to check lead bonding, check paint cakes for cracking and mould after warm storage, compare colour against approved swatches, and check small parts and age warnings on sets.
Cambridge China Bridge sources pencils, crayons, pastels and paint sets for retail and education, with toy testing and colour approval agreed before production. See how we source art and stationery. For the reverse trade route, see exporting UK stationery to China.
Pencil leads are made from graphite; natural flake graphite from China now needs a Chinese export licence, covered in our natural graphite guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on pencils from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, pencils, pencil leads, pastels and drawing charcoals carried 2% duty from China.
What duty do paint sets pay?
Artists', students' and children's colours in sets or other packings pay 0%.
Are children's crayons and paints toys?
Yes. Art materials made for play by children under 14 are toys and need compliance with the essential safety requirements and UKCA or CE marking. EN 71 testing is a common way to demonstrate compliance, but use of these standards is voluntary.
Which standard covers finger paints?
EN 71-7 covers finger paints, alongside EN 71-3 for heavy metals.