Sourcing phosphate flame retardants from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, phosphoric esters and their salts, including lactophosphates, heading 2919, carried 0% on goods from China on all eight lines: tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate, tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), trixylyl phosphate, triethyl phosphate, bisphenol-A bis(diphenyl phosphate), tris(2-chloro-1-methylethyl) phosphate (TCPP), tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate and others. No line had an anti-dumping measure.

Inorganic phosphates are in our phosphates and STPP guide; confirm the commodity code with the CAS number.

Restricted esters

Schedule 2 to the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 sets a content limit of 5 mg/kg for TCEP, TCPP and TDCP in toys for children under 36 months and toys intended to be placed in the mouth, so foam and plastic toy parts need test evidence; see our toy safety guide. Entry 7 of Annex XVII of UK REACH bans tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate in textiles in contact with the skin.

Several chlorinated phosphates are under regulatory review, so ask the buyer's end market before switching foam or plastic grades. Importing one tonne or more a year needs a UK REACH registration or an only representative.

Grades and uses

TCPP is bought for rigid and flexible polyurethane foam on phosphorus and chlorine content, acidity, water and viscosity; BDP and RDP for polycarbonate and ABS blends on triphenyl phosphate content, acid value and colour; trixylyl phosphate as a flame-retardant plasticiser for PVC on purity and colour. The foam sheet guide covers finished foam sheet and laminates.

Worked duty example

For a made-up shipment of 20 tonnes of TCPP flame retardant in IBCs under 2919 90 00 65, add the £2,500 of freight and insurance to the £32,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £34,500. Duty on TCPP is zero, leaving import VAT of £6,900, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.

Inspection checklist

Composition: test assay and isomer or oligomer distribution by gas chromatography or HPLC, and phosphorus and chlorine content, against the certificate for the lot and the grade the customer has qualified.

Acidity, water and colour: measure acid value, water by the Karl Fischer method, for example as in ISO 760, and colour on the platinum-cobalt scale to ISO 6271, since acidity and water upset polyurethane catalysts.

Packing: check IBCs or drums are sealed, labelled with the lot and hazard pictograms, and supplied with an English safety data sheet, and check for sediment or haze in the first drum opened.

What goes wrong

Phosphate flame retardants fail on acidity, composition and end use. High acid value or water spoils foam reactivity, TCPP isomer ratios differ from the qualified grade, BDP carries more triphenyl phosphate than stated, and a chlorinated phosphate ends up in a toy or children's product above the limit.

Qualify each grade in the customer's formulation, test acidity and water on every lot, and match the chemical to the end use before ordering. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources TCPP, BDP, triethyl phosphate and other phosphate esters for foam, plastics and coatings makers, and can take on your existing Chinese producer and check each lot. See existing supplier support.