Sourcing phosphor bronze foil from China

UK duty on phosphor bronze foil

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 7410 covers copper foil no thicker than 0.15 mm, excluding any backing. Unbacked phosphor bronze foil falls within copper-alloy code 7410 12 00 00; backed copper-alloy foil is covered by 7410 22 00 00. The table shows supply formats sharing these codes.

Both relevant lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff snapshot lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, tariff suspension or attached import control for either line. Suspensions for refined copper elsewhere in the heading do not apply to these copper-alloy lines.

Your import declaration must include the commodity code. Give your customs broker the alloy composition, metal thickness and backing details, and confirm the commodity code. For thicker material, see the phosphor bronze strip guide.

Specify alloy, temper and slit edges

Specify the phosphor bronze alloy designation and required copper, tin and phosphorus composition. Agree temper, hardness, tensile properties and a forming trial suited to the intended spring or contact. Describe the material by its properties rather than accepting a supplier's generic description of bronze.

Write down thickness and its tolerance, width, camber, edge burr limits, surface finish, roll dimensions and permitted joints. For backed foil, identify the backing and agree adhesion checks. Request a mill certificate traceable to each batch and retain an approved sample.

For supply in Great Britain, check the alloy, coatings and backing against the UK REACH Candidate List. Inclusion of a substance brings supplier obligations. Request composition information that lets you assess those obligations rather than relying on an unspecified compliance declaration.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 20 rolls of unbacked phosphor bronze foil under 7410 12 00 00, invoiced at £7,760 free on board, with £2,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £9,960. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £9,960, so it is £1,992. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Material: match batch markings to the mill certificate; test composition and hardness on samples where the application is critical.

Dimensions: measure thickness across the width and along sampled material; check slit width, camber and edge burrs against the agreed limits.

Performance: trial the foil in the intended forming operation; check cracking, spring response and, for backed foil, adhesion.

Surface and packing: check scratches, pinholes, creases and oxidation; inspect sealed wrapping, desiccant and roll support. Use the quality inspection guide to brief the inspection.

What goes wrong

Wrong alloy or temper can produce parts that crack during forming or fail to hold the intended spring shape. Uneven thickness changes forming behaviour, while slit-edge burrs and camber cause handling and tooling problems. Approve production material through a forming trial before accepting the batch.

Thin foil can crease or suffer edge damage when rolls are poorly supported. Moisture can leave tarnished surfaces, and backing can lift if adhesion is inconsistent. Agree packing and rejection criteria before production, then inspect the delivered rolls against the retained sample.

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.