Sourcing plastic dish drainers from China
Plastic dish drainers from China carry 6% UK duty on the relevant kitchenware lines, with no listed trade remedy or suspension. Consumer products must be safe; confirm whether food-contact controls apply to the material and intended use. Check drainage and stability with your own dishes. Cambridge China Bridge sources plastic dish drainers.
Duty and material-dependent controls
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 3924 covers plastic tableware, kitchenware and other household articles. The relevant kitchenware lines carry 6% duty for goods from China, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The table repeats the other-plastics line for different drainer configurations; these are product variants rather than separate tariff subdivisions.
The UK Trade Tariff attaches a restriction on entry into free circulation to the kitchenware lines. Its notes identify a declaration of compliance for other plastic kitchenware and a separate declaration for relevant polyamide or melamine food-contact parts from China. Confirm the applicable declaration, laboratory evidence and entry procedure with your customs broker before shipment. Do not assume that draining washed dishes settles the food-contact question.
Give your broker the resin composition, component list, photographs and intended use, then confirm the commodity code. For the wider heading, see plastic cutlery trays. The ironing-board trade remedy within this heading is outside this product family.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic dish drainers without polyamide or melamine parts | 3924 10 00 90 | 6% | None |
| Kitchenware containing polyamide or melamine, consigned from China | 3924 10 00 11 | 6% | None |
Specify drainage, plate support and cleaning
Specify the resin for the frame, tray, basket and feet separately. Agree overall dimensions, plate-slot spacing, supported dish shapes, tray removal and spout direction. Send samples of the plates and bowls you intend customers to use. Approve a loaded sample on a wet worktop and check that the tray drains towards the sink rather than beneath the rack. For sourcing bowls, see our plastic salad bowl sourcing guide.
Consumer products supplied in the UK must be safe. For the drainer, check sharp moulding flash, stability, detachable parts and plate retention. Agree cleaning instructions and verify any dishwasher-suitability claim on the finished sample. Keep the approved material specification and sample available for comparison with production.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 2,000 plastic dish drainers under 3924 10 00 90, invoiced at £7,000 free on board, with £600 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,600. Duty at 6% is £456. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £8,056, so it is £1,611.20. Import taxes total £2,067.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £456 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.
Inspection checklist
Drainage: pour water across the tray and basket; check pooling, blocked outlets and leaks at spout joints.
Support: load with the agreed plates and bowls; check wobble, frame bowing, slipping feet and dishes touching each other.
Moulding: compare colour and fit with the approved sample; check cracks, sharp flash and loose basket clips.
Packing: unpack nested units; check trapped trays, scuffing, distorted frames and missing feet or accessories.
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What goes wrong
A tray can look sloped yet retain water once the loaded frame bends. Narrow slots can reject thicker plates, while shallow slots let dishes lean outwards. A removable basket can obstruct the outlet or detach when full. Test the assembled sample with the intended dishes rather than judging an empty rack.
Nested packing can distort trays and rub visible surfaces. Agree separation and carton packing using actual production samples, then compare arriving goods with the approved assembly. Use the quality inspection guide to prepare a shipment checklist.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on plastic dish drainers from China?
The relevant kitchenware lines in the supplied tariff facts carry 6% duty, with no listed trade remedy or suspension. Confirm the material-dependent commodity code.
Does a plastic dish drainer need food-contact paperwork?
The kitchenware tariff lines attach declaration controls. Ask your customs broker to confirm their application to the exact resin, components and intended use before shipping.
How do I check whether a dish drainer drains properly?
Test the assembled rack on the intended worktop with wet plates and bowls. Watch for pooling, leaks and a spout that misses the sink.
What should I check when the shipment arrives?
Compare resin records, colour and assembly with the approved sample. Check tray distortion, plate retention, drainage, feet, basket clips and packing damage.