Sourcing plastic extrusion lines from China
Plastic extrusion lines and the selected ancillary machinery and parts from China carry 0% UK duty throughout. New machinery placed on the Great Britain market must have CE or UKCA marking, a declaration of conformity and English instructions. Cambridge China Bridge sources plastic extrusion lines.
Zero duty on extruders and selected equipment
Heading 8477 covers machinery for working rubber or plastics and its parts. Plastic extruders fall under 8477 20 00 00. The selected rows also cover separately supplied mixing and cutting machinery and machinery parts. See the wider plastic moulding machinery guide.
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, all selected lines carried 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff data lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or import controls for these lines. Import VAT is separate from customs duty.
Ask your customs broker to review the complete equipment list, including separately shipped ancillary machines and spares, and confirm the commodity code. Do not assume that every component of an extrusion installation takes the extruder code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic extruders | 8477 20 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Plastic mixers, kneaders and agitators | 8477 80 93 00 | 0% | None |
| Plastic cutting, splitting and peeling machines | 8477 80 95 00 | 0% | None |
| Machinery parts of cast iron or cast steel | 8477 90 10 00 | 0% | None |
| Other parts of plastics machinery | 8477 90 80 00 | 0% | None |
Specify the resin, finished profile and line interfaces
Specify the polymer grade, recycled content, finished product drawing, dimensional tolerances and required output using your intended material. Agree screw and barrel configuration, die tooling, heating controls, cooling method, haul-off arrangement and cutting or winding equipment. Define the electricity, cooling water, compressed air and floor space available at your site.
Agree a factory trial using your resin and tooling, with output, melt temperature, product dimensions and surface finish recorded after the process stabilises. Request English controller screens, software access, wiring diagrams and a spare parts list. New machinery supplied in Great Britain needs CE or UKCA marking, a declaration of conformity and English instructions.
If the supplier supplies partly completed machinery, assembly instructions and a declaration of incorporation must accompany it until incorporation into machinery. Establish who will assemble the installation and provide its final documentation before ordering.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: Two plastic extrusion lines, illustrative order under 8477 20 00 00, invoiced at £64,000 free on board, with £5,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £69,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £69,000, so it is £13,800. 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
Process: witness the agreed resin trial and compare output, dimensions, wall consistency and surface finish with the purchase specification; retain labelled samples.
Line coordination: check cooling performance, haul-off grip and speed matching, cutter accuracy or winding tension, and behaviour during starts and stops.
Safety and documents: check guards, interlocks and emergency stops; match the machine identity to its declaration and marking, and check English instructions and electrical diagrams.
Arrival: inspect screw, barrel and tooling protection, corrosion, damaged connections and missing accessories; repeat the agreed product trial after installation.
What goes wrong
A trial with the supplier's preferred resin may conceal problems with your formulation or recycled feedstock. Output alone can hide uneven wall thickness, poor surface finish or unstable dimensions. Cooling and haul-off mismatches can distort the product even when the extruder itself runs smoothly.
Separate suppliers can leave gaps in controls, guarding and documentation between machines. Controllers with restricted access complicate fault finding, while missing heater bands, thermocouples and compatible spares delay repairs. Agree interface responsibilities, trial acceptance and the spare parts package in writing.
Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on plastic extrusion lines from China?
The supplied tariff data shows 0% duty for extruders under 8477 20 00 00 and every selected ancillary machinery and parts line, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty.
Can a plastic extrusion line use CE marking in Great Britain?
Yes. New machinery placed on the Great Britain market must be CE or UKCA marked, supplied with a declaration of conformity and have English instructions.
What should I test before shipping an extrusion line?
Run your intended resin through the agreed tooling. Check stable output, product dimensions, surface finish, cooling, haul-off coordination and cutting or winding against the purchase specification.
What documents come with partly completed machinery?
Assembly instructions and a declaration of incorporation must accompany partly completed machinery until it is incorporated into machinery. Agree responsibility for completing the installation before ordering.