Sourcing PGM ore concentrates from China

Duty and waste status

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 2616 covers precious-metal ores and concentrates. The relevant residual line is 2616 90 00 90. The table describes concentrate types within that same line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions. For the wider heading, see our precious-metal ores guide.

The supplied record shows 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions listed. It attaches both import waste controls and export waste controls. These controls apply where the material is waste. Ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable requirements for the actual material and route, including any subsequent return shipment.

Check the mineral identity, processing history and waste status before confirming the commodity code. For material from China imported into England under notification controls, ask the Environment Agency or your customs broker to confirm who must start the application and where it must be submitted; the authorities involved must consent before shipment. The tariff description alone does not settle waste status.

Specify payable metals and settlement sampling

Name the mine or feedstock source and describe the concentration process. Specify platinum, palladium, rhodium and any other metals being purchased separately on a dry basis. Agree moisture, particle size and limits for unwanted constituents such as arsenic, mercury and lead. Have the receiving processor approve the material specification before ordering.

Agree representative sampling across the lot, sample preparation, independent assay methods and sealed retained samples. Set out how assay differences will be resolved and how payable content relates to settlement. Ask the supplier to identify any blended feedstock or recovered residue. Check the producer and its sampling facilities through factory verification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative trial lot of bagged platinum-bearing ore concentrate for a specialist processor under 2616 90 00 90, invoiced at £40,000 free on board, with £6,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £46,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £46,000, so it is £9,200. 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

Identity: match source, processing history, lot marks and assay reports to the purchase order.

Assay: independently sample the shipment and compare each payable metal and agreed impurity with the processor's specification.

Moisture: check wet and dry weights, moisture distribution, caking and particle size against the agreed settlement basis.

Packing: inspect bag seams, liners, seals, leakage and container dryness. Plan sampling and arrival checks with our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A selected sample can overstate payable metal content. Uneven blending can make the shipment differ from the laboratory sample, while moisture increases delivered weight without increasing dry metal content. Keep sampling, moisture measurement and settlement terms aligned, and retain sealed samples for disputes.

Recovered residue sold as ore concentrate can leave waste status unresolved. Establish that status before booking transport. For notified waste imports into England, ask the Environment Agency to confirm any carrier, broker or dealer registration or licensing requirements for the importer and any permit or exemption needed by the receiving recovery facility for the proposed treatment.

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.