Sourcing polyacrylamide flocculants from China

Normally 6%; narrowly specified relief

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 6 November 2026, heading 3906 covers acrylic polymers in primary forms. Ordinary polyacrylamide flocculants are candidates for 3906 90 90 90; a specifically composed polyacrylamide and polyethylene glycol blend is listed under 3906 90 90 58. The table repeats the residual code for different charge types, rather than implying separate tariff lines. See the wider acrylic polymers guide.

Both relevant lines carry 6% for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure recorded. The residual line lists a 0% suspension for narrowly specified polyacrylamide powder. The supplied suspension wording is truncated and includes an exclusion for mixtures and preparations containing the listed products. Budget ordinary flocculants at 6%; ask your customs broker to confirm the complete suspension conditions before claiming relief.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls to both codes. Waste shipment controls apply only when the material is waste. For notified waste entering England from China, the exporter starts the consent process with the dispatch authority, and shipment requires consent from the relevant authorities. Confirm the applicable waste procedure with your customs broker. For new product, confirm the commodity code using the full formulation and physical form.

Specify charge type and treatment performance

Specify anionic, cationic or nonionic grade, charge density, molecular weight or an agreed viscosity test, active polymer content, powder or emulsion form, dissolution behaviour and residual acrylamide. For emulsions, identify the carrier and other ingredients. Agree sampling and test methods, storage conditions and acceptance criteria before ordering.

Run jar tests with the buyer's actual wastewater or sludge. Record preparation method, mixing conditions, dose, floc formation, settling, clarified-water appearance and dewatering performance. A supplier's grade name alone does not establish suitability. Specify the intended application expressly; this guide concerns industrial wastewater and sludge treatment.

Confirm with HSE the UK REACH registration position for the polymer, its monomers and additives. Before placing imported substances or mixtures on the Great Britain market, arrange competent classification, labelling and packaging. A safety data sheet is required for hazardous chemicals supplied for workplace use; assess the actual formulation rather than assuming every flocculant has the same hazards.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of ordinary polyacrylamide flocculant powder under 3906 90 90 90, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £19,500. Duty at 6% is £1,170. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £20,670, so it is £4,134. Import taxes total £5,304; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,170 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: check the grade, charge type, formulation and batch number against the approved sample and certificate of analysis.

Analysis: check active content, agreed viscosity and residual acrylamide against the specification; retain a sealed batch sample for independent testing.

Performance: repeat the agreed jar test and dissolution check; compare settling or dewatering with the approved sample.

Packing: check liners, seals, moisture damage, powder lumps or emulsion separation, and reconcile labels and safety information with the delivered formulation.

What goes wrong

The wrong charge type or drifting charge density can give weak flocs and poor dewatering despite a similar product name. Changing wastewater can also defeat an otherwise matching grade. Compare batches under the same agreed test conditions before changing the dose or blaming the supplier.

Damp powder can cake, poorly prepared solutions can retain undissolved lumps, and emulsions can separate. Keep suspect stock apart while checking the batch sample, packaging and preparation method. Another avoidable error is claiming the powder suspension solely because the product is called polyacrylamide.

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.