Printing inks and ink cartridges from China
Printing inks, writing and drawing inks from China pay 6% UK duty, while ink cartridges without an integrated print head enter at 0%, with no anti-dumping duty. Inks printed on food packaging fall under the good manufacturing practice rules of retained Regulation 2023/2006, and compatible cartridges carry patent and trade mark risk. Cambridge China Bridge sources both.
Printing and writing inks from China pay 6% UK duty; ink cartridges without a print head pay 0%. Food packaging GMP, yield standards, IP risk and an example.
6% on ink, 0% on cartridges
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, black and coloured printing inks and other inks such as writing, drawing and inkjet refill ink carried 6% duty on goods from China, while ink cartridges without an integrated print head, incorporating mechanical or electrical parts, and solid ink in engineered shapes for printers carried 0%, with no anti-dumping measure. Narrow suspensions cover a few named inks, ink formulations for manufacturing inkjet cartridges under authorised use and dry ink powder for making toner bottles.
Cartridges with an integrated print head are parts of printers in heading 8443, and pens with their own ink are in heading 9608. Confirm the commodity code. Our printers guide covers the machines.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printing ink, black | 3215 11 00 00 | 6% | None |
| Printing ink, other colours | 3215 19 00 90 | 6% | None |
| Ink cartridges without an integrated print head | 3215 90 20 00 | 0% | None |
| Other ink, such as writing, drawing and refill ink | 3215 90 70 90 | 6% | None |
Food packaging, safety data and IP
Inks printed on food packaging do not touch the food directly but must not transfer to it, so they fall under the framework Regulation 1935/2004 and the good manufacturing practice rules for printing inks in retained Regulation 2023/2006. Ask for low-migration ink declarations and the list of substances used, and for a safety data sheet in English for each ink under UK REACH; see our food contact guide.
Compatible and remanufactured cartridges can infringe printer makers' patents or registered designs, and cartridges with a brand name or logo that the factory has no right to use can be seized at the border as counterfeit. Ask the factory which patents it has designed around, keep branding to your own, and test cartridge chips against current printer firmware.
Worked duty example
Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 2 tonnes of sheet-fed offset process inks under 3215 19 90 90. At £12,000 free on board and £900 to ship and insure, the customs value is £12,900. Printing inks at 6% pay £774 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £13,674, giving £2,734.80. Of the £3,508.80 paid at import, only the £774 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. Compatible ink cartridges without a print head under 3215 90 20 00 would carry 0% on the same value, which is why cartridges and bulk ink are priced differently at the border. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.
What goes wrong
Ink problems show up on press or in the printer. Offset inks differ in colour or tack from the approved batch, dry too slowly or set off onto the next sheet, and fade faster than the job needs. Cartridges leak in transit, clog nozzles, print fewer pages than claimed, or are rejected by printer firmware updates because the chip is out of date.
Check offset ink sets against the colour and transparency targets of ISO 2846-1 on a proof, test light fastness to ISO 12040 and resistance to agents such as water, alcohol and fats to ISO 2836 where the job needs it, measure cartridge yield by the methods of ISO/IEC 24711 with the ISO/IEC 24712 test pages, and pressure and drop test packed cartridges before shipment.
Cambridge China Bridge sources offset, flexo and screen inks and compatible cartridges for printers, resellers and packaging converters, starting with trial quantities. See our service for smaller orders.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on printing ink from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, printing inks carried 6% from China, with no anti-dumping duty.
Are ink cartridges duty-free?
Cartridges without an integrated print head, under 3215 90 20 00, carried 0%; cartridges with a print head are printer parts in heading 8443.
Which rules cover inks on food packaging?
Regulation 1935/2004 and the good manufacturing practice rules for printing inks in retained Regulation 2023/2006.
How is cartridge yield measured?
By the methods of ISO/IEC 24711 using the ISO/IEC 24712 test pages.