Sourcing prunes from China

Prune duty: 0% suspension or 8% base rate

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 0813 covers dried fruit outside headings 0801 to 0806 and mixtures of nuts or dried fruits. Plain prunes fall under 0813 20 00 00, with an 8% base duty and an autonomous suspension recorded at 0.00 %. The selected prune-containing mixture lines carry 8%, without suspensions. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty is recorded for these lines. Confirm the suspension's availability for the entry date with your broker.

The tariff attaches an organic import control. Organic consignments need inspection certificates, issued by the exporter's control body in the country of export. Your importing company must be based and certified in the UK. Organic imports into Great Britain must use the countries, territories and control bodies listed in the official organic registers; check the supplier's eligibility before ordering.

Give your broker the full recipe, processing description and packing details, especially for mixtures or sweetened preparations. Confirm the commodity code before shipment. For the wider heading, see the dried apricots guide.

Specify pitting, texture and moisture

Specify the plum variety, whole or pitted form, size grade, moisture range, softness, colour and acceptable skin damage. Agree how pit fragments, stalks and foreign matter will be checked. Record any rehydration, added sugar, preservatives or surface oil, together with pack material, seal quality, storage conditions and remaining shelf life on arrival.

Confirm applicable UK pesticide residue and contaminant limits with the relevant authority. Ask for batch-linked laboratory results and agree sampling before shipment. If sulphur dioxide exceeds 10 mg/kg, confirm the applicable allergen declaration requirements with the relevant authority. Approve the formulation and label together, rather than relying on a sample described simply as dried plums.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of pitted prunes; FOB value and freight are hypothetical. under 0813 20 00 00, invoiced at £20,000 free on board, with £1,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £21,800. Duty at 8% is £1,744. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £23,544, so it is £4,708.80. Import taxes total £6,452.80; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,744 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Pitting and grade: cut open sampled fruit, check for stones and fragments, and compare size, colour and skin damage with the approved sample.

Moisture and condition: measure against the contract specification; check for mould, fermentation odours, insects, excessive stickiness and hard centres.

Batch evidence: match laboratory results to the production lot and packed goods; check pesticide residues, sulphur dioxide and the agreed microbiological tests.

Packs and labels: inspect liners, seals and carton condition on arrival. Check the approved label and batch identification. Pre-packed food must carry a business name and address. For organic stock, check the inspection certificate against the shipment.

What goes wrong

A pitted sample can hide uneven pitting in production, leaving fragments in otherwise acceptable fruit. Rehydrated prunes can arrive wetter or stickier than agreed, while weak liners and seals allow moisture damage. Mixed size grades and inconsistent softness also make portioning and packing difficult.

Residue failures, undeclared sulphites and organic paperwork gaps can prevent an otherwise usable batch being sold as intended. Obtain test results and organic documents before dispatch, then compare arrival samples with the retained approved sample. Use a written sampling brief for quality inspection.

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.