Sourcing PVC profiles and plastic rods from China

A flat 6%

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, monofilament with a cross-section over 1 mm, rods, sticks and profile shapes of polyethylene, PVC and other plastics carried 6% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Assembled windows and doors are in heading 3925, and tubes and hoses in 3917; confirm the commodity code. For finished guttering, see our PVC guttering sourcing guide.

Windows and standards

Unplasticised PVC profiles for windows and doors are specified to BS EN 12608, which classifies wall thickness, weathering and impact performance. The profile is a component: the fabricated window must meet the Building Regulations for thermal performance and, where required, security, and windows are construction products where a designated standard applies. Ask the extruder for the BS EN 12608 test report and the reinforcement specification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 5,000 metres of PVC window profile under 3916 20 00 99, invoiced at £8,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £9,500. Duty at 6% is £570. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £10,070, so it is £2,014. Import taxes total £2,584; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £570 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Dimensions and walls: measure outer and chamber dimensions and wall thickness on cut sections from each production lot against the drawing and the wall class claimed under BS EN 12608-1, and check straightness and length on bundled bars.

Formulation and ageing: ask for artificial weathering results to EN 513 for the exact white or colour, heat reversion to EN 479 and impact resistance by falling mass to EN 477 at low temperature, so that yellowing and brittle corners show up before shipment.

Welds and finish: weld sample corners and test their strength to EN 514, check foil adhesion on colour-foiled profiles, and confirm protective film, gasket fit and marking on every bundle. Sheet piling profiles of a defined PVC formulation have a separate duty suspension, so declare window profiles on the ordinary line.

What goes wrong

Profiles fail through the formulation. Too little UV stabiliser or cheap filler makes white profile yellow and chalk outdoors, and thin walls crack at welded corners in cold weather. Colour-foiled profiles delaminate if the adhesive is wrong. Dimensions drift between batches, so gaskets and hardware stop fitting.

At inspection, measure wall thickness and chamber dimensions against the drawing, test a welded corner, check colour against the approved sample and protective film, and confirm lengths and bundling.

Cambridge China Bridge sources PVC profiles, trims and plastic rods, with standards, formulation and dimensional checks settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works. For acetal rods, see our acetal engineering rods sourcing guide. For acrylic rods, see our acrylic rod sourcing guide.