Sourcing quartz and quartzite from China
Natural quartz and quartzite from China, including lump quartz, crushed and ground high-purity quartz for glass, crucibles, solar and electronics, and quartzite roughly trimmed or cut into blocks or slabs, pay 0% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. Fine quartz powder releases respirable crystalline silica, which has a UK workplace exposure limit. Cambridge China Bridge sources quartz.
Natural quartz, high-purity quartz sand and flour, and quartzite blocks pay 0% UK duty from China. Purity specs, silica dust rules and a worked example.
Zero duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, quartz other than natural sands, and quartzite whether or not roughly trimmed or merely cut into blocks or slabs, of heading 2506 carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Natural silica sands are in heading 2505, fused quartz articles in 7020, covered in the quartz glass guide, and engineered quartz worktops in 6810, covered in the quartz worktops guide; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quartz | 2506 10 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Quartzite | 2506 20 00 00 | 0% | None |
Purity and silica dust
High-purity quartz is sold on chemistry: SiO2 content and the parts per million of iron, aluminium, titanium, alkali metals and boron, plus particle size distribution and moisture. Ask for a certificate of analysis by ICP for each lot and test the first shipment independently.
HSE's workplace exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m³ over eight hours, so fine quartz powders need a safety data sheet and dust controls where they are handled and bagged; see UK REACH for registration above one tonne a year.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 40 tonnes of high-purity quartz sand, entered under 2506 10 00 00: £36,000 free on board plus £6,000 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £42,000. High-purity quartz carry no duty, so import VAT of 20% on £42,000, £8,400, is the only tax. A VAT-registered importer normally reclaims it, so the border adds no lasting cost. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
What goes wrong
Quartz fails on impurities and size. A lot with a few ppm more iron or aluminium than specified can ruin glass colour or crucible performance, particle size drifts so there are too many fines or oversize grains, and wet quartz cakes and adds weight you pay freight on. Bags that are not sealed pick up contamination in transit.
Ask for ICP analysis and a sieve analysis for each lot, test retained samples independently, check moisture on arrival, specify lined, sealed bulk bags with lot labels, and inspect bag integrity and labels before loading.
Cambridge China Bridge sources lump, crushed and high-purity quartz and quartzite, with chemistry, sizing and packing agreed before the order. Find out how we source industrial minerals.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on quartz from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, quartz and quartzite of heading 2506 carried 0% duty from China.
Where do silica sands go?
Natural silica sands are in heading 2505, not 2506.
What is the UK exposure limit for silica dust?
HSE's workplace exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m³ over eight hours.
How is high-purity quartz specified?
By SiO2 content, ppm levels of impurities such as iron and aluminium, particle size and moisture.