Sourcing quartz worktops and engineered stone
Engineered quartz and other artificial stone slabs and worktops from China pay 0% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. Cutting engineered stone releases respirable crystalline silica, which has a UK workplace exposure limit of 0.1 mg/m3 over 8 hours, so fabricators need silica content and safe working information. Cambridge China Bridge sources quartz slabs and cut-to-size worktops.
Engineered quartz slabs and worktops pay 0% UK duty from China. Silica dust for fabricators, slab quality, sizes and crating are what to plan.
Zero duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, articles of cement, concrete or artificial stone, including agglomerated engineered stone and prefabricated components, carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Natural granite and marble worktops are classified under the stone headings instead, so confirm the commodity code for the material.
Stone is heavy, so the container weight limit, not its volume, sets the landed price; ask the factory for slab weights and the container payload with the quote.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of artificial stone and concrete, other (engineered quartz) | 6810 99 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Tiles, flagstones and similar articles, other | 6810 19 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Prefabricated structural components for building | 6810 91 00 00 | 0% | None |
Silica dust and fabricators
Engineered quartz is mostly crystalline silica bound in resin, and cutting, grinding or polishing it releases respirable crystalline silica. HSE sets the workplace exposure limit at 0.1 mg/m3 as an 8-hour time-weighted average, under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, and publishes guidance on controlling stone dust.
Fabricators and their customers now ask about silica content and safe working methods before they buy. Ask the factory for the silica content of each product, a safety data sheet, and fabrication guidance, and consider supplying cut-to-size, pre-finished worktops that reduce cutting on site.
Slab quality
Colour consistency between batches, resin pooling, cracks and pits, thickness tolerance and flatness are the checks. Approve slab samples from the production batch, keep batch numbers on every slab so a kitchen is fitted from one batch, and inspect polished faces under good light at inspection.
For cut-to-size worktops, the drawing is the product: sink and hob cut-outs, edge profiles and upstands must be final before cutting.
Crating
Slabs travel on A-frames and worktops in crates; most claims are cracked corners and edges. Specify the frames, strapping and edge protection, and photograph the stowage at the container loading.
Cambridge China Bridge sources quartz slabs and cut-to-size worktops, with silica information, batch control and crating settled before shipment. See how our sourcing service works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on quartz worktops from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, articles of artificial stone, including engineered quartz, carried 0% duty from China, with no anti-dumping duty.
What is the UK exposure limit for silica dust?
HSE sets the workplace exposure limit for respirable crystalline silica at 0.1 mg/m3 as an 8-hour time-weighted average.
What should a quartz supplier provide to fabricators?
The silica content of each product, a safety data sheet and fabrication guidance, so dust can be controlled.
How do I keep a kitchen's worktops the same colour?
Keep batch numbers on every slab and fit each job from one batch; approve samples from the production batch.