Sourcing quinacridone pigments from China

Standard duty and conditional suspensions

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 3204 covers synthetic organic colouring matter and preparations, including quinacridone pigments. The table separates pigment and preparation forms under the same relevant codes. Pigment Red 202 and preparations containing at least 70% by weight have a named line; other quinacridone products require composition checks against the residual pigment line.

Both relevant lines have standard duty of 6% for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty recorded. Pigment Red 202 has a 0% suspension with a footnote excluding mixtures, preparations or products made up of different components containing it. The residual line also has a restricted suspension, but its supplied eligibility footnote is truncated. Do not assume relief for a formulated grade. Confirm the complete conditions and your commodity code.

The tariff attaches veterinary control and import and export waste controls to these lines. For a China-origin formulation, ask your customs broker to confirm the veterinary requirement from its ingredients. If pigment material is waste subject to notification controls, shipment to England requires consent from the Environment Agency and the other competent authorities involved. Confirm the applicable waste route before dispatch. For the wider heading, see phthalocyanine pigments.

Specify the quinacridone grade and application

Specify the chemical identity, Colour Index designation, pigment content, powder or dispersion form, surface treatment and any carrier or dispersant. Agree shade, transparency, tinting strength, particle fineness and dispersion behaviour against a retained sample. Tell the factory whether the pigment will enter an ink, coating or plastic, and test it in your actual binder or resin.

Agree separate acceptance checks for full shade and a white reduction. For plastic applications, trial the intended processing conditions; for coatings and inks, check dispersion, viscosity and colour after storage. Request batch analysis results and retain samples from accepted deliveries.

For Great Britain, confirm with HSE the UK REACH registration position for your annual imports, including substances within mixtures and any coverage by a manufacturer's GB-based only representative. Confirm with HSE whether an English safety data sheet and hazard labels are required for the supplied formulation. Substances and mixtures must be labelled and packaged correctly before being placed on the market. Arrange testing and certification support around the intended use.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative: one tonne of quinacridone pigment powder, without suspension relief under 3204 17 00 90, invoiced at £24,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £26,000. Duty at 6% is £1,560. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £27,560, so it is £5,512. Import taxes total £7,072; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,560 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the ordered grade, composition, batch analysis and bag labels; investigate undeclared carriers or changes in surface treatment.

Colour: compare full shade and tinting strength with the retained standard using the same binder, pigment loading and dispersion method.

Dispersion: check fineness, specks, viscosity and settling in the intended formulation; assess heat or weathering performance where agreed.

Arrival condition: check liners, seals, moisture, caking and sampled net weights; reconcile batch numbers with analysis results and safety paperwork.

What goes wrong

A similar-looking red or violet can have different tinting strength, transparency or dispersion behaviour. Matching a powder sample does not establish performance in your resin. Agglomerates can leave specks, while a changed surface treatment or dispersant can alter viscosity and storage stability. Approve an application trial and compare delivered batches with the retained standard.

A factory may describe a formulated grade using the pigment's name while omitting the carrier or additives. That can undermine both tariff suspension eligibility and chemical paperwork. Obtain the composition before costing, keep different batches identifiable, and hold material that fails the agreed checks.

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.