Razors and razor blades from China

A flat 2%

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, safety razors with non-replaceable blades, other razors, safety razor blades including blanks in strips, and parts of razors carried 2% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. There were no suspensions on these lines.

Electric shavers and clippers are machines of heading 8510, covered in our shavers guide, and knives and scissors have their own headings. Confirm the commodity code from whether the blades can be replaced.

Age sales, safety and packaging

Section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence in England and Wales to sell a knife blade or razor blade to a person under 18, and the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Exemption) Order 1996 exempts razor blades permanently enclosed in a cartridge or housing where less than 2 mm of any blade is exposed. Loose double-edge blades and straight razors are therefore age-restricted, which affects how a retailer or online seller lists and delivers them.

Razors are consumer products under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, so blade guards, caps and packs must protect users and handlers, and a UK importer's name and address go on the pack. Refills made to fit a branded handle must not use the brand's trade marks beyond an honest statement of compatibility, and the plastic and card in retail packs count towards packaging extended producer responsibility for obligated businesses.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 100,000 twin-blade disposable razors under 8212 10 10 00. At £9,000 free on board and £800 to ship and insure, the customs value is £9,800. Disposable razors at 2% pay £196 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £9,996, giving £1,999.20. Of the £2,195.20 paid at import, only the £196 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. Electric shavers are classified in heading 8510 instead, at a different rate. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

What goes wrong

Razor problems show up on the face. Blade exposure and angle vary between cartridges so some cut and others drag; edge coatings are uneven and the first shave pulls; blades rust in the pack or after a few wet uses; lubricating strips dry out or wash away; pivots stick; handles crack at the neck; and refills do not click securely into the handle they are sold for.

Measure blade exposure and span on sampled cartridges with an optical comparator against the drawing, check blade hardness by a Vickers test to ISO 6507-1 and corrosion resistance by salt spray to ISO 9227 for the hours agreed, run a shave panel on each production lot against the approved sample, drop-test handles, and check refill fit and the blade guard on every carton sampled.

Cambridge China Bridge sources private-label disposable razors, system razors, refills and double-edge blades, starting with samples from more than one factory and a first order sized to the brand. See how we handle first orders.