Roofing slate and slate products from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, worked slate and articles of slate or agglomerated slate, heading 6803, carried 0% on goods from China, both for roofing and wall slates and for other slate articles, with no anti-dumping measure and no suspension.

Stone setts and paving are covered in our stone paving guide and worked granite and marble in our marble and granite guide; confirm the commodity code for the stone.

Roofing slate standards

Roofing and cladding slates are covered by the designated standard BS EN 12326-1, so under retained [Regulation (EU) No 305/2011](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/305/contents) they are supplied with a declaration of performance and UKCA or CE marking. The declaration gives the slate's classes for water absorption (A1 or A2), thermal cycling (T1 to T3) and sulphur dioxide exposure (S1 to S3), tested by the methods of BS EN 12326-2, together with its dimensions, thickness and carbonate content.

Oxidising pyrite in some slates rusts and can stain or break through the slate, so the thermal cycle class and the description of metallic minerals matter as much as the colour. Specify the classes the roof needs in the product specification.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 20 tonnes of natural roofing slates in crates, commodity code 6803 00 10 00, bought for £16,000 free on board, with £2,600 of freight and insurance, so £18,600 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on roofing slate; import VAT at 20% of £18,600 is £3,720. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

Inspection checklist

Declaration and classes: check the declaration of performance and marking against BS EN 12326-1 for the exact product, and check that the declared A, T and S classes are the ones the specification asked for.

Slates in the crate: measure length, width and thickness on sampled slates from several crates, check squareness and flatness, look for pyrite inclusions, quartz veins and cracks, and check that the holing or edges are as specified.

Slate homeware: serving boards and cheese boards are food contact materials under retained [Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/1935/contents), so ask what sealant or coating is applied and for its food contact evidence, and check felt or rubber feet are fixed and edges are smooth on sampled pieces.

What goes wrong

Slate fails on minerals, thickness and breakage. Pyrite spots rust and stain the roof within a few years, thickness varies so the roof lies unevenly, slates delaminate or crack in frost, and crates arrive with broken corners because slates were packed loose. Slate boards arrive with a coating that has no food contact evidence.

Check the declaration and classes, inspect sampled slates for inclusions and thickness, and check the crating before loading, with photographs at container loading.

Cambridge China Bridge sources roofing slates for merchants and roofers, usually by the container, and slate coasters, boards and signs for gift and homeware brands. See our container programmes.