Sourcing rotary swaging machines from China

Zero duty, with classification checked

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, all supplied lines of heading 8462 carried 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied facts record no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or attached import controls. The heading covers metal-forming machine tools, including tube and bar working machines.

The table gives classification candidates, not interchangeable codes for every rotary swager. Send your broker the working mechanism, feed arrangement, numerical-control details and intended materials to confirm the commodity code. For the wider heading, see CNC tube bending machines. Import VAT is separate from duty; see UK import duty and VAT.

Specify the reduction, dies and feed

Define the workpiece material and condition, starting diameter, tube wall thickness, finished profile, reduction length and dimensional tolerances. State whether the job is tube-end reduction, tapering or solid-bar forming, and whether a mandrel is needed to control the bore. Agree the die profiles and the sample parts used for acceptance.

Specify through-feed or plunge operation, workpiece support, lubrication, cooling, electrical supply and controller language. Ask for die-change instructions, tooling drawings and a spare-parts list. New machinery placed on the Great Britain market must have UKCA or CE marking, a declaration of conformity and instructions in English. Arrange testing and certification checks for the ordered configuration.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Two numerically controlled rotary swaging machines; illustrative order, subject to classification under 8462 51 00 00, invoiced at £56,000 free on board, with £4,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £60,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £60,500, so it is £12,100. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Parts: run the agreed materials and measure finished diameter, roundness, taper, reduction length and bore condition. Cut trial tubes to inspect wall distortion and internal folds.

Tooling: check die identification, profile, fit and alignment, mandrel condition, feed settings and repeatability after a tooling change.

Safety and documents: check guarding, interlocks and emergency stopping through an agreed safe test procedure. Match the machine identity to its declaration, marking and English instructions.

Arrival: inspect the swaging head and tooling for rust or impact damage, check lubrication connections and loose fittings, then repeat the agreed part trial after installation. Use the quality inspection guide to plan checks.

What goes wrong

A demonstration on easy material can hide cracking, bore collapse or poor roundness on your actual tube. Worn or mismatched dies can leave steps and surface marks; unsupported long workpieces can vibrate during feeding. Agree acceptance against your own drawings and materials rather than accepting a video of unrelated parts.

An acceptable outside diameter can conceal internal folds or excessive wall distortion. Include sectioned samples where the bore matters, and record settings alongside results. Missing die drawings, locked controller parameters or undocumented lubrication arrangements make repeat production and maintenance harder.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For machinery and equipment, see machinery imports.