Sourcing rough gabbro blocks from China

Duty and classification for rough gabbro

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 2516 covers granite, porphyry, basalt, sandstone and other monumental or building stone, crude, roughly trimmed or merely cut into rectangular blocks or slabs. For rough gabbro, check the other-stone line, 2516 90 00 00. The table shows forms under this same line, rather than separate tariff categories.

The supplied snapshot records 0% duty on every line for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measures and no suspensions. It attaches import and export waste controls. Confirm their application to your consignment with your customs broker. If a shipment from China is waste subject to notification controls, the exporter must apply for consent through the dispatch country's competent authority; notified waste cannot move to England before the relevant authorities consent.

Give your broker the quarry description, stone identification, photographs and processing details. Confirm the commodity code before ordering. Polished, flamed, edged or otherwise worked stone belongs in heading 6802, as explained in the reference guide. For the wider heading, see rough basalt blocks.

Specify the quarry and usable cutting envelope

Specify gabbro by quarry and extraction area, with a stone identification report and a retained sample. Agree colour, grain, acceptable veins and iron staining against a sawn sample face. A rough exterior alone is a poor basis for approving the appearance of the finished stone.

State the minimum usable cutting dimensions after damaged corners and irregular faces are removed. Agree how dimensions and weight will be recorded, whether repaired or resin-filled blocks are acceptable, and how each block will be identified. Request density, absorption, strength and frost-resistance reports from the same quarry bed for the intended application.

Put the solid wood packaging requirements into the purchase specification. Solid wood packaging used to import goods into Great Britain must meet ISPM15. Agree block supports, separation and securing arrangements with the packing supplier and receiving yard.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 25 tonnes of rough gabbro blocks under 2516 90 00 00, invoiced at £11,000 free on board, with £2,400 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £13,400. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £13,400, so it is £2,680. 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

Identity: match block markings, quarry records and stone identification reports to the approved sample.

Appearance: compare a sawn sample face with the retained sample; inspect wet block faces for veins, cracks and staining.

Usable dimensions: measure the cutting envelope, record broken corners and check repairs against the agreed acceptance criteria.

Packing and arrival: check supports, securing arrangements and solid wood packaging compliance before dispatch; photograph shifted blocks and fresh fractures before unloading.

What goes wrong

A sample from a different quarry area can hide changes in grain and colour. Surface measurements can overstate usable material when corners are broken or faces taper. Hidden cracks and undisclosed repairs can reduce the cutting yield even when the shipment weight matches the order.

Approve the actual shipment's block records and sample faces before release. Keep dispatch photographs for comparison on arrival, and resolve any description of the cargo as waste before booking transport. Use factory verification to check the supplier's quarry relationship and processing capability.

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.