Sourcing rough trachyte blocks from China

Duty on rough trachyte blocks

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 2516 covers monumental or building stone that is crude, roughly trimmed or merely cut into rectangular blocks or slabs. Rough trachyte belongs within other monumental or building stone, 2516 90 00 00, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is shown. The table presents supply forms within this same commodity line.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. Waste shipment controls apply only where the material is waste. For a China-to-England shipment subject to notification controls, the exporter must apply to the authority in the dispatch country for consent. Confirm waste status and the applicable procedure with your customs broker before shipping.

Polished, flamed, edged or otherwise worked stone moves to heading 6802. Confirm the commodity code using the rock identity, shape and processing history. For wider heading coverage, see the rough andesite blocks guide.

Specify quarry identity and usable block size

Specify trachyte by quarry and extraction bed, supported by a petrographic report rather than a trade name alone. Agree colour, grain, visible cavities, acceptable veins and whether repairs or resin filling are permitted. Approve samples showing the expected variation across the shipment.

State minimum usable length, width and height after trimming, cutting direction, dimensional tolerances and block weight. Ask for density, water absorption, strength and frost-resistance reports from the same quarry bed, selected for the intended finished use. Match the block sizes to your saw and unloading equipment.

Employers processing stone in Great Britain must assess and control stone-dust exposure risks. Solid wood packaging used to import the blocks into Great Britain must meet the international phytosanitary packaging standard. Put the packaging requirement in the supplier contract.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative shipment of 25 tonnes of rough trachyte blocks; values are illustrative, not a quotation 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 marks, quarry records and reports to the approved trachyte samples.

Faces: inspect accessible faces dry and wetted for open cracks, weathered zones, cavities and undeclared repairs.

Dimensions: measure usable dimensions and compare recorded weights with the packing list; repeat the checks on arrival.

Packing: check supports, separation, restraint and solid wood treatment markings before dispatch; photograph shifted blocks and fresh damage on arrival.

What goes wrong

A colour sample can conceal the variation in a quarry bed. Cracks or weathered zones may leave much less usable stone than the gross dimensions suggest, while undisclosed repairs can become visible after sawing. Agree rejection criteria and inspect the actual marked blocks before shipment.

Poor support or restraint can damage corners and open existing cracks during transport. Record each block against the packing list before unloading and compare arrival photographs with dispatch photographs. Use a product-specific brief for your quality inspection.

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.