Sourcing rubber hoses and hydraulic hoses from China

A flat 2%

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, rubber tubes, pipes and hoses of heading 4009, not reinforced, reinforced with metal, with textile or with other materials, with or without fittings, carried 2% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Hoses for civil aircraft and a few named hoses have their own lines. One named line, a textile-reinforced rubber brake hose with pressed metal terminals and mounting brackets for use in making vehicles, is 0% to 31 December 2028. For the reverse trade route, see our guide to exporting rubber hoses to China.

Plastic hoses such as PVC garden hoses are in heading 3917, and conveyor belts in 4010; confirm the commodity code.

Standards and end use

Wire-reinforced hydraulic hoses are usually specified to the EN 853 and EN 856 series or their ISO equivalents, which set working pressure, burst pressure and impulse life for each size. Hose assemblies fitted to machinery become part of it, so the machine maker needs the rating and test evidence. Ask for the standard, the working and burst pressure per size and an impulse test report. For related piping components, see our guide to sourcing rubber expansion joints.

Hoses carrying drinking water must meet regulation 4 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, and hoses for food, fuel or gas need evidence for that medium, such as food contact declarations or the relevant gas hose standard.

Worked duty example

Take a hypothetical order of 20,000 wire-braided hydraulic hose assemblies, entered under 4009 22 00 90: £60,000 free on board plus £3,000 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £63,000. The 2% duty on hydraulic hose assemblies comes to £1,260, and import VAT is 20% of £64,260, which is £12,852. If you are VAT-registered you normally reclaim the £12,852, leaving £1,260 as the real cost at the border. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.

Inspection checklist

Hose construction: inside and outside diameters and cover thickness measured against the standard ordered, such as BS EN 853 for wire-braided or BS EN 856 for spiral hydraulic hose, a sample cut open to count the reinforcement layers, and proof and burst tests to ISO 1402 and impulse tests to ISO 6803 on hose from the production lot.

Assemblies: crimp diameters measured on every assembly sampled against the fitting maker's chart, each assembly proof-tested at the pressure the hose standard sets, the cleanliness of hydraulic assemblies stated as an ISO 4406 code, and ends capped and assemblies coiled no tighter than the minimum bend radius.

Cover and compound: ozone resistance tested to ISO 7326, the lay line checked for standard, size, pressure and batch, hoses for drinking water supported by evidence that the materials meet BS 6920, and garden or consumer hoses screened for PAHs under UK REACH Annex XVII entry 50. For raw rubber sourcing, see our synthetic rubber guide.

What goes wrong

Rubber hoses fail at the crimp, in the cover and at pressure. Fittings crimped to the wrong diameter blow off or leak, hose built with fewer or thinner wire braids than the standard bursts or fails early in impulse, and covers crack from ozone or poor compounding. Hoses that smell strongly or bloom may contain restricted substances, and lay lines that are missing or wrong make the hose untraceable.

Measure crimp diameters on samples against the fitting maker's chart, run proof and burst tests on assemblies from the lot, ask for an impulse test for hydraulic hose, check the lay line and batch marking, and check covers for cracks and bubbles. Cap hose ends and coil hoses to their minimum bend radius in packing.

Cambridge China Bridge sources hydraulic hose assemblies and industrial rubber hoses, with standards, pressure tests and traceability agreed before the order. See how we source hydraulic and industrial parts.