Sourcing sandpaper and sanding discs

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, natural or artificial abrasive powder or grain on a base of woven textile fabric, of paper or paperboard, or of other materials carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. The base decides the line: cloth-backed belts, paper sheets and discs, and film or fibre discs each have their own code. Bonded grinding and cutting wheels are a different product in heading 6804, so confirm the commodity code for each item.

Grits, backings and safety

Grit sizes should follow the FEPA P scale set out in ISO 6344, so a P120 from one factory cuts like a P120 from another; ask which scale is printed on the back, because some suppliers use their own or a different national scale. Specify the mineral, such as aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, zirconia or ceramic, the backing weight, open or closed coat, any anti-clog coating, and the hole pattern for dust extraction, which must match the sander pads your customers own.

BS EN 13743 sets safety requirements for coated abrasives, including the maximum operating speed marked on discs and belts used on power tools and the strength of belt joints, and consumer packs fall under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. See the woodworking machines guide for sanders and the pliers and cutting tools guide for hand tools.

Worked duty example

Take a hypothetical order of 500,000 hook-and-loop sanding discs on paper backing, entered under 6805 20 00 00: £25,000 free on board plus £1,500 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £26,500. Coated abrasives carry no duty, so import VAT of 20% on £26,500, £5,300, is the only tax. A VAT-registered importer normally reclaims it, so the border adds no lasting cost. Abrasives are dense, so a full container carries a lot of value for its freight. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.

What goes wrong

Abrasives fail on grit, bonding and backing. Grain sheds early because the resin bond is weak, a stated grit cuts coarser or finer than the P scale, and discs clog quickly on paint because the anti-clog coating is missing. Hook-and-loop backings lose grip after a few changes, holes do not line up with the pad, paper backings tear at the edge, belt joints split at speed, and adhesive softens in hot warehouses.

Check grit grading against ISO 6344 on samples, run a cut-rate and grain-shedding test on wood and paint against an approved reference, test hook-and-loop grip over repeated changes, check the hole pattern on the target pads, test belt joints at the marked speed as BS EN 13743 requires, and age samples in warm and humid conditions before checking adhesion.

Cambridge China Bridge sources sanding sheets, discs, belts and rolls for trade and retail ranges, with cut tests against a reference and grit checks before shipment. See our abrasives sourcing service.