Sourcing selective lawn herbicides from China

6% duty on the selected herbicide lines

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 3808 covers pesticide preparations and products put up for retail sale, including herbicides. This guide concerns selective lawn weedkillers. The table shows chemistry-based classification alternatives, not a list of products authorised for lawn use. Each selected line carries 6% duty from China, with no listed anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension.

The selected lines attach waste import and export controls; the urea, uracil and sulphonylurea line also attaches dangerous-chemical export controls. Ask your customs broker to confirm how the waste import control applies to your shipment from China. If a consignment is waste subject to notification controls and destined for England, shipment can start only after consent from the Environment Agency and the other competent authorities involved. Confirm any return shipment separately.

Confirm the commodity code using the complete formulation, chemical basis, presentation and intended function. A selective lawn claim does not identify the tariff line by itself. See the pesticides and disinfectants guide for the wider heading.

Specify the formulation and intended lawn use

Confirm the exact product's HSE authorisation before ordering for the Great Britain market. Approval of an active substance does not authorise a supplier's formulation. Businesses importing or selling professional plant protection products in Great Britain must register; sellers of amateur products must also register. Establish whether the intended customer is a professional turf operator or a home gardener.

Specify the active substances and their chemical forms, concentrations, formulation type, target weeds, grass species, established or newly seeded turf, pack size and measuring arrangement. Agree batch assay methods, acceptance tolerances, storage stability checks and retained samples. Request evidence supporting the proposed weed-control and grass-safety claims.

The product label must match the statutory conditions of use. Compare the proposed lawn use, user category and application instructions against the authorisation before approving artwork. Arrange a testing and certification review alongside formulation checks.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 600 sealed bottles of an authorised phenoxy-based lawn herbicide, illustrative only under 3808 93 11 00, invoiced at £4,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,500. Duty at 6% is £390. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,890, so it is £1,378. Import taxes total £1,768; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £390 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: check the product name, formulation and batch references against the purchase specification and authorisation documents.

Composition: check an independent batch assay against the agreed active-substance concentrations and tolerances.

Condition: check for separation, crystallisation, sediment or caking; compare the batch with the approved sample and stability results.

Packs and labels: check seals, leakage, fill quantity, measuring devices and legibility; compare lawn-use instructions with the authorisation. Use the quality inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

A supplier offers a formulation containing an approved active substance, but the exact product lacks authorisation and cannot be sold or used in Great Britain. A label copied from another product can also mismatch the authorised use. Resolve product identity and authorisation before committing to production.

Low active content, separation, leaking closures and inaccurate measuring devices can undermine the agreed product performance. A weed-control sample result does not establish grass safety across every lawn situation. Investigate suspect batches before release and compare complaints with the batch records and retained sample.

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.