Sourcing selenium powder from China

Selenium powder duty and controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 October 2026, heading 2804 covers hydrogen, rare gases and other non-metals. Elemental selenium powder falls under 2804 90 00 00 and carries 0% duty from China. The supplied tariff record shows no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for selenium. The table describes powder variants using the same selenium commodity line.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. Waste shipment controls apply only where the material is waste. For waste from China entering England under notification controls, the exporter applies to the dispatch authority; shipment can start only after consent from the Environment Agency and other competent authorities involved. Confirm the waste status and applicable procedure with your customs broker before ordering recovered material.

Confirm elemental selenium rather than a selenium compound or preparation using finding your commodity code. For related goods within the wider heading, see sourcing tellurium ingots.

Specify selenium identity, assay and particle size

Specify elemental selenium powder, intended industrial use, assay method, impurity limits, particle-size distribution and acceptable agglomeration. Ask for a batch certificate of analysis and agree how samples will be taken and retained. State whether purity is measured on a dry basis and which impurities the laboratory must report.

For Great Britain, businesses importing a substance at one tonne or more each year have UK REACH registration responsibilities. Confirm whether the manufacturer's appointed representative covers your imports. Chemical classification must be carried out by someone with scientific competence; correct labelling and packaging are required before sale. A safety data sheet is required when a hazardous chemical is supplied for workplace use.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 25 kg of high-purity selenium powder under 2804 90 00 00, invoiced at £15,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £17,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £17,000, so it is £3,400. 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 and assay: match the batch certificate to the order and independently test a representative sample against the agreed selenium assay and impurity limits.

Particle size: compare the measured distribution with the specification; record coarse particles and agglomerates rather than accepting a description such as fine powder.

Packing: check sealed liners, closures, leakage, net weight and batch markings without opening damaged packs for an informal inspection.

Documents and labels: check that the certificate, safety data sheet and package labels identify the same material and batch. Agree the sampling scope through quality inspection.

What goes wrong

An order described only as selenium powder leaves room for disputes over elemental identity, assay basis, impurities and particle size. A certificate reporting total purity without individual impurity results may not answer the buyer's specification. Agglomeration, leaking closures and mismatched batch numbers are practical reasons to hold stock for review.

Approve a representative sample and written acceptance criteria before production. Keep suspect batches separate while comparing arrival samples with the retained sample and batch certificate. Do not treat a supplier's certificate as a substitute for checking your own chemical supply responsibilities.

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.