Sourcing shipping containers from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, containers of heading 8609, including those for the transport of fluids and those with an anti-radiation lead covering, carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Import VAT is still due when a container is imported to stay in the UK, rather than entering under the temporary admission rules for containers in international traffic.

Portable site offices and cabins fitted out as buildings may be classified as prefabricated buildings in heading 9406; confirm the commodity code from what the unit is at import.

CSC plates and standards

The International Convention for Safe Containers is applied in the UK by the Freight Containers (Safety Convention) Regulations 1984. A container used in international transport needs a CSC safety approval plate from an approved classification society, and a periodic or continuous examination scheme after that; without a valid plate it cannot be moved loaded by sea. Ask which society approved the design, and for the certificate that matches the serial numbers.

Dimensions and ratings are specified to ISO 668, construction and testing of general cargo containers to ISO 1496-1, and the owner code and serial number follow ISO 6346, so the owner code must be registered before the units are painted.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import ten new one-trip 40-foot high cube containers under 8609 00 90 00. At £32,000 free on board and £6,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £38,000. With 0% duty on shipping containers, the only charge is import VAT: 20% of £38,000, or £7,600. VAT-registered businesses usually recover that in their next return. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

What goes wrong

Containers fail at the doors, the floor and the paint. Door gaskets that are poorly fitted let in water, locking bars bind, and corner castings are out of tolerance so twist locks will not engage. Timber floors may not carry the fumigation or treatment certificate some destinations require, and paint applied over poor blasting rusts along the roof seams within a year. Modified units with windows and doors cut in lose strength if the frame is not reinforced.

Inspect each unit before it is released: a light test with the doors shut, door and locking bar operation, corner casting and overall dimensions, floor condition and treatment certificate, paint thickness and the CSC plate against the certificate. For modified units, ask for drawings showing the reinforcement.

Cambridge China Bridge sources new one-trip and custom containers, with CSC approval, owner codes and inspection agreed before the build. Read how we source equipment for logistics.