Silica and inorganic acids from China
Silicon dioxide, hydrofluoric acid, phosphorous acid, carbon dioxide and other inorganic acids of heading 2811 from China pay 4% UK duty with no anti-dumping duty. Silica filler granules of 97% purity or more and one fine amorphous silica powder enter at 0% under suspensions to 2028. UK REACH, CLP and dangerous goods rules apply. Cambridge China Bridge sources silica and acids.
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4%, with silica suspensions
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, inorganic acids and inorganic oxygen compounds of non-metals in heading 2811, including hydrogen fluoride (hydrofluoric acid), phosphorous acid, silicon dioxide and carbon dioxide, carried 4% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. For metal oxides, see our chromium oxide sourcing guide.
Silica has three suspensions to 31 December 2028. Silica filler in granules of at least 97% silicon dioxide has 0% with document 9Y12 from 8 July 2026; amorphous silicon dioxide powder (CAS RN 60676-86-0) of 99% purity or more with a median grain size of 0.7 to 2.1 µm has its own 0% line; and silica powder for chromatography columns is 0% under authorised use. Precipitated silica powder for tyres and fumed silica for coatings generally pay 4%. Hydrogen iodide and sulphamidic acid also have suspensions. Confirm the commodity code and match the grade to the footnote. For titanium dioxide sourcing, see our titanium oxides guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen fluoride (hydrofluoric acid) | 2811 11 00 00 | 4% | None |
| Phosphorous acid (phosphonic acid) | 2811 19 80 60 | 4% | None |
| Carbon dioxide | 2811 21 00 00 | 4% | None |
| Amorphous silicon dioxide powder, 99% or more, median grain 0.7 to 2.1 µm | 2811 22 00 15 | 0% to 31 Dec 2028 | None |
| Other silicon dioxide, including precipitated and fumed silica | 2811 22 00 90 | 4% | None |
| Silica filler granules, 97% or more silicon dioxide, with document 9Y12 | 2811 22 00 90 | 0% to 31 Dec 2028 | None |
| Other inorganic oxygen compounds of non-metals | 2811 29 90 90 | 4% | None |
REACH, CLP and dangerous goods
Each substance imported at one tonne or more a year needs UK REACH registration or a valid transitional notification by the GB importer or a UK only representative of the maker, unless exempt, plus an English safety data sheet and GB CLP labels where legally required; see our UK REACH guide. Silica sold as the food additive E 551 must meet the purity specification in the GB Register of Food Additive Authorisations, which replaced retained Regulation 231/2012 on 1 April 2025, and silica fume for concrete is specified to BS EN 13263-1.
Hydrofluoric acid is acutely toxic and corrosive, travels as dangerous goods under UN 1790 in approved packaging, and needs a consignee with handling procedures and calcium gluconate first aid in place. Amorphous silica is not respirable crystalline silica, but it is still a dust that needs controls. Gases such as industrial carbon dioxide are covered in our industrial gases and silicon guide. For fluoride salts, see our guide to sourcing fluorides and cryolite.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 40 tonnes of precipitated silica for rubber compounding, entered under 2811 22 00 90: £32,000 free on board plus £4,000 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £36,000. The 4% duty on precipitated silica comes to £1,440, and import VAT is 20% of £37,440, which is £7,488. If you are VAT-registered you normally reclaim the £7,488, leaving £1,440 as the real cost at the border. Silica filler in granules of at least 97% silicon dioxide can enter at 0% with document 9Y12 from 8 July 2026, so granulated grades are worth checking against the footnote. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
What goes wrong
Silica is bought on surface area, and acids on concentration and impurities. A lot of precipitated silica with lower surface area or higher moisture changes rubber reinforcement and mixing, fumed silica with the wrong treatment will not thicken a resin, and hydrofluoric acid arrives below the ordered concentration or with metal impurities too high for electronics grades. Drums leak, bags split, and dangerous goods paperwork that does not match the load stops the container.
Test each lot against the certificate of analysis: specific surface area by nitrogen adsorption to ISO 9277, loss on drying, pH of a suspension and sieve residue for silica, and concentration by titration and trace metals by ICP for acids. Check UN marking and packaging approval on acid drums, and match the safety data sheet and dangerous goods note to the goods before loading.
Cambridge China Bridge sources silica grades and inorganic acids for rubber, coatings, concrete and electronics users, with lot testing and dangerous goods documents checked before shipment. Contact us about sourcing silica and acids. For pigment sourcing, see our iron oxide pigments guide.
Related guides: Sourcing acrylic and benzoic acids from China and Polycarboxylic acids and phthalates from China. For carbonate sourcing, see our soda ash and carbonates guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on silica from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, silicon dioxide carried 4% from China; silica filler granules of 97% or more and one fine amorphous powder enter at 0% under suspensions.
What is the duty on hydrofluoric acid?
4%, with no anti-dumping duty, read on 26 September 2026.
How is precipitated silica tested?
Specific surface area by nitrogen adsorption to ISO 9277, loss on drying, pH and sieve residue against the certificate.
Does silica need UK REACH registration?
At one tonne or more a year, yes, unless a UK only representative of the maker covers it.