Sourcing cold-heading wire from China

0% duty on stainless steel cold-heading wire

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7223 covers wire of stainless steel, including cold-heading wire. Its lines divide by nickel, chromium and aluminium content. The table puts the general alloy categories first; the special-composition lines are classification alternatives, not recommendations for cold heading. Compare the wider stainless steel wire guide.

Every supplied line carries 0% duty for goods from China, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty, steel measure or suspension. The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. For imports into England under waste notification controls, the Chinese exporter must apply to the competent authority in the country of dispatch for consent. Ask your customs broker to confirm the consignment's waste status and applicable procedure before shipment.

Confirm the commodity code using the mill's composition results and the supplied form. The UK carbon border adjustment mechanism applies from 1 January 2027; confirm with HMRC or your customs broker whether these lines fall within its iron and steel scope. Ask the mill for emissions information and review the UK carbon border adjustment guide before planning later imports.

Specify wire for your heading process

State the alloy grade, diameter and tolerance, ovality, annealed condition, tensile strength and elongation. Agree the surface finish, drawing lubricant or coating, coil weight, winding direction and feed arrangement. Ask for heat-linked mill certificates showing composition and mechanical results. Approve a trial on your heading machine using the intended component geometry before accepting production material.

UK REACH generally applies to substances on their own, in mixtures or in articles. Obtain composition and coating information so your adviser can determine the obligations for the supplied wire and any lubricant supplied separately. Treat chemical compliance and heading performance as separate checks.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 10 tonnes of 304 stainless steel cold-heading wire under 7223 00 19 00, invoiced at £32,000 free on board, with £1,100 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £33,100. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £33,100, so it is £6,620. 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

Heat identity: match coil tags, packing records and mill certificates; sample each heat for material identification.

Dimensions and condition: measure diameter and ovality across sampled coils; compare tensile strength and elongation with the agreed specification.

Surface and forming: inspect for seams, scratches, rust and inconsistent coating; examine trial-headed parts for cracking and surface tearing.

Coils and arrival: check wrapping, moisture, collapsed coils and tangled winding; confirm the wire feeds through your equipment without snagging.

What goes wrong

Wire can match the nominal grade yet crack during heading because its condition, surface or forming behaviour differs from the approved sample. Diameter drift affects feeding and material volume; seams can open during deformation. A chemistry certificate alone does not prove that the wire will form your part.

Mixed heats and certificates that do not match coil tags make failures difficult to trace. Keep suspect coils separate, retain wire and failed-part samples, and compare them with the approved trial before processing the rest. Set the sampling and acceptance checks through your inspection brief.

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.