Sourcing stainless steel spring wire from China

Duty and composition-based classification

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 October 2026, heading 7223 covers wire of stainless steel. All listed lines carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty, steel measure or suspension. The table shows composition branches, not interchangeable spring grades. See the wider stainless steel wire guide.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls to every line. Waste shipment controls apply only when the material is waste. For a shipment from China to England, ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable waste requirements before ordering scrap, rejected coils or material intended for recovery.

Confirm the commodity code from the mill's composition certificate and the supplied product form. Spring temper alone does not select the tariff line. Confirm with HMRC or your customs broker whether these lines fall within the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism and when any obligations apply. Ask the mill for emissions data and consult the UK CBAM guide.

Specify wire for your spring-making process

Specify the stainless grade, spring temper, diameter and tolerance, tensile strength, elongation, surface finish and coil or spool format. Agree whether drawing lubricant or a coating is acceptable for your forming and cleaning process. Include winding direction, payout behaviour and identification by heat in the purchase specification.

The published wire guide identifies BS EN 10270-3 for stainless spring wire and EN 10204 type 3.1 certificates for heat chemistry and mechanical properties. Agree the specification with the mill and trial sample wire on your coiling equipment before approving production. Record the spring geometry and performance you expect from that trial.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 10 tonnes of stainless steel spring 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 to the mill certificate and verify the ordered grade with material identification testing.

Diameter and strength: measure diameter and ovality, then compare tensile strength and elongation results with the agreed specification.

Surface: inspect for scratches, drawing marks, rust spots and inconsistent lubricant or coating.

Payout and packing: check winding, tangles, spool damage and moisture protection; run a forming trial from sampled coils.

What goes wrong

A correct stainless grade can still have the wrong temper or tensile strength for the spring. Diameter drift changes forming behaviour, while surface damage can become a failure point. Mixed heats and certificates that do not match coil tags make it difficult to isolate a defective batch.

Agree acceptance checks before dispatch and retain sample wire with its heat identity. On arrival, hold suspect coils apart until chemistry, dimensions and forming behaviour have been checked. Use the quality inspection guide to plan the inspection.

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.