Sourcing stainless steel stockpots from China

Stockpot classification and UK duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 8 October 2026, heading 7323 covers iron or steel table, kitchen and household articles and their parts, alongside steel wool and scourers. Ordinary stainless steel stockpots fall within the stainless steel other-articles line, 7323 93 00 90. The table shows stockpot variants sharing that line. For related kitchenware within the heading, see stainless steel gastronorm trays. For household bins, see our stainless steel pedal bin sourcing guide.

The supplied tariff record gives this line 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or steel measure recorded. It attaches import and export waste controls. In England, waste shipment controls apply only where the material is waste. For stockpots shipped from China as waste, confirm the applicable procedure with your customs broker; where notification controls apply, the exporter starts the consent application in the country of dispatch.

Send your broker the material specification, construction details, photographs and intended use to confirm the commodity code. Food contact materials must be safe and suitable for their intended use. For stockpots, ask for supporting evidence covering the finished food-contact surfaces and the cooking conditions you intend to advertise.

Specify the body, base and handles

Specify the stainless steel grade separately for the body, lid and base exterior. Record usable capacity, internal diameter, height, wall thickness, finish and rim construction. State whether the base is plain or encapsulated, identify its layer materials and agree a cross-section drawing. An induction claim should be checked on the intended hob, using a finished sample.

Agree handle clearance, attachment method, lid fit and whether lids are packed separately or fitted. Define the intended foods, cooking conditions and cleaning method so a laboratory can propose suitable food-contact testing. Keep an approved sample and drawings for comparison with production.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative mixed-size order of stainless steel stockpots, with lids under 7323 93 00 90, invoiced at £7,500 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £8,400. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £8,400, so it is £1,680. 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

Body and rim: measure against the drawing, check usable capacity and inspect for dents, sharp edges, polishing residue and rough internal seams.

Base and heating: check flatness, inspect the base joint and run agreed heating and cooling checks for rocking, separation or distortion; verify any induction claim.

Handles and lids: check attachment strength under an agreed filled-pot load, inspect welds or rivets, and confirm grip clearance and lid seating.

Records and packing: match material and test records to the supplied design, check care instructions against sample trials, and inspect protection between nested pots at inspection.

What goes wrong

A sample can hide a thinner production body or a changed base construction. Problems to check for include rocking after heating, separation at the encapsulated base, loose handles, lids that bind and rim damage from nesting. Agree measurable acceptance criteria and compare production pots with the approved sample.

A generic material report may describe a different alloy or finish from the delivered pot. Ask the laboratory to identify which surfaces and intended uses its evidence covers. Confirm the actual design before relying on a report, especially after a change to the steel, coating, welds or base.

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.