Sourcing stainless steel wire from China
Stainless steel wire from China, including 304 and 316 grades, spring wire, cold-heading wire, heat-resistant nickel-chromium grades and FeCrAl resistance wire, pays 0% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty and no steel safeguard measure. Wire is bought on grade, diameter, tensile strength and surface, proven by an EN 10204 type 3.1 certificate.
Stainless steel wire, spring wire, 304 and 316 grades and FeCrAl resistance wire from China pay 0% UK duty, with no steel measure. Grades and tests.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, wire of stainless steel, heading 7223, carried 0% on goods from China on every line: wire with 2.5% or more nickel (including a nickel-chromium heat-resistant grade) and wire with less than 2.5% nickel (including chromium-aluminium resistance wire). No line carried an anti-dumping measure or the steel safeguard measure.
Non-alloy steel wire is under heading 7217 (see our steel wire guide), stranded wire and ropes under 7312 (see our wire rope guide), and coated welding wire under 8311 (see our welding electrodes guide).
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5% or more nickel, 28% to 31% nickel and 20% to 22% chromium | 7223 00 11 00 | 0% | None |
| 2.5% or more nickel, other (such as 304 and 316) | 7223 00 19 00 | 0% | None |
| Under 2.5% nickel, 13% to 25% chromium and 3.5% to 6% aluminium (FeCrAl) | 7223 00 91 00 | 0% | None |
| Under 2.5% nickel, other (such as 430) | 7223 00 99 00 | 0% | None |
Standards and certificates
Stainless steel wire is commonly specified to BS EN 10088-3, and stainless spring wire to BS EN 10270-3. Ask for a mill certificate to EN 10204 type 3.1 for each heat, stating grade, composition and mechanical properties, and check grade with positive material identification, since 304 and 316 look identical.
Specifying stainless wire
Specify grade, diameter and tolerance, condition (annealed, spring temper, cold-heading), tensile strength, surface finish (bright, matt, coated), coil or spool weight and type, and for resistance wire the resistance per metre.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: 10 tonnes of 304 stainless steel wire, commodity code 7223 00 19 00, bought for £32,000 free on board, with £1,100 of freight and insurance, so £33,100 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on stainless wire; import VAT at 20% of £33,100 is £6,620. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.
Inspection checklist
Grade: run positive material identification on samples from each heat, looking at molybdenum to tell 316 from 304.
Dimensions and strength: measure diameter and ovality, and test tensile strength and elongation on samples.
Surface and packing: check for scratches, drawing marks and rust spots, and that spools are wrapped and tagged with heat numbers.
What goes wrong
Stainless wire orders fail on grade, temper and tolerance. 304 is supplied as 316, tensile strength is wrong for springs, diameters drift, surfaces are scratched, and certificates do not match the heat on the tag.
Test grade by PMI, check tensile strength and diameter, and match certificates to heats. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources stainless wire for UK spring makers, fastener makers and wireworkers, checking the mill's certificates first. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on stainless steel wire from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, stainless steel wire (heading 7223) carried 0% from China on every line.
Does the steel safeguard measure apply?
No. No heading 7223 line carried the steel measure or an anti-dumping measure on 27 September 2026.
How do I tell 316 from 304?
Positive material identification: 316 contains molybdenum, 304 does not.
Which standards apply?
BS EN 10088-3 for stainless wire and BS EN 10270-3 for stainless spring wire.