Steel shot, grit and iron powder from China
Granules and powders of pig iron, iron or steel from China, including cast steel shot and grit for blasting and peening, iron powder and alloy steel powder, pay 0% UK duty on all three lines of heading 7205, outside the UK steel measure and with no anti-dumping duty. Buyers check size grading, hardness, shape and chemistry.
Steel shot and grit for blasting, and iron and alloy steel powders from China pay 0% UK duty. Size grading, hardness and purity checks explained.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 7205 covers granules and powders of pig iron, spiegeleisen, iron or steel. All three leaves, granules (7205 10 00 00), powders of alloy steel (7205 21 00 00) and other powders (7205 29 00 00), carried 0% on goods from China, with no steel measure quota or 50% rate, no anti-dumping measure, no registration and no suspension.
Other blasting media such as garnet are covered in our garnet and natural abrasives guide, and copper powder in our copper powder guide; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granules (such as steel shot and grit) | 7205 10 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Powders of alloy steel | 7205 21 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Other powders (such as iron powder) | 7205 29 00 00 | 0% | None |
Handling and chemical rules
Fine metal powders need dust control and, where they can form combustible dust clouds, an explosion risk assessment in the user's plant. Iron and steel powders are substances or alloys under UK REACH, so check the supplier's registration position and safety data sheet classification under the retained CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.
Specifying shot, grit and powder
For blasting media specify shot or grit, size grade and sieve analysis, hardness, microstructure, density and durability. For powders specify chemistry, particle size distribution, apparent density, flow rate, oxygen content, compressibility for sintering, and sphericity and satellites for additive manufacturing, with packing in sealed drums or lined bags.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: 25 tonnes of cast steel shot in 1 tonne bags, commodity code 7205 10 00 00, bought for £17,500 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance, so £20,000 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on steel shot; import VAT at 20% of £20,000 is £4,000. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.
Inspection checklist
Size: check a sieve or laser analysis for the lot against the grade.
Quality: check hardness and shape for shot and grit, and chemistry and oxygen for powders.
Packing: check bag and drum integrity, rust, weights and lot marking.
What goes wrong
Shot, grit and powder orders fail on size, hardness and rust. Size grades are mixed, hardness is outside the range so media breaks down fast, powder oxidises in damp packing, and additive manufacturing powder has irregular particles that do not flow.
Test samples before shipping. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources steel shot, grit and metal powders for UK blasting contractors, foundries and powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing buyers, checking the producer's lab first. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on steel shot from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, steel shot and grit under 7205 10 00 00 carried 0% from China.
Is 7205 under the UK steel measure?
No. None of the three lines carried the steel measure quota or 50% rate.
Which code is alloy steel powder?
Powders of alloy steel are 7205 21 00 00.
What fails most often?
Mixed size grades, wrong hardness and rusted or oxidised material.