Sourcing steel tyre reinforcement cord from China

UK duty on steel tyre reinforcement cord

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7312 covers stranded wire, ropes, cables, plaited bands, slings and similar steel or iron goods without electrical insulation. For brass-coated stranded tyre cord with a maximum cross-sectional dimension not exceeding 3 mm, the relevant line is 7312 10 41 00. The larger-dimension rows are alternatives only where the supplied strand meets their descriptions.

The selected lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff facts list no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, steel measure or suspension on these lines. Waste import and export controls are attached to 7312 10 49 00, 7312 10 69 91 and 7312 10 69 99. Confirm their application with your customs broker if ordering scrap or discarded cord. For waste imports into England under notification controls, shipment can start only after consent from the Environment Agency and other competent authorities involved.

Confirm the commodity code using the strand drawing, maximum cross-sectional dimension, coating and steel composition. Do not classify from the description 'tyre cord' alone. See the related steel tyre bead wire guide when comparing reinforcement materials.

Specify cord construction and rubber adhesion

State the filament arrangement, filament diameter, finished cord dimensions, lay direction, lay length, breaking force and elongation. Specify the brass coating composition and coating mass, together with acceptable surface condition. Match the reel dimensions, winding direction and payout arrangement to your production equipment.

Agree an adhesion test using your rubber compound and curing process, with acceptance criteria set by your tyre engineering team. Test a production sample rather than relying on a generic certificate. Ask for batch-linked results for dimensions, breaking force, elongation and coating, and agree whether joints are permitted.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 10 tonnes of brass-coated steel tyre reinforcement cord; illustrative order under 7312 10 41 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,000, so it is £4,800. 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

Construction: compare filament arrangement, lay and measured cord dimensions with the approved specification.

Surface: check for rust, damaged coating, contamination and loose or protruding filaments.

Performance: match batch test results to the delivered reels and test retained samples for breaking force, elongation and rubber adhesion.

Reels: check winding, flange damage, moisture protection, batch labels and payout behaviour before releasing stock to production.

What goes wrong

Cord can meet the breaking-force target yet bond poorly to the buyer's rubber compound. A changed coating, contaminated surface or different curing conditions can undermine adhesion. Keep the approved sample and test method with the order, and require agreement before the factory changes the wire or coating process.

Crossed winding, bent flanges and uncontrolled joints can interrupt payout. Moisture damage may appear inside the reel rather than on its exposed surface. Quarantine suspect reels and retain batch identity while investigating; agree the sampling plan through quality 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.