Stone and tile cutting machines from China

2% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, machine tools for working stone, ceramics, concrete, asbestos-cement or like mineral materials or for cold-working glass, heading 8464, carried 2% on goods from China on every line: sawing machines, grinding or polishing machines for optical and other glass, other grinding or polishing machines, and other machines such as CNC stone routers and drilling machines. No line carried an anti-dumping measure.

Hand-held power tools such as angle grinders and handheld tile cutters are under heading 8467, and diamond blades and cutting discs under 8202 or 6804, so confirm the commodity code. Engineered stone is covered in our quartz worktops guide.

Machinery safety and silica dust

These machines fall under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 and need UKCA marking, a declaration of conformity, a technical file, guarding, emergency stops and an English manual. Job-site cutting-off machines for masonry and stone are specified to BS EN 12418.

Cutting and polishing stone, especially engineered quartz, releases respirable crystalline silica, and employers must control exposure under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, so specify water suppression and extraction connection points on the machine.

Specifying stone machines

Specify maximum blade diameter and cutting depth, table size and tilt, spindle power and speed, CNC controller and software, water system, power supply, laser or camera alignment, and spare parts and tooling.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import two CNC bridge saws under 8464 10 00 00. At £58,000 free on board and £4,200 to ship and insure, the customs value is £62,200. Bridge saws at 2% pay £1,244 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £63,444, giving £12,688.80. Of the £13,932.80 paid at import, only the £1,244 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Accuracy: run a test cut and check squareness, straightness and depth, and table flatness and alignment.

Safety: check guards, interlocks, emergency stops, electrical earthing and the water system, and that markings and the manual are in English.

Packing: check the machine is bolted to a skid, protected from water ingress, and that bridge rails are braced for transit.

What goes wrong

Stone machine orders fail on accuracy, electrics and support. Cuts wander because the bridge is not rigid, the controller software is only in Chinese, water leaks into electrics, spindle bearings fail early, and spare parts take weeks to arrive.

Witness a test cut, check the software and electrics, and agree spares before ordering. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources stone and tile machines for UK fabricators and tile merchants, checking the maker's workshop and test records first. See factory verification.