Stone paving, setts and kerbs from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, setts, curbstones and flagstones of natural stone other than slate, heading 6801, carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure and no suspensions or other controls on the line.

Worked stone such as tiles, cladding, worktops and monuments is heading 6802, covered in our marble and granite guide, and rough blocks are in our granite and sandstone blocks guide. Heavily worked paving with polished faces can move to 6802, so confirm the commodity code from the finish.

Standards and marking

External paving flags, setts and kerbs are construction products covered by the designated standards BS EN 1341 for slabs, BS EN 1342 for setts and BS EN 1343 for kerbs, so under retained [Regulation (EU) No 305/2011](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/305/contents) the manufacturer issues a declaration of performance and the product carries UKCA or CE marking. The declared values come from tests such as flexural strength (BS EN 12372), water absorption (BS EN 13755), freeze-thaw resistance (BS EN 12371), abrasion resistance (BS EN 14157) and unpolished slip resistance (BS EN 14231).

Specify the stone name and petrographic description, finish (flamed, bush-hammered, sawn or split), size and thickness tolerance class, and the declared values the project needs in the product specification.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 25 tonnes of granite setts on pallets under 6801 00 00 00. At £9,000 free on board and £3,500 to ship and insure, the customs value is £12,500. With 0% duty on stone setts, the only charge is import VAT: 20% of £12,500, or £2,500. VAT-registered businesses usually recover that in their next return. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

What goes wrong

Stone paving fails on the stone, the finish and the paperwork. A different quarry or bed is supplied with more iron staining or weaker strength; flamed or bush-hammered finishes vary so slip resistance changes between pallets; thickness and size run outside the class so laying costs rise; flags crack or spall after the first frost; and pallets arrive without a declaration of performance or marking.

Check the stone against a retained sample under daylight, measure length, width and thickness on sampled pieces against the tolerance class, check the finish and slip resistance values against the declaration, look for veins, cracks and rust spots, check pallets, strapping and edge protection, and confirm the declaration of performance and marking before loading.

Cambridge China Bridge sources granite setts, kerbs and paving flags for landscapers, merchants and contractors, usually by the full container, with stone and finish approved on samples first. See our container programmes.