Sourcing strontium carbonate from China

4% duty on strontium carbonate

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 6 November 2026, strontium carbonate under 2836 92 00 00 carries 4% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this line. Heading 2836 covers carbonates and peroxocarbonates, but this guide covers strontium carbonate only.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. For waste imports into England under notification controls, shipment can begin after consent from the Environment Agency and the other competent authorities involved. For material from China offered as recovered stock or waste, confirm its status and the applicable requirements with your customs broker before shipment.

The supplied facts contain only a single strontium carbonate line. Confirm the composition and commodity code, especially for mixtures. For wider heading coverage, see barium carbonate.

Specify assay, impurities and particle size

Specify strontium carbonate assay, moisture, particle-size distribution and limits for barium, calcium, iron and sulphates. Agree the analytical methods and whether results are reported on a dry basis. Ask for a batch certificate of analysis and trial material for your actual ceramic, glass or other industrial process.

Confirm the applicable UK REACH registration position with HSE or your customs broker based on your substance and annual import volume into Great Britain. Check who covers your supply before ordering. Substances and mixtures placed on the Great Britain market must be classified and labelled under the applicable chemical classification rules; review the supplier's classification and proposed labels rather than assuming another carbonate's hazards apply.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of strontium carbonate under 2836 92 00 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,500. Duty at 4% is £980. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £25,480, so it is £5,096. Import taxes total £6,076; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £980 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the bag description, batch identifiers and certificate to the ordered strontium carbonate grade.

Analysis: independently check assay and agreed impurities against the purchase specification, using the agreed sampling and test methods.

Powder: check particle-size distribution, moisture and hard agglomerates against the approved sample.

Packing: check liners, closures, bag condition and net weight; photograph dampness or spilled powder before moving the delivery.

What goes wrong

A certificate headed only 'carbonate' can leave the material identity unclear. A passing assay can also hide unacceptable barium or iron, while a changed particle-size distribution can alter dispersion and processing. Avoid accepting a supplier's generic grade name as the complete specification.

Moisture ingress and torn liners can leave caked or contaminated powder. Keep suspect batches separate, retain representative samples and compare independent results with the supplier's certificate before releasing stock. Agree replacement or rejection terms against the written specification.

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.