Sourcing Struvite Fertiliser from China

6% for nitrogen-phosphorus struvite; check blends

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 3105 covers compound mineral or chemical fertilisers, other fertilisers and small packaged fertilisers. For qualifying unblended struvite containing nitrogen and phosphorus, 3105 59 00 90 is a classification candidate carrying 6% duty from China. The small-pack and selected NPK blend lines also carry 6%. The residual other-fertiliser line carries 2%, but is not a default code for struvite.

The selected lines have no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension in the supplied tariff record. The UK Trade Tariff attaches veterinary control to 3105 10 00 90. Give your customs broker the feedstock history and ask them to confirm whether that control applies to your Chinese product and which entry documents are required.

Confirm the commodity code from the complete formulation, nutrient analysis and gross pack weight. The selected lines fall within the UK carbon border adjustment mechanism from 1 January 2027; request supplier emissions data. For the wider heading, see NPK, DAP and MAP fertilisers.

Specify struvite identity, feedstock and phosphate

Specify magnesium ammonium phosphate identity, the struvite proportion, any added fertilisers or binders, and whether the material is synthesised or recovered. Agree nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium declarations, the reporting basis and phosphate extraction methods. Set contractual limits for moisture, contaminants, particle size, dust and granule strength. Ask for batch analysis and evidence supporting any slow-release claim.

For recovered material destined for England, obtain the feedstock description, recovery process and evidence supporting non-waste status. Waste material must undergo recycling or another recovery operation and meet all end of waste conditions before it is non-waste. Waste shipment controls apply across the journey if any country involved classifies the material as waste.

GB fertiliser rules prescribe fertiliser types and nutrient declarations. Have the applicable selling route and label checked for the actual struvite formulation before printing bags. Check UK REACH with HSE: where a new registration is required and downstream user notification provisions do not apply, complete registration before manufacture or imports reach 1 tonne per year.

If APHA places an animal-derived formulation within its ready-to-use organic fertiliser import guidance, obtain its import authorisation before importing from China. Permitted origin is assessed case by case, and the authorisation must accompany a non-EU consignment. Ask APHA to settle the applicable route before ordering; a mineral analysis alone does not establish feedstock eligibility.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 25 tonnes of struvite fertiliser in 25 kg bags, subject to classification confirmation under 3105 59 00 90, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £11,500. Duty at 6% is £690. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £12,190, so it is £2,438. Import taxes total £3,128; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £690 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: compare independently drawn batch samples with the agreed struvite identity, formulation and nutrient analysis; retain sealed samples for comparison on arrival.

Phosphate and contaminants: check total phosphorus and the agreed extractable fractions separately, together with magnesium, nitrogen and feedstock-relevant contaminants. Compare results using the same reporting basis and methods.

Physical condition: sieve for particle size and fines, check moisture and granule strength, and inspect arrival samples for caking, broken granules and foreign material.

Packing and records: check bag weights, liners, seams and pallet condition. Match batch references on bags, analysis reports and feedstock records, and compare the printed nutrient declaration with the checked label artwork.

What goes wrong

A supplier may offer a mixed recovered phosphate as struvite without identifying its mineral phases or added ingredients. Total phosphorus alone does not demonstrate the agreed extractable phosphate or release behaviour. Other failures include excessive fines, damp caked bags and inconsistent contaminants between feedstock batches.

An acceptable sample can conceal a changed recovery feedstock or formulation in production. Keep approval tied to the manufacturing process and batch evidence, and investigate discrepancies before distributing the shipment. Arrange testing and certification support around the actual product and intended selling route.

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.