Sourcing supported nickel catalysts from China

Duty on supported nickel hydrogenation catalysts

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 3815 covers reaction initiators, reaction accelerators and catalytic preparations not elsewhere specified or included. Supported catalysts with nickel or nickel compounds as the active substance fall under 3815 11 00 00. The table shows support variants sharing this tariff line.

The supplied tariff record gives 6% duty for goods from China, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension on this line. It attaches import and export waste controls. For spent material from China, confirm the applicable requirements with your customs broker. Where notification controls apply to imports into England, shipment can start after consent from the Environment Agency and the other competent authorities involved.

Give your broker the full composition, support, active substance, physical form and intended use when confirming the commodity code. Do not apply another catalyst line's suspension to supported nickel. For the wider catalyst heading, see the Raney nickel catalyst guide.

Specify the support, nickel loading and activation

Specify the support material, nickel loading and whether the assay is on a dry or supplied basis. Agree pellet, extrudate or powder form, size distribution, surface area, pore volume, crush strength and attrition. State whether the catalyst is supplied reduced, passivated or awaiting activation, together with its protective medium and storage instructions.

Agree an activity test using your feedstock and reactor conditions, with acceptance criteria for conversion and selectivity. Ask for batch analysis and retain a comparison sample. An assay alone does not establish hydrogenation performance.

Before supplying in Great Britain, ensure the chemicals are correctly labelled and packaged. Obtain an English safety data sheet for hazardous grades and check dangerous goods arrangements for pyrophoric material. Consider whether substances you have not previously imported require UK REACH registration. Arrange testing and certification support where you need help checking the evidence.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of supported nickel hydrogenation catalyst under 3815 11 00 00, invoiced at £90,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £92,500. Duty at 6% is £5,550. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £98,050, so it is £19,610. Import taxes total £25,160; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £5,550 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: check the batch number, support, nickel loading and supplied activation state against the purchase specification and analysis certificate.

Physical condition: check the agreed size distribution, crush strength and fines content. Record broken pellets, leakage, damaged seals or changes in the protective medium.

Performance: compare a representative batch sample with the approved catalyst using the agreed hydrogenation test. Check conversion and selectivity together.

Documents: match the English safety data sheet, hazard label and handling instructions to the actual grade. Plan sampling around those instructions. See quality inspection explained.

What goes wrong

A supplier may quote nickel content without stating the assay basis, substitute a different support or supply regenerated material as fresh. The metal assay can pass while activity fails because pore structure, activation or feedstock compatibility differs. Weak pellets create fines and can disrupt reactor operation.

Agree batch tests and the permitted activation state before ordering. Keep incoming material separate until the documents and agreed checks are complete. Do not open a potentially pyrophoric grade for routine inspection without suitable handling arrangements.

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.