Sourcing supported palladium catalysts from China

Duty and palladium-on-carbon suspension

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 7 November 2026, heading 3815 covers reaction initiators, reaction accelerators and catalytic preparations not elsewhere specified or included. Supported palladium catalysts fall within the other supported precious-metal catalyst line, 3815 12 00 90. The table shows product variants sharing this code. For the wider heading, see our Raney nickel catalyst guide.

The supplied tariff record shows 6% base duty for China and no anti-dumping or countervailing measure. Its 0% suspension includes palladium metal or oxide on carbon containing 1% to 20% palladium by weight on a dry basis. The suspension excludes mixtures, preparations or products made from different components containing these products. A separate authorised-use suspension covers listed descriptions; do not assume it covers your palladium catalyst.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. Confirm the requirement for your China shipment with your customs broker, particularly for spent material. For notified waste imported into England, shipment can start only after consent from the Environment Agency and the other competent authorities involved. Confirm the commodity code using composition, support, physical form and fresh or spent status.

Specify palladium loading and the support

Specify palladium metal or oxide, the support material, dry-basis metal loading, moisture or wetting medium, particle size, surface area and pore volume. State whether the material must be fresh or regenerated. Agree sampling, an independent metal assay and a process activity test against an approved sample.

For supply in Great Britain, confirm the applicable classification requirements with HSE; importers must ensure substances and mixtures are correctly labelled and packaged before placing them on the market. Request the English safety data sheet and handling information for the actual formulation. Confirm with HSE the UK REACH position for its substances, including any applicable annual import thresholds.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 kilograms of palladium-on-alumina catalyst, assuming the 6% base duty applies under 3815 12 00 90, invoiced at £2,500 free on board, with £600 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £3,100. Duty at 6% is £186. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £3,286, so it is £657.20. Import taxes total £843.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £186 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Assay: compare the batch certificate with an independent palladium assay, using the agreed dry-basis calculation.

Support: check identity, particle size, surface area and pore volume against the approved specification; inspect pellets for breakage and fines.

Performance: test a representative sample under your intended reactor conditions and retain a sealed batch sample.

Packaging: check seals, leakage, batch identity and the declared wetting medium; compare labels and handling instructions with the safety data sheet.

What goes wrong

A wet-basis assay can disguise a dry-basis loading mismatch. A batch can meet its metal assay yet fail the activity trial because the support or preparation differs from the approved sample. Broken pellets and excess fines also undermine consistency. Agree the assay basis and acceptance test before ordering.

Regenerated material supplied as fresh creates both performance uncertainty and questions about waste status. Keep fresh-product purchases separate from spent-catalyst recovery arrangements, and confirm waste controls before shipping. Use quality inspection to define batch checks and retained samples.

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.