Sourcing swords and decorative blades from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 28 September 2026, heading 9307 covers swords, cutlasses, bayonets, lances and similar arms, their parts, and scabbards and sheaths. It is a single code carrying 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. The tariff attaches a CITES import control, relevant to handles or scabbards of listed species such as ivory, horn or some tropical woods, answered by a declaration or a CITES certificate.

Under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988, a sword with a curved blade of 50 centimetres or more, measured in a straight line from the top of the handle to the tip, is a weapon to which section 141 applies. Importing, selling or possessing one is an offence, with a defence that it was made before 1954 or according to traditional methods of making swords by hand; antiques over 100 years old are outside the list. The order covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland has its own order, so check before selling there.

What can be sold, and to whom

Mass-produced curved swords, such as factory-made katana replicas with blades of 50cm or more, cannot rely on the hand-made defence, so check whether another applicable exemption or defence permits the design to be imported, including the bluntness defence in England and Wales. Keep the supplier's evidence of hand forging for any curved sword sold on that basis.

Section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence to sell a knife or bladed article to a person under 18, so online and shop sales need age checks. Straight-bladed swords are bladed articles too, so apply the same checks to every sword sold.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 200 straight-bladed display swords under 9307 00 00 00, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,800, so it is £1,360. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Blade: measure blade length and check curvature against the design.

Finish: check fittings, scabbard fit and edge treatment.

Documents: check handle and scabbard materials for CITES species, and hand-making evidence where relied on. See our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

Sword orders fail on the law, not the steel. Factory-made curved blades of 50cm or more arrive and are seized, handle materials turn out to be CITES-listed, and online sales go out without age checks.

Cambridge China Bridge sources materials for UK manufacturers with documents agreed before shipment. See factory verification.