Sourcing tall oil fatty acids from China

Tall oil fatty acids: 0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 3823 covers industrial monocarboxylic fatty acids, acid oils from refining and industrial fatty alcohols. Tall oil fatty acids have separate lines for goods of a kind used for animal feed and other goods. The supplied facts contain only these tall oil fatty acid lines, so the table includes both.

Both tall oil fatty acid lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff snapshot lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control for either line. This does not settle chemical compliance or suitability for a particular use.

Give your customs broker the composition, manufacturing description and intended use to confirm the commodity code. For the wider heading, see our industrial oleic acid guide.

Specify composition and residual rosin

Order against an agreed specification rather than the description 'tall oil'. Specify the fatty acid profile, residual rosin acids, unsaponifiable matter, acid value, iodine value, moisture and colour, with agreed test methods. Identify the intended use, such as a resin or cleaning formulation, and approve a sample in your own process.

For supply in Great Britain, the importer must label and package substances and mixtures correctly before placing them on the market; confirm the applicable classification requirements with HSE. Establish the exact substance identity and UK REACH position before ordering. Where a new registration is required and transitional provisions do not apply, complete registration is needed before imports reach 1 tonne per year.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 15 tonnes of industrial tall oil fatty acids, illustrative only under 3823 13 00 90, invoiced at £24,000 free on board, with £2,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £26,200. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £26,200, so it is £5,240. 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

Analysis: compare the batch certificate with agreed fatty acid composition, rosin content, moisture, colour and acid value.

Sample: retain a sealed batch sample and check performance in the intended formulation against the approved sample.

Packaging: check seals, leaks, contamination, container condition and whether the closures suit your unloading equipment.

Documents: match batch identifiers across containers, analysis and shipping documents; review the safety data sheet, classification, labels and UK REACH evidence.

What goes wrong

Watch for a supplier offering tall oil under a fatty acid specification without confirming composition. Excess residual rosin, variable colour, moisture or unsaponifiable matter can cause a batch to fail your formulation trial. A generic analysis sheet does not demonstrate that the shipped batch meets your limits.

Agree sampling and acceptance methods before payment, and check the actual shipment rather than relying on the sales sample. Use a quality inspection brief that identifies the batch, tests and documents to review.

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.