Sourcing Thiamine Hydrochloride from China

Duty on unmixed thiamine hydrochloride

Heading 2936 covers vitamins, their derivatives and intermixtures. Unmixed thiamine hydrochloride falls within vitamin B1 and its derivatives, code 2936 22 00 00. The table shows different purchasing uses of the same commodity line, rather than separate tariff classifications.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 October 2026, the supplied record gives 0% duty for this line from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension listed. It attaches an export control for waste. Ask your customs broker to confirm its relevance if the material is waste or is being returned for disposal or recovery.

Confirm the exact composition and presentation using finding your commodity code. Finished tablets and capsules are usually food preparations or medicines. For mixtures and other vitamin forms, see sourcing vitamins from China.

Specify the hydrochloride salt and intended use

Write thiamine hydrochloride into the purchase specification, rather than accepting a generic vitamin B1 description. Agree identity, assay basis, moisture, particle size, contaminant testing and the intended food, feed or pharmaceutical grade. State whether the assay is reported on the material as supplied or on a dried basis.

For supplements, check the chemical form against the permitted forms list before ordering. Confirm feed-additive authorisation requirements with the relevant feed authority and pharmaceutical-grade evidence requirements with the relevant medicines authority, using the wider vitamin guide to frame your questions. For fortified foods, government guidance requires nutrition labelling whenever a vitamin or mineral is voluntarily added to a product.

Ask for a batch certificate of analysis, test methods and stability data supporting the proposed retest or expiry date. Agree sealed liners and storage instructions. Use testing and certification support to settle the sampling and laboratory brief.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative bulk ingredient order; values are illustrative under 2936 22 00 00, invoiced at £32,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £34,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £34,500, so it is £6,900. 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

Identity: check that the order, drum labels and batch certificate all name thiamine hydrochloride. Have the laboratory confirm the salt identity rather than relying on a vitamin B1 label.

Assay: compare the shipped batch with the agreed assay and moisture specification. Check the reporting basis before comparing results from different laboratories.

Contaminants: review batch-specific heavy-metal and microbiological results against the agreed grade and intended use. Match the tested batch to the goods received.

Packing: check liner seals, drum condition, batch labels and retest or expiry dates. Record dampness, clumping or damaged seals during quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A generic vitamin B1 quotation can hide a different salt or a formulated mixture. A certificate for another batch does not establish the quality of the delivery. Assay results can also appear inconsistent when the supplier reports on a dried basis and the buyer compares the material as received.

Moisture ingress, broken liners and clumping are reasons to hold the affected stock pending investigation. Keep samples and photographs, compare arrival tests with the agreed specification, and settle any discrepancy before releasing the material to production.

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.