Thinners and paint strippers from China
Composite solvents and thinners, such as nitrocellulose, epoxy and polyurethane thinners, and prepared paint or varnish removers from China pay 0% UK duty on all 5 lines of heading 3814, with no anti-dumping duty. They are flammable mixtures that need CLP labels and dangerous goods shipping, and strippers containing dichloromethane cannot be sold to the public.
Paint thinners, composite solvents and paint and varnish removers from China pay 0% UK duty. CLP labels, the dichloromethane ban and flash point explained.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 3814 covers organic composite solvents and thinners not elsewhere specified and prepared paint or varnish removers. It splits mixtures based on butyl acetate from other mixtures, with separate lines for agricultural ethyl alcohol blends, and all 5 lines carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure and no tariff suspension.
Single solvents such as acetone, toluene or xylene are chemicals of chapter 29 or 27 (see our ketone solvents guide and toluene and xylene guide), so a blend only belongs in 3814 when it is a composite mixture. The tariff also flags the fluorinated greenhouse gas import control on the residual line, which matters for fluorinated solvent blends; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Based on butyl acetate | 3814 00 10 90 | 0% | None |
| Azeotropes of nonafluorobutyl methyl or ethyl ether | 3814 00 90 40 | 0% | None |
| Other thinners, composite solvents and paint removers | 3814 00 90 99 | 0% | None |
Labels, restrictions and shipping
Thinners are mixtures classified as flammable liquids and often as harmful by inhalation, so they need CLP labels, child-resistant closures and tactile warnings where the classification requires them for consumer sale, and a safety data sheet under the retained CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008. They ship as dangerous goods, commonly as UN 1263 paint-related material, in UN-approved packaging.
Entry 59 of Annex XVII to UK REACH bars paint strippers containing 0.1% or more dichloromethane from sale to the general public and restricts professional use, so buyers selling to consumers need dichloromethane-free formulations. Fluorinated solvent blends fall under the retained F-gas Regulation (EU) No 517/2014.
Specifying thinners
Specify the paint system the thinner is for, the solvent blend and its limits, flash point, evaporation rate, water content, colour, can or drum size, label languages and hazard pictograms, and for strippers the active system and the surfaces it must not attack.
Worked duty example
For a made-up shipment of 16 tonnes of nitrocellulose thinner in 20-litre cans under 3814 00 90 99, add the £2,600 of freight and insurance to the £19,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £21,600. Duty on thinners is zero, leaving import VAT of £4,320, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.
Inspection checklist
Composition and documents: check the safety data sheet and label match the blend, confirm no dichloromethane in consumer strippers, and check the dangerous goods declaration and UN packaging marks.
Performance: thin a sample of the target paint and check viscosity reduction, blushing and drying, and check flash point and water content on the batch certificate.
Packing: check can seams, closures and leak tightness, fill volume, and batch and date codes.
What goes wrong
Thinner orders fail on blend, labelling and packing. A cheaper solvent is substituted and the paint blushes or wrinkles, labels miss hazard statements or UK details, cans leak in transit, and consumer strippers contain dichloromethane.
Test each batch with the target paint and check labels and packing before shipping. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources thinners and strippers for UK paint distributors and own-label brands, checking the blender's formulation records first. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on paint thinners from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, thinners and composite solvents under 3814 carried 0% from China, with no anti-dumping duty.
Can I sell dichloromethane paint stripper to the public?
No. UK REACH restricts paint strippers with 0.1% or more dichloromethane to trained professionals.
Is acetone in heading 3814?
No. Single solvents such as acetone are chapter 29 chemicals; only composite mixtures are 3814.
Do thinners ship as dangerous goods?
Yes. Flammable thinners ship as dangerous goods in UN-approved packaging.