Sourcing tin foil from China

Tin-foil duty and waste controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 8007 covers other articles of tin. Tin foil falls within the other-articles line, 8007 00 80 00. The table shows buying forms sharing that code, rather than separate tariff lines. The heading also contains plates, sheets and strip exceeding 0.2 mm in thickness.

The supplied China duty is 0%, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension recorded. The tariff attaches import and export waste controls to the other-articles line. Waste shipment controls apply only when the material is waste. For Chinese waste entering England under notification controls, the exporter must apply to the dispatch authority for consent, and shipment must await the relevant authorities' consent. Ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable waste procedure.

Confirm the metal composition, thickness, backing and intended use before choosing the commodity code. This guide concerns foil made of tin; check what a supplier means by “tin foil” before accepting the description. See tin anodes for another product within the wider heading.

Specify the tin metal and foil format

State the tin content and permitted impurities, including lead, with a batch analysis certificate. Specify foil thickness and tolerance, width, supplied length or net metal weight, sheet dimensions, temper and surface condition. Identify any coating, backing or adhesive separately. For rolls, agree the core, winding direction, splice policy and protection against crushed edges.

Food-contact rules cover materials expected to touch food or transfer constituents to it. If that is the intended use, request evidence addressing the actual foil, coatings and contact conditions. Agree the foods, temperature and contact duration before commissioning migration testing through testing and certification. A composition certificate alone does not demonstrate performance in the buyer's application.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 1,500 narrow tin-foil rolls under 8007 00 80 00, invoiced at £27,000 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £27,900. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £27,900, so it is £5,580. 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

Composition: match batch labels to analysis certificates and test retained samples against the agreed tin and impurity specification.

Dimensions: measure thickness across the width and along the roll; check width, sheet size and net metal weight against the order.

Surface: inspect for pinholes, tears, creases, contamination and sharp or ragged edges; trial the foil in the intended cutting or forming process.

Packing: check cores, winding and edge protection; look for crushed rolls, wet packaging and sheets stuck together. Use the inspection guide to agree sampling.

What goes wrong

Orders can fail when the supplier uses “tin foil” loosely, supplies a different metal or alloy, or measures a backed product without separating metal thickness. Thin areas, pinholes and damaged edges can make otherwise correctly sized foil unsuitable. Match the bulk shipment to an approved sample and agree how defects will be assessed.

Do not treat a food-use description as test evidence. Check that reports concern the supplied construction and intended contact conditions. If the shipment contains discarded foil or offcuts, confirm its waste status before dispatch rather than relying on the customs goods description.

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.