Sourcing titanium hydride powder from China

Titanium hydride powder: 4% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 6 November 2026, heading 2850 covers hydrides, nitrides, azides, silicides and borides, excluding compounds that are also carbides. Titanium hydride powder falls within the other hydrides and nitrides line, 2850 00 20 90. The table describes specification variants using the same tariff line. See the wider heading guide.

Goods from China on this line carry 4% duty, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure shown. Its suspension is limited to named lithium aluminium hydride solutions and titanium nitride meeting the stated conditions; titanium hydride is outside that list. The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. Confirm their applicability with your customs broker, particularly for recovered or discarded material.

Confirm the commodity code using the composition and supplied form, especially for blends. Waste shipment controls apply only if the material is waste. For notified waste entering England from China, the exporter applies through the dispatch country's competent authority; shipment starts only after the Environment Agency and other competent authorities give consent.

Specify hydrogen content and powder behaviour

Specify titanium hydride powder explicitly, with hydrogen content, purity, oxygen and carbon limits, metallic impurities and particle size distribution. Agree test methods and whether results refer to the supplied material or a prepared sample. Ask for a batch certificate of analysis and retain an approved sample for comparison.

Describe the intended process and agree acceptable flow, apparent density and agglomeration. Specify sealed packing, moisture protection and any inert atmosphere needed. Establish the UK REACH registration route: at one tonne or more per year, registration is required; confirm with HSE whether an only representative can cover your imports. Obtain the safety data sheet where required and settle chemical labels and transport classification before shipment.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2 tonnes of titanium hydride powder under 2850 00 20 90, invoiced at £50,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £52,000. Duty at 4% is £2,080. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £54,080, so it is £10,816. Import taxes total £12,896; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,080 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the powder name, batch identifiers and certificate to the order; do not accept titanium metal or titanium nitride as substitutes.

Composition: independently check hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and agreed impurities against the specification.

Particle size: compare the distribution and agglomeration with the approved sample, using the agreed preparation and test method.

Packing: check seals, container damage, batch labels and weights; compare hazard labels and handling instructions with the safety data sheet.

What goes wrong

A purity figure alone can hide a mismatch in hydrogen content, oxygen content or particle size. A batch certificate may describe a sample that does not represent the shipment. Poor seals and excessive agglomeration can leave the delivered powder unsuitable for the agreed process.

Agree acceptance limits and sampling before ordering. Keep suspect containers closed until suitable handling arrangements are in place, and resolve discrepancies before releasing the batch to production. Use the inspection guide to organise checks and record findings.

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.