Sourcing titanium products from China
Titanium from China pays 4% UK duty for unwrought titanium and scrap and 6% for bar, wire, tube and other articles, with no anti-dumping duty; sponge, fine powder, alloy sheet and named rods, tubes and ingots have 0% suspensions to 2028. Grade, standard and traceable mill certificates decide whether titanium can be used in medical, aerospace or chemical plant. Cambridge China Bridge sources them.
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Duty at 4% or 6%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, unwrought titanium carried 4% duty on goods from China, waste and scrap 4%, and other titanium articles, including bars, rods, profiles, wire, plates, sheets, strip, foil, tubes and fasteners, 6%. None had an anti-dumping measure. Suspensions to 31 December 2028 give 0% to titanium sponge, titanium powder of the stated fineness, all plates, sheets, strip and foil of titanium alloy, alloy rods to EN 2002-1, EN 4267 or DIN 65040 and other named rods, wires and sheets on their own lines, and, from 18 July 2025, to titanium alloy ingots above stated dimensions and seamless titanium tubes of 19 to 159 mm diameter; none applies to mixtures.
Titanium dioxide pigment is a chemical in chapter 28 and 32; confirm the commodity code. A proposed anti-dumping duty on rutile grades from China is covered in the pigments and titanium dioxide guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium sponge | 8108 20 00 10 | 4%; 0% to 31 Dec 2028 | None |
| Unwrought titanium and powders, other | 8108 20 00 90 | 4%; named alloy ingots 0% to 31 Dec 2028 | None |
| Waste and scrap, other | 8108 30 00 90 | 4% | None |
| Alloy rods to EN 2002-1, EN 4267 or DIN 65040 | 8108 90 30 10 | 6%; 0% to 31 Dec 2028 | None |
| Bars, rods, profiles and wire, other | 8108 90 30 90 | 6% | None |
| Plates, sheets, strip and foil of titanium alloy | 8108 90 50 55 | 6%; 0% to 31 Dec 2028 | None |
| Plates, sheets, strip and foil, other | 8108 90 50 90 | 6% | None |
| Tubes and pipes, other | 8108 90 60 90 | 6%; named seamless tubes 0% to 31 Dec 2028 | None |
| Other titanium articles | 8108 90 90 99 | 6% | None |
Grades and standards
Specify grade (commercially pure grades 1 to 4, or alloys such as grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V), the standard (ASTM, ISO or EN), dimensions, tolerances and surface condition. Ask for a mill certificate with heat number, chemistry and mechanical properties, and test the first shipment independently. For tantalum specifications, see our tantalum sheet and wire guide.
Regulated end uses
Titanium for implants or medical devices must meet the device maker's specification and traceability, and aerospace material needs approved supply chains. For chemical plant, ask for corrosion and pressure test data. Titanium powder is flammable and needs dangerous goods handling.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 2 tonnes of grade 5 titanium bar, entered under 8108 90 30 90: £58,000 free on board plus £2,000 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £60,000. The 6% duty on titanium bar comes to £3,600, and import VAT is 20% of £63,600, which is £12,720. If you are VAT-registered you normally reclaim the £12,720, leaving £3,600 as the real cost at the border. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
Inspection checklist
Chemistry and properties: each heat checked against the grade table of the product standard ordered, such as ASTM B348 for bar, ASTM B265 for plate, sheet and strip, ASTM B338 for heat exchanger tube and ASTM B863 for wire, with oxygen, iron, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen analysed independently on the first delivery and tensile strength, yield and elongation tested to ASTM E8/E8M.
Dimensions and surface: diameter, thickness, flatness and straightness measured at several points against the tolerance tables of the same standard, hot-worked material checked for laps, seams and a remaining alpha case layer after pickling or machining, and bar for critical machined parts ultrasonically tested to the acceptance class agreed on the order.
Traceability and packing: the heat number stamped or etched on every piece and matched to an inspection certificate type 3.1 to EN 10204, grade 2 and grade 5 told apart on sampled pieces with a handheld XRF analyser that picks up vanadium, tube ends capped, and titanium crated apart from steel so iron does not smear onto the surface.
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What goes wrong
Titanium fails on grade and paperwork. Commercially pure titanium supplied against a grade 5 order, or a grade 5 heat outside the chemistry limits for oxygen and iron, looks the same and is only caught by analysis. Mill certificates are sometimes copied from another heat, bar is supplied oversize or with surface defects that eat into the machining allowance, and thin sheet shows scratches and inclusions after pickling.
Ask for the mill certificate with heat number for every bundle and check that the heat number is stamped on the material, test the first delivery at an independent laboratory for chemistry, tensile strength and elongation, check diameter and straightness along each bar, and inspect sheet surfaces under good light. Keep titanium segregated from steel in packing to avoid contamination.
Inspection
At inspection, check dimensions, surface defects, marking against the mill certificate, and packing against damage.
Cambridge China Bridge sources titanium bar, sheet, tube, wire and parts, with grades, certificates and testing settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.
Related guides: Tantalum powder, sheet and wire from China. For other specialist metals, see our gallium, germanium and minor metals guide. See also our cobalt metal and powders sourcing guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on titanium from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, unwrought titanium and scrap carried 4% from China, and titanium bars, sheet, wire, tube and articles 6%; sponge, fine powder, alloy sheet and named products are 0% under suspensions to 2028.
What is grade 5 titanium?
The Ti-6Al-4V alloy, the most common titanium alloy for aerospace and engineering parts.
What certificates should titanium come with?
A mill certificate with heat number, chemistry and mechanical properties to the named standard.
Is titanium dioxide in heading 8108?
No. Titanium dioxide pigment is classified as a chemical.