Sourcing toughened and laminated glass from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, toughened safety glass not sized for vehicles, including coated, body-tinted and enamelled glass, and laminated safety glass not sized for vehicles, carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Glass shaped for motor vehicles has its own codes. For vehicle applications, see our guide to sourcing laminated windscreens. For side windows, see our toughened vehicle side window sourcing guide. For solar applications, see sourcing toughened solar cover glass.

Glass is heavy and fragile, so the crate design and the container stowage decide much of the landed price and most of the claims.

Standards and marking

Toughened glass for buildings is covered by the harmonised standard EN 12150 and laminated glass by EN 14449, so the manufacturer declares the product's performance and marks it. Ask for the declaration of performance and the test reports for the thickness and type you are buying, and check that every pane carries its permanent mark, because an unmarked pane cannot be shown to be toughened once it is fitted.

Where glass goes into a building, the Building Regulations decide where safety glass is needed; the specification should state the location, such as a shower enclosure, balustrade or door, so the factory supplies the right product. The CE and UKCA guide covers declarations of performance. For sealed glazing, see our guide to sourcing double-glazed units. For balustrades, see our guide to sourcing laminated balustrade glass. For acoustic applications, see sourcing acoustic laminated glass. For security glazing, see our guide to sourcing laminated anti bandit glass. For ballistic applications, see our bullet-resistant laminated glass sourcing guide. For floor applications, see our guide to sourcing laminated glass floor panels.

That duty comes from article 4 of the retained Construction Products Regulation (EU) No 305/2011: when a construction product is covered by a designated standard, the manufacturer draws up a declaration of performance and takes responsibility for it.

Heat soak and processing

Toughened glass can break spontaneously because of nickel sulphide inclusions. Heat soak testing reduces that risk, so for overhead, balustrade and large panels ask whether the glass is heat soaked and for the record of each batch.

All cutting, drilling and edge work has to be done before toughening, because toughened glass cannot be cut afterwards. That makes the drawing the product: hole positions, notches, edge finish and tolerances must be final before the order, and the first pieces checked at inspection. For untoughened products, see our glass shelves and worked glass guide. For court panels, see sourcing squash-court glass.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 800 toughened shower screen panels under 7007 19 80 95. At £40,000 free on board and £5,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £45,000. With 0% duty on toughened glass, the only charge is import VAT: 20% of £45,000, or £9,000. VAT-registered businesses usually recover that in their next return. Freight is a ninth of the customs value because glass ships in heavy crates. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Fragmentation: break a sample pane from each thickness and furnace run and count fragments in the observation area by the test in BS EN 12150-1, which is the direct proof that the glass is fully toughened.

Size and flatness: measure length, width and diagonals of first-off panes against the tolerances of BS EN 12150-1, check overall bow on a flat table, and check hole and notch positions with a template made from the drawing.

Laminated appearance and marking: inspect laminated panes for bubbles, inclusions and edge defects against the appearance limits of BS EN ISO 12543-6 under standard lighting, and check the mark on each pane names the standard and the manufacturer.

What goes wrong

Glass fails on breakage, distortion and dimensions. Toughened panes break on their own months after fitting because of nickel sulphide inclusions, roller wave from the toughening furnace distorts reflections, and holes, notches and edge work come out of tolerance so fittings do not line up. Laminated glass shows bubbles or delamination at the edges in bathrooms, panes arrive without the permanent mark, and crates collapse or panes rub and scratch in transit.

Ask for heat soak records to BS EN 14179 for overhead, balustrade and large panels, check roller wave and bow against the agreed limit, measure every hole, notch and edge against the drawing on first-off pieces, check laminated edges for bubbles and ask for durability tests to BS EN ISO 12543-4, confirm the permanent mark and impact class to BS EN 12600, and inspect crates and interleaving at loading.

Crating and claims

Most glass claims are transit damage. Specify A-frame or fully enclosed crates, interleaving between panes, and stowage in the container, and photograph the crates at the container loading.

Cambridge China Bridge sources toughened and laminated glass for shower screens, balustrades, furniture and splashbacks, with the declarations, marking and heat soak records checked before shipment. See how our sourcing service works.

Related guides: Glass shelves and worked glass from China and Sourcing whiteboards from China.