Sourcing squash-court glass from China

Duty on squash-court glass panels

Heading 7007 covers toughened and laminated safety glass. Clear toughened squash-court panels normally fall under 7007 19 80 95. Enamelled panels and body-tinted or coated panels have separate lines. The table distinguishes wall and door applications sharing the clear-glass code.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, the relevant lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff data lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or attached import controls for these lines. Import VAT is separate from customs duty.

Confirm the glass treatment and whether the shipment contains separate fittings or an assembled system before finding your commodity code. See the wider safety-glass guide for other products within this heading.

Specify the court assembly before toughening

Give the factory approved panel drawings showing thickness, dimensions, hole centres, countersinks, notches and edge finish. Identify each wall and door panel, its orientation, adjoining panels and matching fittings. Agree joint gaps, door clearances and the proposed supports with the court designer. Cutting, drilling and edge work must precede toughening.

For building glass, confirm with the relevant authority which declaration of performance and permanent marking requirements apply, and obtain relevant test reports. Specify the intended court use rather than accepting a report for unrelated glass. Agree impact performance and heat soak testing with the designer, and request batch records. A pane report alone should not be treated as evidence that the assembled court meets the project specification.

CE marking remains available for construction products placed on the Great Britain market. Confirm the conformity route before ordering. Arrange inspection around the approved drawings and the matching wall, door and fitting samples.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of toughened wall and door panels for a court installation business under 7007 19 80 95, invoiced at £40,000 free on board, with £5,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £45,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £45,000, so it is £9,000. 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

Geometry: measure panel dimensions, diagonals, hole centres and notches against the drawings; trial-fit door fittings and check alignment with adjoining panels.

Surface and edges: check chips, scratches, edge finish, bow and visible distortion; compare panels together rather than approving isolated samples.

Records and marking: match permanent marks, performance documents, test reports and agreed heat soak records to the supplied glass and batch.

Arrival: photograph crates before opening, check restraints and interleaving, and record broken panes, rubbing marks and panel identities before installation.

What goes wrong

Incorrect hole positions leave hinges or supports misaligned. Bow and dimensional variation make joints uneven or doors bind. These problems cannot be solved by cutting or drilling toughened glass after delivery. Approve the drawings and a matching assembly sample before releasing production.

Edge damage and inadequate crate restraints can turn an apparently sound shipment into broken or scratched panels on arrival. Nickel sulphide inclusions can also cause spontaneous breakage after fitting; heat soak testing reduces that risk. Agree replacement panel identification and retain the inspection photographs and batch records.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For own-brand ranges, see sourcing for brands.