Sourcing tungsten metal powder from China

Zero duty on tungsten metal powder

Heading 8101 covers tungsten and its articles, including waste and scrap. This guide covers metal powder under 8101 10 00 00. Tungsten carbide powder and tungsten ores classify elsewhere. The table shows purchasing descriptions under the same powder code, rather than separate tariff lines. For other forms, see tungsten rods.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, tungsten powder from China carries 0% duty. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this code. It attaches import and export waste controls. Confirm their application to your Chinese shipment with your customs broker, particularly for recovered powder. For waste imports into England under notification controls, the exporter must apply for consent in the dispatch country.

Confirm the material identity and commodity code before shipment. Establish your UK REACH position with HSE, including any applicable annual import threshold. Substances supplied in Great Britain must be classified and labelled under its chemical classification, labelling and packaging rules. See import duty and VAT when preparing the landed-cost calculation.

Purity, oxygen and particle-size distribution

Specify tungsten metal rather than carbide, the agreed purity, oxygen and impurity limits, particle-size distribution and the measurement method. State whether the powder is intended for pressing, sintering or another process. Agree how samples will be taken and which laboratory results will determine acceptance.

Ask for a certificate of analysis for each batch, with results rather than a grade name alone. Agree particle shape, apparent density and flow behaviour where your process depends on them. Specify sealed containers, batch identification and storage instructions, and obtain safety information for the actual powder supplied.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 500 kg of tungsten metal powder; illustrative order, not a quotation under 8101 10 00 00, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £30,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £30,800, so it is £6,160. 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: compare independent tungsten, oxygen and impurity results with the purchase specification and batch certificate.

Particle size: check the agreed distribution using the specified method; examine whether agglomerates affect the result.

Packaging: inspect seals, liners and containers for damage, leakage, moisture and powder caking.

Traceability: match container batch numbers to certificates and retain a representative sample for comparison with production results.

What goes wrong

Powder can contain more oxygen or impurities than its certificate states. A matching grade name can conceal a different particle-size distribution or measurement method. Agglomeration and moisture can also change how the material feeds or compacts. Compare samples using the same agreed method before accepting the batch.

Recovered powder can introduce contamination and unresolved waste status. Do not accept a supplier's description as sufficient evidence of either composition or import treatment. Resolve the waste-control question with your broker before dispatch, and keep suspect batches separate while their identity and test results are checked.

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.