Sourcing bake-hardening steel sheets from China

0% on the relevant sheet lines

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 7209 covers cold-rolled flat products of iron or non-alloy steel, at least 600 mm wide, not clad, plated or coated. The selected lines cover sheets supplied outside coils and not further worked than cold-rolled. Use them only where the bake-hardening grade's chemistry and supplied condition fit that description.

The selected sheet lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied facts list no steel measure, anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control on those lines. Some thinner coil lines elsewhere in the heading carry 50%, so do not transfer the sheet rate to a coil shipment without checking its line.

Confirm the commodity code using the mill chemistry, width, thickness, finish and delivery form. See the deep-drawing steel sheet guide for the wider heading. Separately, Russian sanctions prohibit imports of relevant processed iron and steel products. Ask your broker to review input origins and processing records before ordering; supply-chain evidence may be requested at the border.

Specify the forming condition and bake response

Specify uncoated cold-rolled bake-hardening steel by the exact grade and agreed product specification. Record chemistry, delivery condition, thickness, width, cut length, flatness, surface finish and protective oil. Identify which face will be visible after painting, and agree acceptable scratches, edge defects and surface roughness before production.

Agree the required properties before forming and the strength increase after baking. Define the test method, pre-strain, bake temperature, holding time and acceptance criteria together, rather than accepting an unexplained bake-hardening result. Ask for heat-linked mill results and retained samples, and trial the sheet through your intended forming and paint-bake process.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 20 tonnes of uncoated cold-rolled bake-hardening sheets, subject to grade confirmation; illustrative order and values under 7209 27 90 00, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £20,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £20,000, so it is £4,000. 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

Traceability: match bundle labels and sheet identification to the heat numbers, grade, chemistry and mechanical results on the mill certificate.

Bake response: check that the reported strength increase uses the agreed pre-strain and baking conditions; arrange independent sample testing where the result determines acceptance.

Dimensions and surface: measure thickness, width, length and flatness; inspect both faces for rust, scratches, dents, oil staining and damaged edges.

Packing and arrival: check moisture protection, strapping and support beneath bundles. Photograph wet wrapping or impact damage before unpacking, and retain affected samples. Use the quality inspection guide to organise the inspection record.

What goes wrong

An ordinary forming grade is substituted for the agreed bake-hardening grade, or the supplier reports a strength increase under baking conditions your production line cannot reproduce. Delayed processing can also reveal ageing-related forming problems. Agree storage conditions with the mill and test retained material if forming behaviour changes.

Rust, scratches and poor flatness can make otherwise acceptable material unusable for visible panels. Separate damaged bundles and keep their heat identity when investigating. For future imports, review the UK carbon border adjustment guide and confirm the mechanism's implementation timetable and applicability with HMRC or your customs broker. Ask the mill about emissions data during supplier selection.

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.