Sourcing UV-curable inkjet inks from China

Normally 6% on bulk ink

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 6 November 2026, heading 3215 covers printing, writing, drawing and other inks. Black and other printing inks from China carry 6%; qualifying cartridges without an integrated printhead, incorporating mechanical or electrical components, carry 0%. The supplied tariff snapshot lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty.

The printing-ink suspensions are restricted to specified vinyl acrylate copolymer and pigment dispersions in isoparaffins. Other ink has a narrow authorised-use suspension for formulations used to manufacture inkjet cartridges. A UV-curable description alone establishes no entitlement. The tariff attaches import and export waste controls: these apply only to waste. For waste ink from China, confirm the applicable requirement with your customs broker before shipment.

Confirm the commodity code using the formulation, printing function and cartridge construction. The table includes alternative presentations, not interchangeable classifications. See the wider inks and cartridges guide for the rest of the heading.

Specify the printhead, lamp and substrate

Name the printer and printhead model, ink delivery system, operating temperature and viscosity target. Specify the curing lamp type and wavelength, substrate, surface preparation and intended finish. Distinguish rigid and flexible applications, and agree colour, opacity, adhesion and abrasion checks against an approved printed sample.

Ask for the formulation identity, an English safety data sheet and batch certificate of analysis. Check the UK REACH registration position for substances imported in mixtures. Everyone in the supply chain is responsible for correct chemical labelling and packaging before sale in Great Britain. For food packaging, consult the wider guide and confirm the applicable food-contact and printing-ink manufacturing requirements with the relevant authority; curing performance alone does not demonstrate suitability.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2 tonnes of coloured UV-curable inkjet printing ink under 3215 19 00 90, invoiced at £12,000 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £12,900. Duty at 6% is £774. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £13,674, so it is £2,734.80. Import taxes total £3,508.80; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £774 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity and packing: match the ink grade, colour and batch to the approved sample and certificate; check seals, leaks, declared storage conditions and remaining shelf life.

Jetting: run the production ink on the intended printhead; inspect nozzle checks, dropouts, prolonged printing and restart behaviour after an agreed idle period.

Cure and adhesion: print on the actual substrate with the intended lamp and production settings; check tack, rubbing, scratching, adhesion and flexibility where needed.

Colour and opacity: compare cured prints with the approved reference, including white coverage and varnish finish where ordered; retain a sample from the delivered batch.

What goes wrong

A factory sample can print acceptably on a different head or cure under a different lamp while the delivered ink fails on your machine. Poor jetting causes banding; incomplete curing leaves tack or weak adhesion. White ink can settle, and an ink suited to rigid panels can crack when a flexible print bends.

Approve a trial on your own printer, substrate and curing settings before accepting the production formulation. Agree how settling is assessed and how ink is mixed before use. Keep batch samples and printed references so a colour shift, nozzle problem or adhesion failure can be traced to the delivered lot.

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.