Sourcing own-brand vacuum cleaners from China
Household vacuum cleaners from China pay 2% UK duty up to 1,500 W with a bin of 20 litres or less; larger machines and parts pay 0%, with no anti-dumping duty. Mains models must meet the retained ecodesign limits, including under 900 W and 80 dB(A); battery and robot models are outside them. Cambridge China Bridge sources own-brand vacuum cleaners to a tested specification.
Buying from China for a business? How our UK China sourcing agent service works · China sourcing agent for small orders and first imports
Duty by power and bin size
The tariff splits vacuum cleaners with their own motor by power and capacity. Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, a machine of up to 1,500 W with a dust bag or bin of up to 20 litres, which covers almost every household upright, cylinder, stick and robot model, carried 2% duty from China. Larger machines, vacuum cleaners without a self-contained motor and parts carried 0%, and no line carried an anti-dumping measure.
Replacement parts sold separately are worth pricing as their own line, since they sit at 0%. Confirm each commodity code before quoting the landed price. For hose sourcing, see our guide to replacement vacuum cleaner hoses. For extension wand sourcing, see our guide to replacement vacuum cleaner extension wands.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| With self-contained motor, up to 1,500 W and bag or bin up to 20 l | 8508 11 00 00 | 2% | None |
| With self-contained motor, other | 8508 19 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Other vacuum cleaners | 8508 60 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Parts of vacuum cleaners | 8508 70 00 00 | 0% | None |
The ecodesign limits for mains models
Great Britain kept the EU ecodesign regulation for vacuum cleaners, Regulation 666/2013. Article 1 applies it to electric mains-operated vacuum cleaners, including hybrids that run on mains and battery, and excludes wet, wet and dry, battery-operated, robot, industrial and central vacuum cleaners, floor polishers and outdoor vacuums. So a corded cylinder or upright is in scope and a cordless stick is not. For commercial models, see our guide to sourcing backpack vacuum cleaners.
For a model in scope, the requirements in force since 1 September 2017 set rated input power below 900 W, annual energy consumption below 43.0 kWh, dust pick-up of at least 0.75 on carpet except for dedicated hard-floor vacuum cleaners and 0.98 on hard floor except for dedicated carpet vacuum cleaners, dust re-emission of no more than 1.00%, a sound power level of no more than 80 dB(A), and a motor lifetime of at least 500 hours. A factory that also sells to markets without these limits may offer a 1,200 W motor as an upgrade; for a mains model sold in Great Britain it is not one.
| Requirement | Limit |
|---|---|
| Rated input power | Less than 900 W |
| Annual energy consumption | Less than 43.0 kWh a year |
| Dust pick-up on carpet | At least 0.75 |
| Dust pick-up on hard floor | At least 0.98 |
| Dust re-emission | No more than 1.00% |
| Sound power level | No more than 80 dB(A) |
| Motor operational lifetime | At least 500 hours |
Cordless and robot models
Battery models are outside the ecodesign regulation, but not outside everything else. They are electrical equipment with a lithium battery pack, so the safety, WEEE and battery shipping questions all apply, and a robot vacuum with an app is a connectable product that needs checking against the PSTI rules.
The specification carries more weight here, because there is no regulatory floor on performance. Suction quoted in pascals is measured differently from factory to factory, so ask for a test method and compare like with like, and ask for the rated cell capacity and a measured run time on the lowest and highest settings.
What goes wrong in production
The failures that bring vacuum cleaners back are the brush roll, the battery pack and the filter seal. Ask what bearings the brush roll uses, which cells the pack is built from, and whether a filter sold as HEPA is tested as a whole machine or only as a filter sheet. Spare filters and batteries should be part of the first order, because an own-brand vacuum that cannot be repaired is returned. For floor-head sourcing, see our guide to replacement vacuum cleaner floor heads.
Cambridge China Bridge sources own-brand vacuum cleaners to a written specification: for mains models against the ecodesign limits, for cordless and robot models against a tested performance brief. We check the test reports and inspect production before it ships, with spares planned in from the start. See how our sourcing service works. For ash-cleaning models, see our ash vacuum cleaner sourcing guide. For mattress-cleaning models, see our mattress vacuum cleaner sourcing guide.
Related guides: Sourcing electric fans and cooker hoods from China. For shipments in the opposite direction, see exporting small appliances to China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on vacuum cleaners from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, vacuum cleaners of up to 1,500 W with a bin of up to 20 litres carried 2% duty from China; larger machines and parts carried 0%, with no anti-dumping duty.
Is there a wattage limit on vacuum cleaners in the UK?
For mains-operated models, yes: the retained ecodesign regulation 666/2013 requires rated input power below 900 W. Battery-operated and robot vacuum cleaners are excluded from it.
Do cordless vacuum cleaners need to meet the ecodesign rules?
No. Article 1 of regulation 666/2013 excludes battery-operated vacuum cleaners, though they still need electrical safety, WEEE and battery shipping checks.
How do I compare suction figures between factories?
Ask each factory for the test method behind the figure and compare results measured the same way, together with measured run time on the lowest and highest settings.
Sources
What most often fails: Electrical appliances and equipment
UK OPSS + EU / EEA Safety Gate (alerts counted separately in each system) · China-origin alerts over the 24 calendar month coverage window(2024-12 – 2026-11) · 1276
Combined counts are alerts from both systems, not unique products across markets. Each source uses its own publication window; the same product may appear in both. · OPSS: 2024-12 – 2026-11 · Safety Gate: 2024-12 – 2026-11
- Electric shock: 640
- Fire: 466
- Chemical: 398
Most-cited regulations
- Low Voltage Directive: 605
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016: 263
- Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS 2 Directive): 201
Checks to ask the factory for
- Ask for an accredited laboratory test report to the relevant product standard, such as BS EN 60335 where applicable.
- Check plug, fuse and cable markings against the approved pre-shipment sample.
- Ask the factory to identify insulation, earthing and access-to-live-parts checks for this model.
Questions for due diligence, not a certification checklist or a guarantee of compliance. Select the applicable standards and tests with a competent laboratory.
The current calendar month is partial. These are published alerts, safety reports and recalls, not a measure of all products sold or a recall rate. Hong Kong is reported separately.
All recall dataContains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OPSS, GOV.UK product safety alerts)
Source: European Commission, Safety Gate, English XML (en), extracted 2026-11-09. XML distribution: CC0. Cambridge China Bridge analysis.