Sourcing welded wire machine guards from China

Duty on welded guard mesh

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 7314 covers iron or steel wire cloth, grill, netting and fencing, and expanded metal. The welded-mesh lines relevant to guard panels carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff data records no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, steel measure, suspension or attached import control on these lines.

Choose the welded-mesh line by wire dimensions, mesh area and zinc coating. The large-aperture entries describe tariff categories, not approved guarding designs. Give your broker drawings and details of frames, posts, doors and fittings to confirm the classification of the goods actually supplied. See finding your commodity code and the wider wire mesh and fencing guide.

Specify openings, stand-off and mounting

Start with the machine layout and the hazards the guard is intended to separate. Specify clear mesh openings after coating, wire diameter, panel dimensions, frame section, mounting holes, brackets, fasteners, finish and distance from moving parts. HSE says wire-mesh holes must not allow access to moving parts. Ask the machine designer to assess reaching through, over, under and around the installed enclosure.

For sale in Great Britain, establish whether the supplied guard is a safety component under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations. Where it is, compliance includes essential health and safety requirements, conformity assessment, a declaration of conformity and the relevant conformity marking. Agree the documents for the exact supplied assembly before ordering; testing and certification support can help define the evidence to request.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 60 zinc-coated welded wire guard panels under 7314 31 00 00, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £13,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £13,000, so it is £2,600. 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

Mesh and welds: measure clear openings and wire diameter against the approved drawing. Check intersections and mesh-to-frame welds for breaks, incomplete fusion and distortion.

Frames and fixings: measure panel diagonals, mounting holes and bracket positions. Trial-fit adjoining panels, posts and door hardware against the installation drawing.

Finish and edges: check coating coverage at welds and cut ends, adhesion, exposed sharp wire ends and handling damage. Compare the finish with the agreed sample.

Identity and packing: match panel identifiers and supplied documents to the assembly drawing and packing list. Protect frames and mesh from bending during transport. Set the checks in your inspection brief.

What goes wrong

A panel can match its overall dimensions while having oversized openings, weak welds or mounting brackets that leave gaps around the enclosure. Bent frames can prevent doors closing correctly. Reject unapproved substitutions in wire, mesh pitch, frame section or fixings, and resolve defects before shipment.

A mesh inspection does not establish the safety of the installed machine. HSE guidance requires effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts, normally fixed guarding. Where routine access is needed, interlocked guards may be needed to stop dangerous movement before someone reaches it. Have the machine designer review access and maintenance arrangements before accepting the guard layout.

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.