Sourcing wire mesh and fencing from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, woven cloth of stainless or other steel wire, welded grill, netting and fencing of heavy wire including ribbed reinforcement mesh, other welded fencing plated with zinc or not, other cloth, netting and fencing plated with zinc, coated with plastics or not, and expanded metal of heading 7314 carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Loose steel wire is in heading 7217, barbed wire in 7313, and fence posts and gates made of tube are usually in 7308; confirm the commodity code. For finished garden supports, see our steel plant support ring sourcing guide. For finished feeders, see our metal bird feeders sourcing guide.

Standards buyers expect

Steel fabric for concrete reinforcement in the UK is specified to BS 4483 with reinforcing steel to BS 4449, and contractors usually require third-party product certification of the mill and the mesh maker. Zinc coatings on fence wire are specified by coating class under BS EN 10244-2, and fencing systems to the relevant part of BS 1722. Ask for mill certificates, the coating weight and the certification that the buyer's specification requires. For timber fence fixings, see our nails and staples sourcing guide.

Wire mesh used in construction may be a construction product where a designated standard applies, so check whether a declaration of performance is needed for the product and use.

Worked duty example

For a made-up shipment of 60 tonnes of welded reinforcement mesh under 7314 20 10 00, add the £9,000 of freight and insurance to the £42,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £51,000. Duty on welded reinforcement mesh is zero, leaving import VAT of £10,200, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.

Inspection checklist

Wire and welds: wire diameter measured with a micrometer on several wires per panel, tensile properties tested to ISO 6892-1 on wire from each cast, reinforcement wire checked against the grade in BS 4449, welds shear-tested as BS 4483 requires for reinforcement fabric, and aperture and pitch measured against the order.

Coatings: zinc coating mass measured by the gravimetric stripping method of ISO 1460 against the class ordered under BS EN 10244-2, coating adhesion checked by the wrapping test in that standard, PVC-coated wire checked for coating thickness and adhesion against BS EN 10245-2, and coated samples salt-spray tested to ISO 9227 for the hours agreed.

Panels and traceability: panel length, width and diagonals measured for squareness, panels checked for straightness and broken welds, reinforcement mesh labels matched to the mill certificate and to the third-party certification the specification requires, such as CARES, and bundles strapped with edge protection and counted against the packing list.

What goes wrong

Mesh and fencing fail on wire gauge, welds and coating. Wire drawn below the stated diameter reduces strength, welds that are not fused break when panels are handled, and panels are cut out of square. Zinc coating thinner than the class ordered rusts within a few seasons, PVC coatings crack or peel in UV, and reinforcement mesh without traceable certification is rejected on site.

Measure wire diameter and mesh aperture on samples, shear-test welds, check panel dimensions and squareness, measure zinc coating weight or thickness and check PVC adhesion, and match mill certificates and labels to the bundles. Band panels on pallets with edge protection so they do not bend in the container.

Cambridge China Bridge sources reinforcement mesh, welded fence panels, chain-link, wire cloth and expanded metal, with standards, coatings and certification agreed before the order. Find out how we source building and fencing materials.

Related guides: Sourcing steel chain from China and Sourcing knotted nets and netting from China.

Related guides: Sourcing barbed wire from China.