Sourcing zinc bars, rods and wire from China
Zinc bars, rods, profiles and wire from China, including zinc wire for thermal spraying of steel and zinc rods for anodes and alloying, pay 0% UK duty under the single code 7904 00 00 00, with no anti-dumping duty. The tariff attaches a waste import control, answered by a not-waste declaration. Buyers check purity or alloy, diameter tolerance and winding.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, heading 7904 covers zinc bars, rods, profiles and wire. It is a single code carrying 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. New metal clears the waste import control on a declaration that it is not waste under the retained waste shipments regulation.
Zinc anodes and other zinc articles are heading 7907, covered in our zinc anodes guide; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc bars, rods, profiles and wire | 7904 00 00 00 | 0% | None |
Specifying zinc wire and rod
Specify zinc purity or the zinc-aluminium alloy, diameter and tolerance, temper, surface condition, and for spray wire the spool or drum type, weight and winding. Ask for a composition certificate per lot and a trial on your spray equipment for a new supplier.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 3 tonnes of zinc wire for thermal spraying under 7904 00 00 00, invoiced at £11,000 free on board, with £700 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £11,700. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £11,700, so it is £2,340. 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
Composition: check the certificate and test samples for purity or alloy content.
Diameter: measure along sample coils.
Winding: check spools run without kinks or crossovers, and are protected from damp. See our quality inspection guide.
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What goes wrong
Zinc wire orders fail on purity, diameter and winding. Impurities affect the coating, diameter variation causes feed problems in spray guns, and badly wound drums tangle.
Cambridge China Bridge sources metals and consumables for UK galvanising and coating firms from small lots; see small orders.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on zinc wire from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, zinc bars, rods, profiles and wire under 7904 00 00 00 carried 0% from China.
Are zinc anodes in heading 7904?
No. Zinc anodes and other zinc articles are heading 7907.
Why does zinc wire face a waste control?
The code carries a waste import control; new metal clears on a not-waste declaration.
What matters for thermal spray wire?
Purity or alloy, diameter tolerance and clean winding on the spool or drum.