Sourcing zinc carbonate from China

Zinc carbonate: 4% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 2836 covers carbonates and peroxocarbonates. Zinc carbonate appears to fit the other-carbonates line 2836 99 17 80, carrying 4% duty for goods from China. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this line. Only this line is relevant to the zinc carbonate table.

The tariff attaches an import waste control. For a shipment from China treated as waste and subject to notification controls, consent from the dispatch, destination and transit authorities is needed before shipping. Ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable waste requirement before ordering. The record also attaches waste and dangerous-chemical export controls; confirm these separately if planning to export the material.

Confirm the composition, manufacturing description and commodity code before shipment, especially where the supplier describes the product as basic zinc carbonate or a blend. For the wider heading, see magnesium carbonate and related carbonates.

Specify zinc content and the assay basis

State whether you require zinc carbonate or basic zinc carbonate. Ask the factory to describe the composition and distinguish zinc content from a result expressed as zinc oxide equivalent. Agree whether assay results use the material as supplied or a dry basis. Specify moisture, particle size, bulk density and limits for lead, cadmium, iron and soluble salts, with the test methods.

Request a batch certificate of analysis and a safety data sheet for the exact product. Before supplying it in Great Britain, ensure the chemicals are correctly labelled and packaged. If importing this substance for the first time, consider whether UK REACH registration is required; review your UK REACH position before committing to supply.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of zinc carbonate; values are illustrative under 2836 99 17 80, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,500. Duty at 4% is £980. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £25,480, so it is £5,096. Import taxes total £6,076; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £980 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the product description, batch references and certificate to the order; investigate any change between zinc carbonate and basic zinc carbonate.

Analysis: sample across the delivered batch and check zinc assay, moisture and agreed impurities using the contracted methods; retain a sealed comparison sample.

Powder: check particle size, visible contamination and hard lumps against the approved sample, then trial the material in your process.

Packing: check bag seams, liners, seals, net weights and signs of water ingress; match labels to the supplied chemical documentation before release.

What goes wrong

A certificate can look acceptable while reporting the wrong assay basis. Zinc content and zinc oxide equivalent are different results, and a dry-basis result can conceal excessive moisture in the delivered powder. Vague descriptions also leave room for a different carbonate composition or an undisclosed blend.

Damp packing, hard lumps, particle-size drift and impurities can make an otherwise acceptable assay unsuitable for your process. Agree a sampling and acceptance procedure before ordering, and hold a suspect batch apart while independent testing resolves the discrepancy. Arrange inspection against the written specification.

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.