Sourcing zinc ores from China

Zero duty, with waste controls to check

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 18 November 2026, heading 2608 covers zinc ores and concentrates. Its sole commodity line, 2608 00 00 00, carries 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. Only this commodity line is shown below because the heading contains no further lines in the supplied record.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls. For cargo from China, confirm whether the import waste control applies with your customs broker. For notified waste entering England, shipment cannot proceed until the competent authorities of destination, dispatch and transit have consented. The attached export control concerns outward waste movements; confirm its application separately if planning re-export.

Give your broker the material's origin, processing history, assay and intended use to confirm the commodity code. Describe any recovered residues explicitly rather than relying on the supplier's description of them as concentrate.

Specify zinc content and the assay basis

Specify whether you want ore or concentrate, its mineral composition, zinc content and limits for lead, cadmium, arsenic, iron and other impurities relevant to your process. Agree particle size, moisture, packing and whether the assay and settlement use dry material weight.

Agree how samples are collected across the lot, prepared, sealed and tested. Name the independent laboratory and a method for resolving conflicting results. Ask for the mine or processing plant identity and a description of any blending or treatment.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 100 tonnes of zinc ore in bulk bags under 2608 00 00 00, invoiced at £40,000 free on board, with £6,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £46,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £46,000, so it is £9,200. 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

Assay: compare independently tested shipment samples with the agreed zinc content and impurity limits.

Moisture and weight: check moisture, gross weight, packaging weight and the agreed dry-weight calculation.

Condition: check particle size, foreign material, caking and variation between bags or loading areas.

Traceability: match lot identifiers, sample seals, assay reports and shipment records. Use the inspection guide to plan checks.

What goes wrong

A selected sample can conceal variation across a blended lot. Excess moisture can inflate delivered weight, while unexpected impurities can make material unsuitable for the buyer's process. Agree representative sampling and keep sealed comparison samples before loading.

Calling recovered material concentrate does not resolve the waste-control question. Ask your broker to confirm the position before dispatch, including the destination country's requirements for overseas deliveries. Check the producer's processing and sampling arrangements through factory verification.

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.