New UK duty suspensions: Could your business reduce its import costs?

20 August 2026

A new group of UK duty suspensions came into force on 5 August 2026, reducing or removing Customs Duty on a range of eligible imported goods until 31 December 2028.

For UK importers, the changes provide an opportunity to review the duty rates being paid on imported goods and identify whether any of their products could now benefit from a lower rate.

Importantly, duty suspensions are not restricted to the businesses that originally requested them. Once introduced, they are available to any UK importer whose goods meet the requirements of the relevant suspension.

What is a duty suspension?

Duty suspensions temporarily remove or reduce the normal UK Global Tariff rate on particular goods, helping businesses reduce the cost of importing products and materials.

Unlike preferential tariffs under free trade agreements, they generally apply to eligible goods regardless of their country of origin, although other trade measures may still apply.

What products are affected?

The new suspensions cover a diverse range of products, raw materials and manufacturing inputs across several sectors.

Food, drink and ingredients include dried carrots, apples and other vegetables; pea protein isolate; soybean and rapeseed oils; red pepper purée concentrate; canned pineapple; macadamia nuts; cherry juice concentrates; coconut milk and certain specialist food and drink preparations.

Specialist chemicals, polymers and industrial materials include ammonium formate, triethylene glycol products, epoxy resins, pentaerythritol, specialist adhesives and sealants, silicone mixtures, glass fibre yarn and fabrics, and other chemical compounds used across industrial applications.

Textiles and technical fabrics include a range of woven, knitted and non-woven synthetic materials, including specialist fabrics intended for industrial and manufacturing applications.

Manufacturing and automotive supplies include cold-rolled aluminium alloys used to manufacture beverage cans, throttle body and valve assemblies, aluminium guide rails for vehicle sunroof mechanisms, specified rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and battery packs, and petrol engines for use in plug-in hybrid vehicles.

However, businesses should check the detail carefully. Many suspensions apply only to products meeting specific commodity codes, compositions, dimensions, purity levels or intended-use requirements. A product falling within a broad category does not necessarily qualify.

View the Government's full list of new duty suspensions and applicable commodity codes.

The Government document also specifies that the new suspensions do not apply to goods originating from Russia or Belarus.

Could your imports qualify?

Businesses should not assume that the duty rate they have historically paid remains the most advantageous rate available.

The starting point is the commodity classification of the goods. Importers should check whether the commodity code used for their product is covered by one of the new or existing duty suspensions and carefully review the product description and any conditions attached to the measure.

Businesses should consider:

✔ Confirming the commodity code used for the imported goods.
✔ Checking whether a duty suspension applies to that classification.
✔ Reviewing the precise product description and any conditions attached to the suspension.
✔ Comparing the suspended rate with any other preferential tariff treatment available.
✔ Ensuring the correct tariff treatment is claimed on the customs declaration.
✔ Retaining appropriate evidence to support the treatment claimed.

This is particularly important where a business imports significant volumes of raw materials, components or other inputs, as even a relatively small reduction in the duty rate could translate into meaningful savings over time.

Don't overlook other tariff concessions

A duty suspension may not always provide the lowest rate available.

Depending on the product and its origin, goods may also qualify for preferential tariff treatment under a UK trade agreement or another tariff concession. Businesses should therefore consider the different tariff measures potentially available rather than automatically applying the standard UK Global Tariff rate.

The Government advises businesses to consider the most advantageous tariff where more than one concession is available.

This makes accurate commodity classification and understanding the origin of imported goods particularly important when determining the correct duty treatment.

Reviewing commodity classifications, duty rates and available tariff concessions could help importers identify valuable savings while ensuring the correct tariff treatment is applied.

By Carla Assunção, Chamber International

Want to check whether your imports could benefit from a duty suspension or other tariff relief? Our customs specialists can help you review commodity classifications and available duty-saving opportunities. Speak to our team.

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