Importing from India to UK got noticeably cheaper on 15 July 2026, when the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) came into force. For UK buyers of engineering parts, that changes the sourcing maths. But duty savings only reach your invoice when the codes, paperwork and shipping terms all line up.

Here’s the short version. Importing from India to UK means classifying your goods with a 10-digit commodity code, paying any customs duty plus 20% import VAT, and clearing customs with an EORI number, a commercial invoice, a packing list and proof of origin. Most Indian industrial goods now qualify for zero or reduced duty under CETA.

What Changed for Importing from India to UK in 2026

Under CETA, 99% of Indian goods entering the UK are either duty-free or charged a reduced tariff. That covers most metal parts, fasteners and machined components. The catch is classification. Your rate depends on the code your goods sit under, and brass shows why: finished turned parts, rods and scrap all fall under different headings. Our guide to the Brass Scrap HSN Code shows how far one material can move between chapters.

Preference isn’t automatic, either. You have to claim it when the goods are declared, and your supplier must be able to prove the parts were made in India.

How UK Import Duty Works on Indian Goods

The UK import duty you pay is a percentage of the customs value. In practice, that means the cost of the goods plus freight and insurance to the UK border. Import VAT at 20% is then charged on the combined figure, duty included. VAT-registered businesses can normally reclaim it, so for most B2B buyers the real cost is the duty itself.

Import Duty from India to UK Under CETA

Before July 2026, the import duty from India to UK on engineering goods followed the standard UK Global Tariff rate. Small on paper. Painful on a five-figure order.

Now a qualifying brass bush or insert can enter at zero. Rates still differ by product, and some tariff lines are cut in stages rather than on day one. So check the current rate against your exact code on the UK Trade Tariff before you place an order.

Duty is only one part of landed cost (and often not the biggest). Brass suppliers quote against the copper and zinc market on the day, so a price that looked good in March can shift by May. If you’re budgeting a large order, track the Brass Rate Today in India before you lock a price.

Finding the Right Commodity Code

UK import duty codes are 10-digit commodity codes. The first 6 digits match the international HS code your Indian supplier already uses on its export paperwork. The last 4 digits are specific to the UK.

A wrong code is the most common reason importers overpay or get held at customs. Ask your supplier for the HS code on every quote, then confirm the full UK import duty codes yourself, because you, as the importer, are responsible for the declaration.

What decides the code for a brass part:

  • Material: brass sits under copper alloys, separate from steel or aluminium parts.
  • Stage of finish: bar, rod and finished components are classified differently.
  • Function: a fastener, an electrical fitting and a general article each have their own heading.
  • Threading: threaded and unthreaded parts can fall under different subheadings.
  • Assembly: a part shipped as a sub-assembly may move to the code of the finished item.

Documents You Need for Importing from India to UK

UK customs clearance runs on paperwork. Miss one document and a container can sit at Felixstowe for days while port storage charges pile up.

  • EORI number: a GB-prefixed number from HMRC, needed before your goods arrive.
  • Commercial invoice: price, Incoterms and the HS code for each line item.
  • Packing list: weights, dimensions and carton count for every package.
  • Bill of lading or air waybill: issued by the carrier as the shipping contract.
  • Proof of origin: from the Indian exporter, needed to claim the CETA rate.

Most importers hand these to a customs broker who files the declaration for them. A broker can’t fix a wrong code or a missing origin statement, though. Check both before the goods leave India.

Shipping Options and Importing from India to UK Duties

Sea freight from Mundra or Nhava Sheva usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks door to door. Air freight takes days but costs several times more per kilo. Here’s how the two compare:

Factor

Sea Freight

Air Freight

Transit time

About 4 to 6 weeks

Around 3 to 7 days

Best for

Bulk and repeat orders

Samples and urgent batches

Cost per kg

Lowest

Several times higher

Common UK entry

Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway

Heathrow, Manchester

Typical Incoterms

FOB, CIF

FCA, CPT

Your Incoterm decides who arranges what. On FOB, you cover freight and insurance from the Indian port, and those costs feed into the customs value behind your importing from India to UK duties. On CIF, the supplier books shipping to the UK port, but the customs value still includes that freight.

Either way, importing from India to UK duties are calculated at the UK border, not at the Indian port. Budget for them alongside broker fees and port handling.

Why Brass Parts Suit This Route

Brass parts make a good case for sourcing from India. Jamnagar in Gujarat is the country’s biggest brass cluster, with bar suppliers, platers and machine shops a few kilometres apart, which keeps lead times short. Machined brass is also dense and compact, so a pallet of bushes or inserts ships efficiently by sea.

Precision buyers care about how the material behaves once it’s in service, too. For the engineering side, read why Brass Is Trusted for precision parts in electrical, plumbing and automotive work.

Our advice for a first order: start with a small sample batch by air, confirm the codes and documents work, then move repeat orders to sea freight. That’s the cheapest way to keep importing from India to UK predictable.

Conclusion

CETA has made importing from India to UK cheaper for most engineering goods, but the savings depend on getting the details right. Classify every part correctly, check the UK import duty against your exact code, and make sure proof of origin travels with each shipment. Do that, and Indian-made brass parts can land in the UK at a lower cost than many European alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Under CETA, most Indian industrial goods enter at zero or reduced duty if they meet the rules of origin. The exact rate depends on the commodity code.

Yes. Import VAT at 20% applies to the customs value plus duty. VAT-registered businesses can usually reclaim it.

The importer is. Your Indian supplier’s 6-digit HS code is the starting point, and a customs broker can confirm the full 10-digit code.