Consumer electronics duty into Great Britain 0%–14%
Under the standard tariff, consumer electronics imported into Great Britain carry customs duty of between 0% and 14%, with most items at 0%, plus import VAT of 0% to 20% depending on the exact goods, effective 14 April 2025. Preferential rates can apply when origin requirements are met. In Great Britain, consignments at or under £135.00 are relieved of duty, but VAT treatment must be checked separately, including tax collected at checkout.
178 origins qualify for a preferential rate below the 8% standard, ranging from 0% to 4.9%. Claiming a preferential rate requires proof of origin at customs; without acceptable proof the standard rate applies.
- Route
- Any origin → Great Britain
- Standard customs duty
- 0%–14%, median 0%
- Import VAT
- 0%–20% by goods
- Duty assessed on
- Goods value plus freight and insurance (CIF)
- Low-value treatment
- Consignments at or under £135.00 are relieved of duty, but VAT treatment must be checked separately, including tax collected at checkout
- Typical clearance fee
- £8.00, charged by the carrier
- Commodity codes covered
- 8
- Source record date
- 23 August 2026
Rates by commodity code
| HS code | Description | Duty | In force since | Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8504.40 | Electrical transformers, static converters (for example, rectifiers) and inductors, static converters | 0% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8507.60 | Electric accumulators, including separators therefor, whether or not rectangular (including square), lithium-ion | 2% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8517.13 | Telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks | 0% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8517.62 | Telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks | 0% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8518.21 | Loudspeakers, whether or not mounted in their enclosures | 0% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8518.30 | Headphones and earphones, whether or not combined with a microphone, and sets consisting of a microphone and one or more loudspeakers | 0% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8523.51 | Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, 'smart cards' and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena…, semiconductor media | 0% | S.I. 2020/1430 | |
| 8528.72 | Monitors and projectors, not incorporating television reception apparatus, other, colour | 14% | S.I. 2020/1430 |
A worked example
A £200.00 order of electrical transformers, static converters (for example, rectifiers) and inductors, static converters (HS 8504.40) with £15.00 shipping, imported into Great Britain, has a modelled total of £266.00. This includes £51.00 in estimated duty, VAT and carrier fees.
| Goods value | £200.00 |
|---|---|
| Shipping and insurance | £15.00 |
| Customs duty · 0% · Zero-rated | £0.00 |
| Import VAT · 20% | £43.00 |
| Carrier clearance fee | £8.00 |
| Estimated taxes and fees | £51.00 |
| Total landed cost | £266.00 |
The model assumes import tax has not already been paid at checkout. It uses the standard tariff before preferential origin relief. This is not a prediction of the amount collected at delivery. Order value is an assumed figure converted from euros at an illustrative rate, for the sake of a realistic example. Use the calculator for your actual numbers.
- This six-digit code covers goods at more than one VAT rate. The higher rate is shown; a lower rate applies to part of the heading, so check the full commodity code.
Origins with a preferential rate
| Agreement | Preferential rate | vs standard | Saving on the example |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARIFORUM14 countriesAntigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| Central America6 countriesCosta Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| Channel Islands2 countriesGuernsey, Jersey | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| CPTPP All Members excluding Canada10 countriesAustralia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) - Comprehensive Preferences43 countriesAfghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshasa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) - Enhanced Preferences17 countriesAlgeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States4 countriesMadagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| European Union28 countriesAustria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories)11 countriesAnguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Turks & Caicos Islands | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| SADC EPA5 countriesBotswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) - Standard Preferences1 countryIndonesia | 4.9% | -3.1pp | — |
| Best rate comes from different agreements by commodity code1 countryIndia | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
| Named individually in the tariff36 countriesAlbania, Andorra, Cameroon, Canada, Ceuta, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Melilla, Moldova, Morocco, North Macedonia, Norway, Palestinian Territories, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine | 0% | -8.0pp | — |
The worked example above sits on a duty-free commodity code, so preference makes no difference to it. These rates apply to the codes in this category that do carry duty.
Where Northern Ireland charges differently
Northern Ireland applies the EU Common External Tariff rather than the UK Global Tariff. On 1 of the 8 commodity codes compared here the two differ; on the rest they are identical.
| Commodity code | This page | Northern Ireland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 850760Electric accumulators, including separators therefor, whether or not rectangular (including square), lithium-ion | 2% | 2.7% | +0.7pp |
Duty rates only. Northern Ireland follows EU customs rules on low-value consignments and UK rules on VAT, so the total charge on a parcel is not simply this page’s figure with the rate swapped. Goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are a separate regime again.
Editor's note
Write down the exact model, main function and included accessories before choosing a code. Check whether the seller’s total includes destination VAT and who will pay the carrier’s fees; a displayed zero duty rate answers only the duty question.
For a device or spare battery containing lithium, confirm acceptance, packaging and service conditions with the carrier before ordering. The calculator does not assess shipping safety or product compliance.
Check your own order
One goods type, ordinary tariff and destination currency. No trade-agreement relief, trade-remedy duties, excise, gifts, returns or deductions for tax paid at checkout. Enter prices before tax; we do not convert currencies.
Common questions
How much is customs duty on consumer electronics imported into Great Britain?
Standard tariff before any preferential origin relief: Between 0% and 14% depending on the exact commodity code, with a median of 0%, effective 14 April 2025.
Is there a threshold below which I pay nothing on a parcel to Great Britain?
Consignments at or under £135.00 are relieved of duty, but VAT treatment must be checked separately, including tax collected at checkout.
Is import VAT charged on top of the duty in Great Britain?
Where import VAT is due, the stored rates are 0% to 20%, calculated on the customs value plus the customs duty itself. Tax collected at checkout must be checked before estimating an additional payment.
What does the worked example estimate?
A £200.00 order with £15.00 shipping gives £51.00 in estimated duty, VAT and carrier fees, for a modelled total of £266.00. The model assumes import tax has not already been paid at checkout. It uses the standard tariff before preferential origin relief. This is not a prediction of the amount collected at delivery.
Classification notes
Check what the device does and what it can connect to. For monitors, HMRC’s guidance distinguishes display types and whether they are designed for use with a computer. “No TV tuner” is not enough to assign one rate to every screen.
Treat a battery, display and complete device as separate classification questions. Confirm the exact product before choosing the corresponding row; do not infer a universal electronics rate.
130 further sanctions and trade-control notices apply to these commodity codes. They govern whether the goods may be traded, not what they cost, and are listed at the source rather than repeated here.
Sources
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
- S.I. 2020/1430 — effective
Machine-readable: data.json