Subheading · Chapter 26 · Heading 2616
2616.90: Precious-metal ores and concentrates: other
Gold and other precious metal ores
Official description Other
2616.90 is the HS subheading for gold and other precious metal ores, under heading 2616 in chapter 26.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 2616 90 00 00 Other Free
- 2616 90 00 10 Gold ores and concentrates Free
- 2616 90 00 90 Other Free
Additional duties and import rules
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 1
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 598
- Documents
- 9014
Import requirements 3
- Prohibition or restrictionImport prohibition
- Applies to goods from
- North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/411
- Tariff lines
- on 1 of 2 lines
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- Import controlImport control - Waste
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/590
- Documents
- C672 Information document accompanying shipments of waste as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 – Article 18 and Annex VII
- C669 Notification document as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 - Article 5 and Annex IA
- Y923 Product not subjected to the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157
- C670 Movement document as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 – Article 5 and Annex IB
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | Free |
| DCTS Comprehensive | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 moreAfghanistan, 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, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia | Free |
| European Union (including code "EU") | Free | |
| CARIFORUM | Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize and 10 moreAntigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago | Free |
| OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories) | Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands and 7 moreAnguilla, 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 | Free |
| Central America | Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama | Free |
| SADC EPA | Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia | Free |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States | Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | Free |
| CPTPP | Brunei, Malaysia | Free |
| UK–Andorra agreement | Andorra | Free |
| UK–Albania agreement | Albania | Free |
| UK–Australia agreement | Australia | Free |
| UK–Canada agreement | Canada | Free |
| UK–Switzerland agreement | Switzerland | Free |
| UK–Côte d’Ivoire agreement | Côte d’Ivoire | Free |
| UK–Chile agreement | Chile | Free |
| UK–Cameroon agreement | Cameroon | Free |
| UK–Colombia agreement | Colombia | Free |
| UK–Ceuta & Melilla agreement | Ceuta & Melilla | Free |
| UK–Ecuador agreement | Ecuador | Free |
| UK–Egypt agreement | Egypt | Free |
| UK–Fiji agreement | Fiji | Free |
| UK–Faroe Islands agreement | Faroe Islands | Free |
| UK–Georgia agreement | Georgia | Free |
| UK–Ghana agreement | Ghana | Free |
| UK–Israel agreement | Israel | Free |
| UK–India agreement | India | Free |
| UK–Iceland agreement | Iceland | Free |
| UK–Jordan agreement | Jordan | Free |
| UK–Japan agreement | Japan | Free |
| UK–Kenya agreement | Kenya | Free |
| UK–South Korea agreement | South Korea | Free |
| UK–Lebanon agreement | Lebanon | Free |
| UK–Liechtenstein agreement | Liechtenstein | Free |
| UK–Morocco agreement | Morocco | Free |
| UK–Moldova agreement | Moldova | Free |
| UK–North Macedonia agreement | North Macedonia | Free |
| UK–Mexico agreement | Mexico | Free |
| UK–Norway agreement | Norway | Free |
| UK–New Zealand agreement | New Zealand | Free |
| UK–Peru agreement | Peru | Free |
| UK–Papua New Guinea agreement | Papua New Guinea | Free |
| UK–Palestinian Territories agreement | Palestinian Territories | Free |
| UK–Serbia agreement | Serbia | Free |
| UK–Solomon Islands agreement | Solomon Islands | Free |
| UK–Singapore agreement | Singapore | Free |
| UK–San Marino agreement | San Marino | Free |
| UK–Tunisia agreement | Tunisia | Free |
| UK–Türkiye agreement | Türkiye | Free |
| UK–Ukraine agreement | Ukraine | Free |
| UK–Vietnam agreement | Vietnam | Free |
| UK–Samoa agreement | Samoa | Free |
| UK–Kosovo agreement | Kosovo | Free |
| UK–South Africa agreement | South Africa | Free |
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 South Africa | £789.1m | 71.3% | +117% |
 Germany | £217.9m | 19.7% | +62.9% |
 Finland | £38.2m | 3.5% | +448.8% |
 Poland | £32.7m | 3% | -10.5% |
 Sweden | £29.2m | 2.6% | +302.7% |
 United States | £140k | 0% | -88.5% |
 Canada | £82k | 0% | — |
 United Arab Emirates | £22k | 0% | — |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$1.8mUS$1.8m+US$75.7m+US$384m+> US$1.1bn
Exports: 113
- Russia: US$1.7bn
- Australia: US$1.6bn
- South Africa: US$1.1bn
- Indonesia: US$1.1bn
- Peru: US$887.4m
- Bulgaria: US$868.5m
- Ecuador: US$814.9m
- Mexico: US$650m
- Canada: US$542.6m
- Papua New Guinea: US$471.6m
- Brazil: US$384m
- Kazakhstan: US$311.3m
- United States: US$295.6m
- Türkiye: US$209.5m
- Tajikistan: US$206.6m
- Kyrgyzstan: US$199.6m
- Colombia: US$175.8m
- Taiwan: US$168.8m
- Greece: US$135.3m
- Armenia: US$126.9m
- Malaysia: US$113.9m
- Germany: US$108.5m
- Finland: US$106.7m
- Philippines: US$105.4m
- Sweden: US$104m
- Chile: US$78.5m
- Solomon Islands: US$75.7m
- Serbia: US$74.1m
- Spain: US$69.4m
- Georgia: US$48.7m
- Netherlands: US$41.9m
- Saudi Arabia: US$39m
- Laos: US$33.2m
- Poland: US$31.5m
- Zimbabwe: US$25.7m
- Tanzania: US$24.7m
- Slovakia: US$24.1m
- Argentina: US$20.1m
- India: US$14.3m
- Eritrea: US$13.8m
- Montenegro: US$11.4m
- Pakistan: US$8.6m
- Myanmar (Burma): US$8.1m
- Nigeria: US$7.3m
- Kenya: US$7.3m
- Bolivia: US$7.2m
- France: US$6.8m
- Mongolia: US$5.9m
- China: US$5.6m
- Algeria: US$3.1m
- Uganda: US$2.1m
- Ireland: US$1.9m
- United Kingdom: US$1.8m
- Cuba: US$1.7m
- Panama: US$1.6m
- Ukraine: US$1.5m
- Switzerland: US$1.4m
- Zambia: US$1.4m
- Dominican Republic: US$715k
- Belgium: US$679.8k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$148.6kUS$148.6k+US$36m+US$251.5m+> US$654m
Imports: 84
- China: US$6.9bn
- Germany: US$2.2bn
- South Korea: US$654m
- Philippines: US$617.9m
- United Kingdom: US$569.2m
- Japan: US$414.7m
- Finland: US$321.1m
- Taiwan: US$251.5m
- Bulgaria: US$158.8m
- Switzerland: US$157.1m
- Kazakhstan: US$117.5m
- Malaysia: US$107.9m
- Canada: US$94.7m
- Mexico: US$80.4m
- Peru: US$74.2m
- India: US$71.7m
- Belgium: US$69.1m
- Uzbekistan: US$52.2m
- Sweden: US$43.6m
- United Arab Emirates: US$36m
- Spain: US$9.9m
- Singapore: US$7.2m
- United States: US$6.2m
- Georgia: US$3.2m
- Niger: US$3.1m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$1.8m
- Austria: US$891.6k
- Mozambique: US$880.9k
- Chile: US$870.9k
- Russia: US$824.7k
- Italy: US$798.6k
- Netherlands: US$749k
- Australia: US$539.2k
- Indonesia: US$400.4k
- Kyrgyzstan: US$358k
- Nigeria: US$347.4k
- Lithuania: US$261k
- Czechia: US$247.7k
- Poland: US$150.4k
- Ghana: US$148.6k
- South Africa: US$137.3k
- Cambodia: US$132k
- Latvia: US$129.5k
- Luxembourg: US$110.2k
- Norway: US$107.4k
- Portugal: US$85k
- Hungary: US$82k
- France: US$72k
- Mongolia: US$63.5k
- Saudi Arabia: US$50.4k
- Argentina: US$40.2k
- Sri Lanka: US$36.5k
- Dominican Republic: US$32k
- Türkiye: US$26.1k
- Panama: US$25.3k
- Romania: US$24.4k
- Denmark: US$20.6k
- Ireland: US$20.6k
- Greece: US$12.6k
- Croatia: US$9.3k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Russia | US$1.7bn | 12.7% |
| 2 |  Australia | US$1.6bn | 12.2% |
| 3 | South Africa | US$1.1bn | 8.2% |
| 4 |  Indonesia | US$1.1bn | 8.1% |
| 5 |  Peru | US$887.4m | 6.8% |
| 6 |  Bulgaria | US$868.5m | 6.6% |
| 7 |  Ecuador | US$814.9m | 6.2% |
| 8 |  Mexico | US$650m | 5% |
| 9 | Canada | US$542.6m | 4.1% |
| 10 |  Papua New Guinea | US$471.6m | 3.6% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | US$6.9bn | 52.7% |
| 2 | Germany | US$2.2bn | 16.5% |
| 3 |  South Korea | US$654m | 5% |
| 4 |  Philippines | US$617.9m | 4.7% |
| 5 | United Kingdom | US$569.2m | 4.3% |
| 6 |  Japan | US$414.7m | 3.2% |
| 7 | Finland | US$321.1m | 2.5% |
| 8 |  Taiwan | US$251.5m | 1.9% |
| 9 | Bulgaria | US$158.8m | 1.2% |
| 10 |  Switzerland | US$157.1m | 1.2% |
The UK Global Tariff divides subheading 2616.90 into 2 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
Subheading 2616.90 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.
156 countries pay no duty in the UK thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as DCTS Comprehensive and European Union, against a standard rate of Free.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
Imports of gold and other precious metal ores into the UK came to £1.1bn between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 102% on the year before); South Africa supplied 71%, followed by Germany.
In 2024, countries exported gold and other precious metal ores worth US$13.1bn (+22.6% year on year).
The largest exporter was Russia (US$1.7bn), followed by Australia.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for precious-metal ores and concentrates: other?
Precious-metal ores and concentrates: other fall under HS subheading 2616.90, part of heading 2616, in section V of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on precious-metal ores and concentrates: other in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 2616.90 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on precious-metal ores and concentrates: other in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 2616.90 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most precious-metal ores and concentrates: other?
Russia, with US$1.7bn in 2024 (12.7% of world exports).
Which countries can export gold and other precious metal ores to the UK duty-free?
156 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, CARIFORUM. The goods must meet the agreement’s rules of origin and the importer needs proof of origin; otherwise the standard rate of Free applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on gold and other precious metal ores?
The UK charges additional duty of 35% on goods from Belarus and Russia. Lower rates apply to the named exporters listed in the measure.
Where does the UK import gold and other precious metal ores from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were South Africa (71%), Germany (20%) and Finland (4%), out of total imports of £1.1bn.