Subheading · Chapter 29 · Heading 2901
2901.21: Acyclic hydrocarbons, unsaturated, ethylene
Ethylene
Official description Ethylene
2901.21 is the HS subheading for ethylene, under heading 2901 in chapter 29.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 2901 21 00 00 Ethylene Free
- 2901 21 00 00 Ethylene 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
- Duty suspensionSuspension - goods for certain categories of ships, boats and other vessels and for drilling or production platforms Free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- 2020 No. 1431
- Documents
- C990 End use authorisation ships and platforms (Column 8c, Annex A of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446)
Import requirements 2
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Russia, Ukraine
- Legal act
- 2022 No.998, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9015
- 9016
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- Import control
- Applies to goods from
- Iran
- Legal act
- 2023 No.1314
- Documents
- 9011
- 9022
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 |
| SADC EPA | Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia | Free |
| CPTPP | Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico | Free |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States | Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | 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–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–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–Liechtenstein agreement | Liechtenstein | Free |
| UK–Morocco agreement | Morocco | Free |
| UK–Moldova agreement | Moldova | Free |
| UK–North Macedonia agreement | North Macedonia | 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–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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Czechia | £1.2m | 87.6% | +77.9% |
 Belgium | £64k | 4.7% | +17.7% |
 Germany | £63k | 4.6% | -20.7% |
 United States | £26k | 1.9% | +935.4% |
| United Kingdom | £15k | 1.1% | +367.7% |
 Spain | £2k | 0.2% | -77.8% |
 Netherlands | £0 | 0% | -100% |
 Poland | £0 | 0% | -100% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$3mUS$3m+US$63m+US$343m+> US$937m
Exports: 59
- South Korea: US$2bn
- Netherlands: US$937m
- United States: US$683m
- United Kingdom: US$526m
- Japan: US$427m
- Singapore: US$343m
- Malaysia: US$311m
- Norway: US$268m
- Germany: US$247m
- Belgium: US$221m
- France: US$156m
- Libya: US$106m
- Oman: US$93m
- China: US$78m
- Finland: US$63m
- Thailand: US$48m
- Austria: US$47m
- Philippines: US$37m
- Vietnam: US$36m
- Sweden: US$29m
- Italy: US$23m
- Czechia: US$20m
- India: US$20m
- Türkiye: US$15m
- Spain: US$10m
- United Arab Emirates: US$9m
- Saudi Arabia: US$7m
- Taiwan: US$6m
- Indonesia: US$3m
- Slovakia: US$598k
- Serbia: US$349k
- Poland: US$346k
- Mexico: US$191k
- Russia: US$130k
- Australia: US$128k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$125k
- South Africa: US$65k
- Greece: US$37k
- Mauritius: US$16k
- Brazil: US$16k
- Luxembourg: US$11k
- New Zealand: US$10k
- Israel: US$9k
- Jordan: US$8k
- Lithuania: US$5k
- Hungary: US$5k
- Croatia: US$5k
- Canada: US$4k
- Denmark: US$4k
- Switzerland: US$3k
- Latvia: US$1k
- Romania: US$600
- Kazakhstan: US$400
- Portugal: US$400
- Costa Rica: US$100
- El Salvador: US$100
- Slovenia: US$100
- Bulgaria: US$0
- Côte d’Ivoire: US$0
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$86kUS$86k+US$6m+US$83m+> US$493m
Imports: 111
- China: US$2bn
- Belgium: US$1bn
- Indonesia: US$878m
- Germany: US$493m
- Netherlands: US$344m
- Taiwan: US$202m
- Portugal: US$150m
- Sweden: US$148m
- Italy: US$114m
- France: US$87m
- Japan: US$83m
- Pakistan: US$81m
- South Korea: US$62m
- India: US$61m
- Spain: US$59m
- Qatar: US$44m
- Argentina: US$40m
- Bangladesh: US$39m
- Norway: US$22m
- Türkiye: US$17m
- Thailand: US$16m
- Malaysia: US$15m
- Morocco: US$15m
- Australia: US$9m
- Algeria: US$8m
- Colombia: US$8m
- Mexico: US$7m
- Slovakia: US$6m
- Czechia: US$6m
- Austria: US$2m
- United Kingdom: US$1m
- Trinidad & Tobago: US$1m
- Ecuador: US$1m
- Singapore: US$1m
- Israel: US$721k
- Nigeria: US$494k
- Brazil: US$457k
- Philippines: US$392k
- South Africa: US$363k
- Saudi Arabia: US$282k
- Equatorial Guinea: US$271k
- Vietnam: US$245k
- Peru: US$229k
- Hungary: US$226k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$204k
- Denmark: US$199k
- Poland: US$196k
- Canada: US$185k
- Kazakhstan: US$127k
- Tanzania: US$126k
- Costa Rica: US$121k
- Ireland: US$108k
- Cameroon: US$108k
- Angola: US$104k
- Romania: US$86k
- Iceland: US$75k
- Guatemala: US$74k
- Congo - Brazzaville: US$73k
- Switzerland: US$60k
- Honduras: US$49k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South Korea | US$2bn | 24.8% |
| 2 | Netherlands | US$937m | 14.8% |
| 3 | United States | US$683m | 10.8% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | US$526m | 8.3% |
| 5 |  Japan | US$427m | 6.7% |
| 6 |  Singapore | US$343m | 5.4% |
| 7 |  Malaysia | US$311m | 4.9% |
| 8 |  Norway | US$268m | 4.2% |
| 9 | Germany | US$247m | 3.9% |
| 10 | Belgium | US$221m | 3.5% |
Recent rule changes mentioning this code
Acts whose text cites this code or its heading. Check the act itself: a code can be cited for reasons other than a change of its duty.
- Tariff change
UK Trade Tariff: measure changes on 1015 commodity codes
Trade Tariff changes 2026-09-29 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
- Sanctions · Applies from:
The Iran (Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
S.I. 2026/983 · Source: legislation.gov.uk
- Sanctions · Applies from:
The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
S.I. 2026/543 · Source: legislation.gov.uk
-
Sanctions · Applies from: CELEX 32026R0759 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Subheading 2901.21 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 2901.21; the duty is duty-free.
Goods from 146 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free; 146 of them pay no duty at all, for example under DCTS Comprehensive or European Union.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported ethylene worth £1.4m (up 63% on the year before), at an average of £3.21 per kg; Czechia supplied 88%, followed by Belgium.
World trade in ethylene reached US$6bn in 2024, down 1.1% on 2023.
South Korea was the largest exporter with 24.8% of the total, ahead of the Netherlands.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for acyclic hydrocarbons, unsaturated, ethylene?
Acyclic hydrocarbons, unsaturated, ethylene fall under HS subheading 2901.21, part of heading 2901, in section VI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on acyclic hydrocarbons, unsaturated, ethylene in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 2901.21 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 acyclic hydrocarbons, unsaturated, ethylene in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 2901.21 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 acyclic hydrocarbons, unsaturated, ethylene?
South Korea, with US$2bn in 2024 (24.8% of world exports).
Which countries can export ethylene to the UK duty-free?
146 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.
Where does the UK import ethylene from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Czechia (88%), Belgium (5%) and Germany (5%), out of total imports of £1.4m.