Subheading · Chapter 29 · Heading 2905
2905.45: Acyclic alcohols and their halogenated, sulphonated: other polyhydric alcohols, glycerol
Glycerol
Official description Glycerol
2905.45 is the HS subheading for glycerol, under heading 2905 in chapter 29.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 2905 45 00 00 Glycerol 2%
- 2905 45 00 00 Glycerol 2%
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 2
- 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)
- Excise dutyExcises
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
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 controlImport control of organic products
- Applies to goods from
- all countries except Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/693
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | 2% |
| 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 | |
| DCTS Enhanced | Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 moreAlgeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu | 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 |
| DCTS Standard | Indonesia | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Germany | £33m | 52.1% | +17.8% |
 Netherlands | £18.6m | 29.3% | +11.4% |
 Belgium | £3.7m | 5.8% | +107.7% |
 Indonesia | £3.4m | 5.3% | +20.3% |
 France | £960k | 1.5% | +49.9% |
 Malaysia | £900k | 1.4% | -66.2% |
 Latvia | £450k | 0.7% | -23.9% |
 Türkiye | £429k | 0.7% | +158.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$326kUS$326k+US$4m+US$30m+> US$283m
Exports: 107
- Indonesia: US$588m
- Germany: US$363m
- Malaysia: US$283m
- Netherlands: US$117m
- Brazil: US$66m
- United States: US$50m
- Belgium: US$35m
- Denmark: US$33m
- Argentina: US$31m
- Thailand: US$30m
- India: US$21m
- Poland: US$21m
- Italy: US$18m
- Czechia: US$15m
- France: US$14m
- China: US$10m
- Austria: US$10m
- Bulgaria: US$6m
- Türkiye: US$6m
- Pakistan: US$6m
- Spain: US$6m
- Sweden: US$5m
- Mexico: US$5m
- Philippines: US$5m
- Latvia: US$4m
- Switzerland: US$4m
- Lithuania: US$3m
- South Africa: US$2m
- Portugal: US$2m
- Peru: US$2m
- Canada: US$2m
- United Kingdom: US$2m
- Singapore: US$2m
- Japan: US$2m
- Taiwan: US$2m
- South Korea: US$2m
- Ireland: US$1m
- Colombia: US$1m
- United Arab Emirates: US$1m
- Croatia: US$860k
- Senegal: US$683k
- Greece: US$608k
- Finland: US$499k
- Romania: US$491k
- Zambia: US$476k
- Kenya: US$453k
- Slovenia: US$423k
- Russia: US$332k
- Hungary: US$326k
- Israel: US$256k
- Guatemala: US$231k
- Egypt: US$212k
- Panama: US$209k
- Kazakhstan: US$119k
- Norway: US$115k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$89k
- Luxembourg: US$85k
- Uganda: US$83k
- Australia: US$79k
- Mauritius: US$74k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$711kUS$711k+US$5m+US$33m+> US$67m
Imports: 191
- China: US$367m
- United States: US$158m
- Netherlands: US$81m
- Denmark: US$81m
- Japan: US$69m
- France: US$67m
- United Kingdom: US$61m
- Malaysia: US$56m
- India: US$51m
- Italy: US$48m
- Germany: US$44m
- Thailand: US$43m
- Mexico: US$42m
- Canada: US$42m
- Spain: US$41m
- Poland: US$40m
- Czechia: US$39m
- South Korea: US$34m
- Belgium: US$33m
- Switzerland: US$22m
- United Arab Emirates: US$20m
- Egypt: US$16m
- Vietnam: US$12m
- Australia: US$12m
- Philippines: US$12m
- Bangladesh: US$11m
- Taiwan: US$11m
- South Africa: US$11m
- Brazil: US$11m
- Saudi Arabia: US$11m
- Hungary: US$11m
- Singapore: US$11m
- Ireland: US$10m
- Russia: US$9m
- Romania: US$9m
- Slovakia: US$8m
- Türkiye: US$8m
- Finland: US$8m
- Jordan: US$7m
- Belarus: US$6m
- Guatemala: US$6m
- Tanzania: US$5m
- Lithuania: US$5m
- Portugal: US$5m
- Colombia: US$5m
- Greece: US$5m
- Serbia: US$5m
- New Zealand: US$5m
- Zambia: US$4m
- Kenya: US$4m
- Malawi: US$4m
- Sweden: US$4m
- Israel: US$4m
- Mozambique: US$4m
- Iraq: US$4m
- Morocco: US$4m
- Austria: US$4m
- Pakistan: US$3m
- Algeria: US$3m
- Chile: US$3m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indonesia | US$588m | 32.9% |
| 2 | Germany | US$363m | 20.3% |
| 3 | Malaysia | US$283m | 15.9% |
| 4 | Netherlands | US$117m | 6.6% |
| 5 |  Brazil | US$66m | 3.7% |
| 6 |  United States | US$50m | 2.8% |
| 7 | Belgium | US$35m | 2% |
| 8 |  Denmark | US$33m | 1.9% |
| 9 |  Argentina | US$31m | 1.8% |
| 10 |  Thailand | US$30m | 1.7% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | US$367m | 20.6% |
| 2 | United States | US$158m | 8.9% |
| 3 | Netherlands | US$81m | 4.5% |
| 4 | Denmark | US$81m | 4.5% |
| 5 |  Japan | US$69m | 3.9% |
| 6 | France | US$67m | 3.7% |
| 7 | United Kingdom | US$61m | 3.4% |
| 8 | Malaysia | US$56m | 3.1% |
| 9 |  India | US$51m | 2.8% |
| 10 |  Italy | US$48m | 2.7% |
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 367 commodity codes
Trade Tariff changes 2026-10-01 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
-
Tariff change · Applies from: CELEX 32026R1395 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Subheading 2905.45 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is 2%.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 2905.45; the duty is 3.8%.
Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard 2%; 174 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 glycerol worth £63.4m (up 15% on the year before), at an average of £1.06 per kg; Germany supplied 52%, followed by Netherlands.
World trade in glycerol reached US$2bn in 2024, down 11.5% on 2023.
Indonesia was the largest exporter with 32.9% of the total, ahead of Germany.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for acyclic alcohols and their halogenated, sulphonated: other polyhydric alcohols, glycerol?
Acyclic alcohols and their halogenated, sulphonated: other polyhydric alcohols, glycerol fall under HS subheading 2905.45, part of heading 2905, in section VI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on acyclic alcohols and their halogenated… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 2905.45 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 2%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on acyclic alcohols and their halogenated… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 2905.45 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 3.8%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most acyclic alcohols and their halogenated…?
Indonesia, with US$588m in 2024 (32.9% of world exports).
Which countries can export glycerol to the UK duty-free?
174 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, DCTS Enhanced. The goods must meet the agreement’s rules of origin and the importer needs proof of origin; otherwise the standard rate of 2% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Where does the UK import glycerol from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Germany (52%), Netherlands (29%) and Belgium (6%), out of total imports of £63.4m.