Subheading · Chapter 29 · Heading 2915

2915.70: Palmitic acid, stearic acid, their salts and esters

Palmitic and stearic acid salts and esters

2915.70 is the HS subheading for palmitic and stearic acid salts and esters, under heading 2915 in chapter 29.

Importing into Country of origin

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free – 4% standard rate · across 4 national lines depends on the country of origin

Additional duties and charges 3 additional measures Import requirements: 3

VAT 20.00 % import VAT

Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →

2915 70 00 00 Palmitic acid, stearic acid, their salts and esters
2915 70 40 00 Palmitic acid and its salts and esters
2915 70 40 95 Fatty acids with a carbon chain length of c6, c8, c10, c12, c14, c16 or c18 with an iodine value below 105g/100g and with a degree of split (dos) of at least 97%, including single fatty acids (also referred to as ‘pure cut’) and blends containing a combination of two or more carbon chain length 4%
2915 70 40 98 Other Free
2915 70 50 00 Stearic acid and its salts and esters Free
2915 70 50 10 Fatty acids with a carbon chain length of c6, c8, c10, c12, c14, c16 or c18 with an iodine value below 105g/100g and with a degree of split (dos) of at least 97%, including single fatty acids (also referred to as ‘pure cut’) and blends containing a combination of two or more carbon chain length Free
2915 70 50 90 Other Free
2915 70 00 00 Palmitic acid, stearic acid, their salts and esters
2915 70 40 00 Palmitic acid and its salts and esters
2915 70 40 95 Fatty acids with a carbon chain length of c6, c8, c10, c12, c14, c16 or c18 with an iodine value below 105g/100g and with a degree of split (dos) of at least 97%, including single fatty acids (also referred to as ‘pure cut’) and blends containing a combination of two or more carbon chain length 4%
2915 70 40 98 Other Free
2915 70 50 00 Stearic acid and its salts and esters Free
2915 70 50 10 Fatty acids with a carbon chain length of c6, c8, c10, c12, c14, c16 or c18 with an iodine value below 105g/100g and with a degree of split (dos) of at least 97%, including single fatty acids (also referred to as ‘pure cut’) and blends containing a combination of two or more carbon chain length Free
2915 70 50 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 3

Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
Applies to goods from
Belarus, Russia

Legal act
2022 No. 833
Documents
- 9018
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)
Duty suspensionAutonomous tariff suspension Free
Applies to goods from
all countries

In force
until 31 December 2028

Legal act
2020 No. 1435
Documents
- 9Y12
Tariff lines
on 1 of 4 lines

Import requirements 3

Prohibition or restrictionImport prohibition

Applies to goods from
North Korea

Legal act
S.I. 2019/411

Tariff lines
on 2 of 4 lines
Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
Applies to goods from
Russia, Syria, Ukraine

Legal act
2023 No. 440, S.I. 2022/395, S.I. 2019/792
Documents
- 9011
- 9022
- 9038
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
Import controlImport control on restricted goods and technologies
Applies to goods from
Iran, Libya, Russia

Legal act
S.I. 2019/461, 2020 No. 1665, S.I. 2019/855
Documents
- Y966 Goods other than those described in the MG footnotes linked to the measure (Missile Technology Control Regime list - Annex III of Reg. (EU) 267/2012)
- Y920 Goods other than those described in the footnotes linked to the measure
Tariff lines
on 2 of 4 lines

Preferential rates by country

Agreement or scheme	Countries	Rate
standard rate (no agreement)	—	Free – 4%
DCTS Comprehensive	Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 more Afghanistan, 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")	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia and 23 more Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden	Free
DCTS Enhanced	Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 more Algeria, 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 more Antigua & 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 more Anguilla, 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

last 12 months£13.4m-27.3% · previous 12 months

Average import price£1.78 per kg

Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

Country	Value	Share	Change
Malaysia	£4.6m	34.1%	-22.2%
Germany	£3.1m	23.1%	+16.7%
United States	£1.1m	8.4%	-18.6%
Italy	£809k	6%	-43.7%
India	£659k	4.9%	-5.2%
Indonesia	£632k	4.7%	-58.4%
Belgium	£577k	4.3%	-79%
Sweden	£459k	3.4%	-25.5%

Same subheading in other tariffs

EU 5.5% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines

Türkiye 5.5% Third-country duty 20 tariff lines

USA 5% General (MFN) 1 tariff line

World trade in 2024

2915.70 · US$1bn

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$152kUS$152k+US$3m+US$36m+> US$124m

Exports: 104

Malaysia: US$311m
Indonesia: US$261m
India: US$124m
China: US$83m
Italy: US$70m
United States: US$61m
Singapore: US$59m
Germany: US$56m
Netherlands: US$51m
Spain: US$36m
United Arab Emirates: US$35m
Belgium: US$26m
France: US$21m
Japan: US$16m
Türkiye: US$13m
South Korea: US$13m
Taiwan: US$13m
Sweden: US$11m
United Kingdom: US$9m
Colombia: US$8m
Canada: US$7m
Poland: US$5m
Thailand: US$5m
Mexico: US$4m
Vietnam: US$3m
Peru: US$3m
Hungary: US$2m
Denmark: US$2m
Brazil: US$2m
Argentina: US$2m
Hong Kong SAR China: US$2m
Austria: US$2m
Lithuania: US$2m
Saudi Arabia: US$2m
Portugal: US$1m
Philippines: US$942k
Slovenia: US$717k
Czechia: US$684k
South Africa: US$647k
Switzerland: US$589k
Ireland: US$380k
Greece: US$280k
Finland: US$260k
Sierra Leone: US$246k
Croatia: US$244k
Guatemala: US$206k
Russia: US$204k
Bulgaria: US$177k
Australia: US$157k
Bahrain: US$152k
Iran: US$144k
Kenya: US$141k
Egypt: US$130k
Bangladesh: US$71k
Slovakia: US$70k
Tunisia: US$62k
Guyana: US$61k
Dominican Republic: US$49k
Serbia: US$48k
Israel: US$44k

Top exporters

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	Malaysia	US$311m	23.4%
2	Indonesia	US$261m	19.7%
3	India	US$124m	9.3%
4	China	US$83m	6.2%
5	Italy	US$70m	5.3%
6	United States	US$61m	4.6%
7	Singapore	US$59m	4.5%
8	Germany	US$56m	4.2%
9	Netherlands	US$51m	3.8%
10	Spain	US$36m	2.7%

Top importers

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	United States	US$136m	10.3%
2	China	US$77m	5.8%
3	Germany	US$72m	5.4%
4	Malaysia	US$60m	4.5%
5	Canada	US$60m	4.5%
6	Japan	US$60m	4.5%
7	India	US$52m	3.9%
8	France	US$48m	3.6%
9	Netherlands	US$47m	3.5%
10	Nigeria	US$45m	3.4%

Binding rulings for similar goods 1

Decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS) and HMRC (Advance Tariff Rulings) on goods classified here. A ruling binds only its holder, but shows how the authorities classify similar goods. The descriptions are the authorities’ own, in English.

H312954 U.S. CBP 8 July 2021 · 2915.70.01.10

Internal Advice Request; Classification of DT 80 (86.9% palmitic acid content), DT 98 (99.2% palmitic acid content), and DT 100 (45.5% palmitic acid content)

The UK Global Tariff divides subheading 2915.70 into 4 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 4% (average 1%). 3 of them are duty-free.

In the EU Combined Nomenclature, subheading 2915.70 covers 2 tariff lines and the duty is 5.5%.

174 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 – 4%.

In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.

Imports of palmitic and stearic acid salts and esters into the UK came to £13.4m between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 27% on the year before); Malaysia supplied 34%, followed by Germany.

In 2024, countries exported palmitic and stearic acid salts and esters worth US$1bn (+12.8% year on year).

The largest exporter was Malaysia (US$311m), followed by Indonesia.

Products classified here

palmitic acid

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for palmitic acid, stearic acid, their salts and esters?

Palmitic acid, stearic acid, their salts and esters fall under HS subheading 2915.70, part of heading 2915, in section VI of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on palmitic acid, stearic acid, their salts and… in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 2915.70 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 0% to 4%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

What is the import duty on palmitic acid, stearic acid, their salts and… in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 2915.70 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 5.5%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which country exports the most palmitic acid, stearic acid, their salts and…?

Malaysia, with US$311m in 2024 (23.4% of world exports).

Which countries can export palmitic and stearic acid salts and esters 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 Free – 4% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.

Is there anti-dumping duty on palmitic and stearic acid salts and esters?

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 palmitic and stearic acid salts and esters from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Malaysia (34%), Germany (23%) and United States (8%), out of total imports of £13.4m.