Subheading · Chapter 29 · Heading 2916
2916.31: Benzoic acid, its salts and esters
Subheading 2916.31 belongs to heading 2916 (unsaturated acyclic monocarboxylic acids, cyclic monocarboxylic acids, their…) in chapter 29.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 2916 31 00 00 Benzoic acid, its salts and esters
- 2916 31 00 10 Benzyl benzoate (cas rn 120-51-4) 6%
- 2916 31 00 20 Phenethyl benzoate (cas rn 94-47-3) with a purity by weight of 95% or more 6%
- 2916 31 00 30 Benzoic acid Free
- Other
- 2916 31 00 91 Sodium benzoate Free
- 2916 31 00 99 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 suspensionAutonomous tariff suspension Free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- until 31 December 2028
- Legal act
- 2020 No. 1435
- Tariff lines
- on 1 of 5 lines
- 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 1
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | Free – 6% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands | £6m | 55.6% | -12.3% |
 China | £2.3m | 21.5% | -16.2% |
 Estonia | £995k | 9.2% | -1.3% |
 Germany | £367k | 3.4% | +178.2% |
 Italy | £351k | 3.3% | -3.7% |
 United States | £231k | 2.1% | -4.7% |
 France | £131k | 1.2% | +3.2% |
 Ireland | £89k | 0.8% | -18.2% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$84kUS$84k+US$2m+US$8m+> US$71m
Exports: 102
- China: US$256m
- Netherlands: US$200m
- Estonia: US$71m
- United States: US$52m
- France: US$31m
- India: US$29m
- Germany: US$21m
- Belgium: US$17m
- Italy: US$16m
- United Kingdom: US$8m
- Ireland: US$6m
- Taiwan: US$6m
- Spain: US$4m
- Poland: US$4m
- Rwanda: US$4m
- Canada: US$4m
- Japan: US$4m
- Singapore: US$3m
- Türkiye: US$3m
- Austria: US$2m
- Switzerland: US$2m
- Thailand: US$2m
- South Korea: US$2m
- Romania: US$2m
- Denmark: US$2m
- Mexico: US$1m
- Hungary: US$1m
- Israel: US$835k
- Eswatini: US$830k
- Argentina: US$605k
- Sweden: US$546k
- Costa Rica: US$540k
- Brazil: US$478k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$449k
- Pakistan: US$433k
- Guatemala: US$407k
- Russia: US$307k
- Czechia: US$299k
- Malaysia: US$288k
- Uruguay: US$265k
- South Africa: US$262k
- Indonesia: US$218k
- Slovenia: US$209k
- Norway: US$172k
- Latvia: US$132k
- Chile: US$103k
- Jamaica: US$90k
- Serbia: US$87k
- Australia: US$84k
- Colombia: US$84k
- Lithuania: US$83k
- Panama: US$81k
- Ukraine: US$79k
- Kazakhstan: US$65k
- Croatia: US$61k
- Kenya: US$59k
- Egypt: US$56k
- Bulgaria: US$56k
- Peru: US$52k
- United Arab Emirates: US$51k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$353kUS$353k+US$2m+US$13m+> US$34m
Imports: 187
- United States: US$95m
- Germany: US$62m
- India: US$46m
- Brazil: US$35m
- France: US$34m
- Netherlands: US$34m
- Italy: US$33m
- Belgium: US$28m
- Mexico: US$27m
- Türkiye: US$20m
- Spain: US$19m
- Thailand: US$18m
- United Kingdom: US$17m
- Poland: US$16m
- Indonesia: US$15m
- South Korea: US$15m
- Canada: US$14m
- Denmark: US$14m
- China: US$13m
- Russia: US$13m
- Japan: US$12m
- Switzerland: US$12m
- Vietnam: US$11m
- Singapore: US$10m
- Ireland: US$8m
- Taiwan: US$7m
- Australia: US$6m
- Egypt: US$6m
- Philippines: US$5m
- Malaysia: US$5m
- Pakistan: US$5m
- Austria: US$5m
- Hungary: US$4m
- Norway: US$4m
- United Arab Emirates: US$4m
- Colombia: US$4m
- Slovenia: US$4m
- South Africa: US$4m
- Ukraine: US$4m
- Czechia: US$3m
- Saudi Arabia: US$3m
- Israel: US$3m
- Romania: US$3m
- Costa Rica: US$3m
- Argentina: US$3m
- Bangladesh: US$2m
- Sweden: US$2m
- Peru: US$2m
- Chile: US$2m
- Guatemala: US$2m
- Greece: US$2m
- Nigeria: US$2m
- Belarus: US$2m
- Portugal: US$2m
- Croatia: US$2m
- Tunisia: US$2m
- Luxembourg: US$1m
- Algeria: US$1m
- Dominican Republic: US$1m
- Eswatini: US$1m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$256m | 33.7% |
| 2 | Netherlands | US$200m | 26.3% |
| 3 | Estonia | US$71m | 9.3% |
| 4 | United States | US$52m | 6.8% |
| 5 | France | US$31m | 4.1% |
| 6 |  India | US$29m | 3.8% |
| 7 | Germany | US$21m | 2.7% |
| 8 |  Belgium | US$17m | 2.2% |
| 9 | Italy | US$16m | 2.1% |
| 10 | United Kingdom | US$8m | 1.1% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$95m | 12.6% |
| 2 | Germany | US$62m | 8.1% |
| 3 | India | US$46m | 6.1% |
| 4 |  Brazil | US$35m | 4.6% |
| 5 | France | US$34m | 4.5% |
| 6 | Netherlands | US$34m | 4.5% |
| 7 | Italy | US$33m | 4.4% |
| 8 | Belgium | US$28m | 3.7% |
| 9 |  Mexico | US$27m | 3.6% |
| 10 |  Türkiye | US$20m | 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
FR Doc. 2026-19498 · 91 FR 60360 · Source: federalregister.gov
- Tariff change
UK Trade Tariff: measure changes on 381 commodity codes
Trade Tariff changes 2026-07-31 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
- Other
Update to Commodity Code Structure to maintain dynamic alignment with the EU – 30 July 2026
Trade Tariff news 7522 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
-
Anti-dumping · Applies from: CELEX 32026R1854 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Import and export controls
FR Doc. 2026-14542 · 91 FR 45516 · Source: federalregister.gov
- Tariff change
FR Doc. 2026-11158 · 91 FR 33854 · Source: federalregister.gov
- Sanctions · Applies from:
The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
S.I. 2026/543 · Source: legislation.gov.uk
- Sanctions · Applies from:
CELEX 32026R0513 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
The UK Global Tariff divides subheading 2916.31 into 5 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 6% (average 2.4%). 3 of them are duty-free.
Subheading 2916.31 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is 6.5%.
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 – 6%.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
Imports of these goods into the UK came to £10.8m between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 9% on the year before); Netherlands supplied 56%, followed by China.
In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$760m (+10.6% year on year).
The largest exporter was China (US$256m), followed by the Netherlands.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for benzoic acid, its salts and esters?
Benzoic acid, its salts and esters fall under HS subheading 2916.31, part of heading 2916, in section VI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on benzoic acid, its salts and esters in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 2916.31 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 0% to 6%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on benzoic acid, its salts and esters in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 2916.31 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 6.5%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most benzoic acid, its salts and esters?
China, with US$256m in 2024 (33.7% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods 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 – 6% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on these goods?
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 these goods from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Netherlands (56%), China (22%) and Estonia (9%), out of total imports of £10.8m.