Subheading · Chapter 29 · Heading 2937
2937.21: Cortisone, hydrocortisone, prednisone (dehydrocortisone) and prednisolone (dehydrohydrocortisone)
Subheading 2937.21 belongs to heading 2937 (hormones, prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes, natural or reproduced…) in chapter 29.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 2937 21 00 00 Cortisone, hydrocortisone, prednisone (dehydrocortisone) and prednisolone (dehydrohydrocortisone) Freeg
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. 833
- Documents
- 9018
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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £796k | 75.9% | +633.4% |
 United States | £137k | 13.1% | -46.3% |
 Spain | £41k | 3.9% | -91.4% |
 India | £36k | 3.5% | — |
 Ireland | £25k | 2.3% | +39% |
 Canada | £8k | 0.8% | -18.2% |
 Italy | £2k | 0.2% | — |
 Poland | £1k | 0.1% | — |
Same subheading in other tariffs
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$29kUS$29k+US$554k+US$5m+> US$23m
Exports: 68
- China: US$162m
- United States: US$23m
- France: US$20m
- Italy: US$18m
- India: US$15m
- Spain: US$8m
- Canada: US$5m
- Germany: US$4m
- Netherlands: US$3m
- Malaysia: US$2m
- Poland: US$2m
- Belgium: US$2m
- United Kingdom: US$933k
- Brazil: US$747k
- Mexico: US$664k
- Switzerland: US$554k
- Japan: US$487k
- Israel: US$475k
- Portugal: US$297k
- Czechia: US$249k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$223k
- Denmark: US$210k
- Seychelles: US$188k
- Singapore: US$167k
- Serbia: US$130k
- Guatemala: US$122k
- Egypt: US$92k
- Cyprus: US$71k
- Australia: US$61k
- Taiwan: US$59k
- Norway: US$29k
- Colombia: US$28k
- Chile: US$26k
- Ireland: US$25k
- Austria: US$22k
- Romania: US$21k
- Latvia: US$21k
- Greece: US$20k
- Sweden: US$15k
- Armenia: US$11k
- Kazakhstan: US$11k
- South Africa: US$7k
- Hungary: US$4k
- Kenya: US$4k
- Saudi Arabia: US$3k
- New Zealand: US$2k
- El Salvador: US$2k
- Jordan: US$2k
- Slovakia: US$2k
- Türkiye: US$2k
- Croatia: US$2k
- Eswatini: US$1k
- Slovenia: US$900
- Lithuania: US$800
- South Korea: US$600
- Moldova: US$600
- Morocco: US$400
- Indonesia: US$200
- Sri Lanka: US$200
- Ukraine: US$200
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$295kUS$295k+US$2m+US$5m+> US$13m
Imports: 149
- India: US$42m
- United States: US$23m
- Italy: US$21m
- Brazil: US$16m
- France: US$13m
- Germany: US$13m
- Spain: US$13m
- Austria: US$10m
- Japan: US$10m
- Canada: US$6m
- South Korea: US$5m
- Pakistan: US$5m
- Bangladesh: US$5m
- Netherlands: US$5m
- Malaysia: US$5m
- Belgium: US$4m
- Morocco: US$4m
- Egypt: US$4m
- Algeria: US$3m
- Australia: US$3m
- Mexico: US$3m
- Denmark: US$3m
- United Arab Emirates: US$3m
- Colombia: US$3m
- South Africa: US$2m
- Vietnam: US$2m
- United Kingdom: US$2m
- Saudi Arabia: US$2m
- Kenya: US$2m
- China: US$2m
- Greece: US$2m
- Poland: US$2m
- Croatia: US$2m
- Romania: US$2m
- Nigeria: US$2m
- Indonesia: US$2m
- Russia: US$1m
- Peru: US$1m
- Chile: US$1m
- Portugal: US$1m
- Israel: US$1m
- Finland: US$1m
- Sri Lanka: US$1m
- Thailand: US$921k
- Türkiye: US$875k
- Taiwan: US$860k
- Czechia: US$846k
- Ukraine: US$806k
- Iran: US$774k
- Argentina: US$715k
- Switzerland: US$712k
- Philippines: US$671k
- Ireland: US$649k
- Jordan: US$582k
- Paraguay: US$525k
- Hungary: US$523k
- Guatemala: US$488k
- New Zealand: US$466k
- Ecuador: US$451k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$450k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$162m | 59.8% |
| 2 | United States | US$23m | 8.6% |
| 3 |  France | US$20m | 7.5% |
| 4 | Italy | US$18m | 6.7% |
| 5 | India | US$15m | 5.6% |
| 6 | Spain | US$8m | 3.1% |
| 7 | Canada | US$5m | 1.8% |
| 8 |  Germany | US$4m | 1.4% |
| 9 |  Netherlands | US$3m | 1.1% |
| 10 |  Malaysia | US$2m | 0.9% |
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 · Applies from: CELEX 32026R1395 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
The UK Global Tariff has one tariff line for subheading 2937.21; the duty is duty-free.
Subheading 2937.21 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.
146 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 these goods into the UK came to £1m between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 25% on the year before); China supplied 76%, followed by United States.
In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$270m (−3% year on year).
The largest exporter was China (US$162m), followed by the United States.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for cortisone, hydrocortisone, prednisone (dehydrocortisone) and prednisolone (dehydrohydrocortisone)?
Cortisone, hydrocortisone, prednisone (dehydrocortisone) and prednisolone (dehydrohydrocortisone) fall under HS subheading 2937.21, part of heading 2937, in section VI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on cortisone, hydrocortisone, prednisone in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 2937.21 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 cortisone, hydrocortisone, prednisone in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 2937.21 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 cortisone, hydrocortisone, prednisone?
China, with US$162m in 2024 (59.8% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods 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.
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 China (76%), United States (13%) and Spain (4%), out of total imports of £1m.