Subheading · Chapter 30 · Heading 3006
3006.70: Gel preparations designed to be used in human or veterinary medicine as a lubricant for parts of the body for surgical operations or physical examinations or as a coupling agent between the body and medical instruments
Subheading 3006.70 belongs to heading 3006 (pharmaceutical goods specified in note 4 to this chapter) in chapter 30.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 3006 70 00 00 Gel preparations designed to be used in human or veterinary medicine as a lubricant for parts of the body for surgical operations or physical examinations or as a coupling agent between the body and medical instruments 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
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 598
- Documents
- 9014
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £3.5m | 16.8% | -3.4% |
 Germany | £3.5m | 16.8% | -0.7% |
 Türkiye | £3m | 14.5% | +6.6% |
 Denmark | £2.5m | 12% | +175.1% |
 Italy | £2.4m | 11.7% | +4.8% |
 United States | £2m | 9.4% | +4.8% |
 Ireland | £1.4m | 6.8% | +59.3% |
| United Kingdom | £652k | 3.1% | +23.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EUWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$130kUS$130k+US$2m+US$11m+> US$34m
Exports: 121
- United States: US$94m
- Thailand: US$49m
- China: US$37m
- Germany: US$34m
- Türkiye: US$24m
- Italy: US$19m
- Spain: US$17m
- Bulgaria: US$16m
- Mexico: US$15m
- Netherlands: US$14m
- Austria: US$11m
- United Kingdom: US$10m
- Malaysia: US$7m
- India: US$7m
- Belgium: US$7m
- France: US$6m
- South Korea: US$6m
- Dominican Republic: US$6m
- Canada: US$6m
- Switzerland: US$4m
- Sweden: US$4m
- Hungary: US$3m
- Slovakia: US$3m
- Denmark: US$3m
- Ireland: US$2m
- Iceland: US$2m
- Czechia: US$2m
- Japan: US$2m
- Finland: US$2m
- Singapore: US$2m
- Lithuania: US$2m
- Greece: US$2m
- Poland: US$2m
- Portugal: US$2m
- Israel: US$1m
- Argentina: US$1m
- Georgia: US$1m
- Australia: US$1m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$775k
- Slovenia: US$610k
- Croatia: US$520k
- South Africa: US$512k
- Norway: US$412k
- Cyprus: US$384k
- Romania: US$346k
- Taiwan: US$329k
- Russia: US$293k
- Latvia: US$258k
- Luxembourg: US$200k
- Chile: US$187k
- Brazil: US$185k
- Estonia: US$151k
- Indonesia: US$130k
- Ukraine: US$130k
- Malta: US$115k
- Costa Rica: US$112k
- New Zealand: US$105k
- Micronesia: US$97k
- Colombia: US$94k
- Kenya: US$86k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$254kUS$254k+US$2m+US$5m+> US$16m
Imports: 207
- United States: US$67m
- Mexico: US$28m
- China: US$21m
- Netherlands: US$20m
- United Kingdom: US$19m
- Russia: US$16m
- Germany: US$16m
- France: US$14m
- Canada: US$10m
- Australia: US$9m
- Spain: US$9m
- Brazil: US$9m
- Vietnam: US$9m
- Poland: US$7m
- Taiwan: US$7m
- Italy: US$6m
- Czechia: US$6m
- Greece: US$6m
- Japan: US$5m
- South Korea: US$5m
- Thailand: US$5m
- Belgium: US$5m
- India: US$5m
- Saudi Arabia: US$5m
- Peru: US$5m
- Hungary: US$4m
- United Arab Emirates: US$4m
- Dominican Republic: US$4m
- Malta: US$4m
- Sweden: US$4m
- Malaysia: US$4m
- Ecuador: US$3m
- Ireland: US$3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$3m
- Egypt: US$3m
- Switzerland: US$3m
- Denmark: US$3m
- Singapore: US$3m
- Indonesia: US$3m
- Portugal: US$3m
- Austria: US$3m
- Romania: US$3m
- Chile: US$3m
- Philippines: US$2m
- Slovakia: US$2m
- Türkiye: US$2m
- Croatia: US$2m
- Israel: US$2m
- New Zealand: US$2m
- Iraq: US$2m
- South Africa: US$2m
- Latvia: US$2m
- Uzbekistan: US$1m
- Algeria: US$1m
- Nigeria: US$1m
- Colombia: US$1m
- Kuwait: US$1m
- Finland: US$1m
- Belarus: US$1m
- Angola: US$1m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$94m | 21.9% |
| 2 |  Thailand | US$49m | 11.5% |
| 3 | China | US$37m | 8.5% |
| 4 | Germany | US$34m | 7.8% |
| 5 | Türkiye | US$24m | 5.6% |
| 6 | Italy | US$19m | 4.4% |
| 7 |  Spain | US$17m | 3.9% |
| 8 |  Bulgaria | US$16m | 3.8% |
| 9 |  Mexico | US$15m | 3.4% |
| 10 |  Netherlands | US$14m | 3.2% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$67m | 15.7% |
| 2 | Mexico | US$28m | 6.5% |
| 3 | China | US$21m | 4.8% |
| 4 | Netherlands | US$20m | 4.8% |
| 5 | United Kingdom | US$19m | 4.4% |
| 6 |  Russia | US$16m | 3.7% |
| 7 | Germany | US$16m | 3.6% |
| 8 |  France | US$14m | 3.4% |
| 9 |  Canada | US$10m | 2.4% |
| 10 |  Australia | US$9m | 2.2% |
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.
- N322966 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of medical grade hydrogel ST Gel from Japan
The UK Global Tariff has one tariff line for subheading 3006.70; the duty is duty-free.
Subheading 3006.70 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is 6.5%.
156 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 £20.9m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 17% on the year before); China supplied 17%, followed by Germany.
In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$430m (+6.4% year on year).
The largest exporter was the United States (US$94m), followed by Thailand.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for gel preparations designed to be used in human or veterinary medicine as a lubricant for parts of the body for surgical operations or physical examinations or as a coupling agent between the body and medical instruments?
Gel preparations designed to be used in human or veterinary medicine as a lubricant for parts of the body for surgical operations or physical examinations or as a coupling agent between the body and medical instruments fall under HS subheading 3006.70, part of heading 3006, in section VI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on gel preparations designed to be used in human or… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 3006.70 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 gel preparations designed to be used in human or… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 3006.70 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 gel preparations designed to be used in human or…?
The United States, with US$94m in 2024 (21.9% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?
156 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 (17%), Germany (17%) and Türkiye (15%), out of total imports of £20.9m.