Subheading · Chapter 32 · Heading 3215
3215.11: Printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other inks: printing ink, black
Black printing ink
Official description Black
3215.11 is the HS subheading for black printing ink, under heading 3215 in chapter 32.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 3215 11 00 00 Black 6%
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. 598
- Documents
- 9014
- Duty suspensionAutonomous tariff suspension Free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- until 31 December 2028
- Legal act
- 2020 No. 1435
- Documents
- 9Y12
- 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 2
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- Import controlImport control - Waste
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/590
- Documents
- C672 Information document accompanying shipments of waste as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 – Article 18 and Annex VII
- C669 Notification document as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 - Article 5 and Annex IA
- Y923 Product not subjected to the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2024/1157
- C670 Movement document as mentioned in Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 – Article 5 and Annex IB
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Germany | £5.8m | 19.6% | -2.6% |
 Japan | £3.8m | 13% | -15.6% |
 Netherlands | £3.6m | 12.4% | -8.9% |
 United States | £3.4m | 11.4% | +22% |
 France | £2.7m | 9.1% | +7.4% |
 India | £1.6m | 5.6% | +31.4% |
 Israel | £1.3m | 4.4% | -15.7% |
 Belgium | £1.3m | 4.3% | -11.1% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$294kUS$294k+US$3m+US$38m+> US$86m
Exports: 135
- United States: US$211m
- Japan: US$202m
- Germany: US$164m
- China: US$86m
- Netherlands: US$80m
- United Kingdom: US$72m
- France: US$61m
- Singapore: US$59m
- India: US$49m
- Switzerland: US$46m
- Philippines: US$45m
- Spain: US$39m
- Indonesia: US$38m
- Malaysia: US$38m
- Belgium: US$35m
- South Korea: US$30m
- Italy: US$29m
- Costa Rica: US$21m
- Israel: US$20m
- Austria: US$20m
- Türkiye: US$13m
- Taiwan: US$12m
- Sweden: US$11m
- Poland: US$7m
- South Africa: US$7m
- Luxembourg: US$4m
- Canada: US$4m
- Hungary: US$4m
- Thailand: US$3m
- Czechia: US$3m
- Brazil: US$3m
- Denmark: US$3m
- El Salvador: US$3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$3m
- Greece: US$2m
- Vietnam: US$2m
- Australia: US$2m
- Ireland: US$2m
- Lithuania: US$2m
- Mexico: US$2m
- Colombia: US$2m
- United Arab Emirates: US$1m
- Serbia: US$1m
- Romania: US$1m
- Honduras: US$948k
- Slovenia: US$945k
- Portugal: US$940k
- Finland: US$849k
- Latvia: US$811k
- Slovakia: US$796k
- Chile: US$784k
- Bulgaria: US$709k
- New Zealand: US$698k
- Guatemala: US$655k
- Croatia: US$645k
- Russia: US$600k
- Kyrgyzstan: US$565k
- Peru: US$528k
- Kazakhstan: US$469k
- Zambia: US$440k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$652kUS$652k+US$5m+US$23m+> US$52m
Imports: 213
- United States: US$123m
- Malaysia: US$65m
- Germany: US$64m
- China: US$63m
- Mexico: US$56m
- France: US$55m
- Australia: US$52m
- India: US$47m
- Netherlands: US$45m
- Singapore: US$44m
- Canada: US$43m
- Brazil: US$42m
- Philippines: US$40m
- Italy: US$37m
- Indonesia: US$36m
- United Kingdom: US$35m
- Thailand: US$33m
- Poland: US$32m
- Spain: US$30m
- Belgium: US$28m
- Türkiye: US$25m
- Austria: US$23m
- Vietnam: US$22m
- Romania: US$19m
- Japan: US$18m
- Portugal: US$16m
- South Africa: US$15m
- Czechia: US$13m
- Russia: US$13m
- South Korea: US$12m
- Chile: US$12m
- Taiwan: US$11m
- Colombia: US$11m
- United Arab Emirates: US$11m
- Guatemala: US$10m
- Peru: US$10m
- Bangladesh: US$10m
- Costa Rica: US$9m
- Hungary: US$9m
- Switzerland: US$8m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$8m
- New Zealand: US$8m
- Sweden: US$8m
- Ireland: US$7m
- Argentina: US$7m
- Saudi Arabia: US$7m
- Ecuador: US$6m
- Denmark: US$6m
- Egypt: US$6m
- Greece: US$6m
- Morocco: US$5m
- Honduras: US$5m
- Slovenia: US$5m
- El Salvador: US$5m
- Finland: US$5m
- Slovakia: US$5m
- Israel: US$4m
- Croatia: US$4m
- Ukraine: US$4m
- Kazakhstan: US$4m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$211m | 14.5% |
| 2 | Japan | US$202m | 13.9% |
| 3 | Germany | US$164m | 11.2% |
| 4 |  China | US$86m | 5.9% |
| 5 | Netherlands | US$80m | 5.5% |
| 6 | United Kingdom | US$72m | 4.9% |
| 7 | France | US$61m | 4.2% |
| 8 |  Singapore | US$59m | 4.1% |
| 9 | India | US$49m | 3.3% |
| 10 |  Switzerland | US$46m | 3.1% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$123m | 8.4% |
| 2 |  Malaysia | US$65m | 4.4% |
| 3 | Germany | US$64m | 4.4% |
| 4 | China | US$63m | 4.3% |
| 5 |  Mexico | US$56m | 3.8% |
| 6 | France | US$55m | 3.7% |
| 7 |  Australia | US$52m | 3.6% |
| 8 | India | US$47m | 3.2% |
| 9 | Netherlands | US$45m | 3.1% |
| 10 | Singapore | US$44m | 3% |
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.
- N332054 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of Black CRSmax and NewV printing ink, and Color and White CRSmax and NewV printing ink from Germany and India
Subheading 3215.11 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is 6%.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 3215.11; the duty is 6.5%.
Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard 6%; 174 of them pay no duty at all, for example under DCTS Comprehensive or European Union.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported black printing ink worth £29.4m (up 2% on the year before), at an average of £4.69 per kg; Germany supplied 20%, followed by Japan.
World trade in black printing ink reached US$1bn in 2024, up 4.5% on 2023.
The United States was the largest exporter with 14.5% of the total, ahead of Japan.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other inks: printing ink, black?
Printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other inks: printing ink, black fall under HS subheading 3215.11, part of heading 3215, in section VI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 3215.11 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 6%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 3215.11 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 printing ink, writing or drawing ink and other…?
The United States, with US$211m in 2024 (14.5% of world exports).
Which countries can export black printing ink 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 6% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on black printing ink?
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 black printing ink from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Germany (20%), Japan (13%) and Netherlands (12%), out of total imports of £29.4m.