Subheading · Chapter 34 · Heading 3402
3402.42: Other organic surface-active agents, whether: non-ionic
Non-ionic surfactants
Official description Non-ionic
3402.42 is the HS subheading for non-ionic surfactants, under heading 3402 in chapter 34.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 3402 42 00 00 Non-ionic
- 3402 42 00 10 Vinyl copolymer surface active agent based on polypropylene glycol 4%
- 3402 42 00 20 Surfactant containing 1.4-dimethyl-1.4-bis(2-methylpropyl)-2-butyne-1.4-diyl ether, polymerised with oxirane, methyl terminated 4%
- 3402 42 00 90 Other 4%
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 4
- 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
- Tariff lines
- on 2 of 3 lines
- Duty suspensionAirworthiness tariff suspension Free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- S.I. 2018/1249
- Documents
- C119 Authorised Release Certificate — EASA Form 1 (Appendix I to Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 748/2012), or equivalent certificate
- Duty suspensionAutonomous tariff suspension Free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- until 30 June 2027
- Legal act
- 2020 No. 1435
- Documents
- 9Y12
- Tariff lines
- on 1 of 3 lines
Import requirements 2
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Russia, Ukraine
- Legal act
- 2023 No. 440, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9011
- 9022
- 9038
- 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) | — | 4% |
| 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 | £49.6m | 28.2% | +6.6% |
 Netherlands | £43.2m | 24.6% | +10.1% |
 United States | £18m | 10.2% | -2.9% |
 Italy | £16.3m | 9.3% | -9.5% |
 Belgium | £8.4m | 4.8% | +2% |
 Poland | £5m | 2.8% | -20.9% |
 China | £4.9m | 2.8% | +52.6% |
 France | £4.9m | 2.8% | -0.9% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EUWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$806kUS$806k+US$12m+US$119m+> US$481m
Exports: 122
- Germany: US$1bn
- China: US$813m
- United States: US$744m
- Netherlands: US$481m
- Belgium: US$403m
- Italy: US$248m
- Japan: US$213m
- France: US$188m
- India: US$188m
- Singapore: US$166m
- Spain: US$161m
- Malaysia: US$119m
- South Korea: US$111m
- Sweden: US$91m
- Taiwan: US$82m
- Thailand: US$76m
- Poland: US$76m
- Switzerland: US$71m
- Brazil: US$65m
- United Kingdom: US$65m
- Mexico: US$62m
- Denmark: US$40m
- Türkiye: US$38m
- Slovakia: US$37m
- Czechia: US$24m
- Canada: US$23m
- Austria: US$16m
- Saudi Arabia: US$13m
- Bahrain: US$13m
- Australia: US$12m
- Russia: US$11m
- United Arab Emirates: US$10m
- Ireland: US$10m
- Lithuania: US$9m
- Philippines: US$9m
- Indonesia: US$5m
- Kazakhstan: US$5m
- New Zealand: US$5m
- Colombia: US$5m
- Paraguay: US$4m
- Chile: US$4m
- Egypt: US$4m
- Argentina: US$3m
- Slovenia: US$3m
- South Africa: US$3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$3m
- Bulgaria: US$3m
- Uruguay: US$3m
- Latvia: US$3m
- Costa Rica: US$3m
- Finland: US$2m
- Hungary: US$2m
- Portugal: US$2m
- Greece: US$2m
- Jordan: US$2m
- Sri Lanka: US$1m
- Ecuador: US$1m
- Romania: US$1m
- Croatia: US$881k
- Israel: US$806k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$1mUS$1m+US$18m+US$106m+> US$238m
Imports: 202
- Germany: US$344m
- China: US$343m
- Italy: US$283m
- France: US$275m
- Türkiye: US$241m
- United States: US$238m
- Netherlands: US$238m
- Brazil: US$211m
- United Kingdom: US$209m
- Spain: US$207m
- Belgium: US$190m
- Canada: US$156m
- Russia: US$141m
- Vietnam: US$138m
- Mexico: US$131m
- Indonesia: US$126m
- India: US$124m
- Poland: US$119m
- Argentina: US$118m
- Japan: US$113m
- South Korea: US$106m
- Thailand: US$102m
- United Arab Emirates: US$84m
- Australia: US$83m
- Hungary: US$67m
- Saudi Arabia: US$65m
- South Africa: US$65m
- Egypt: US$55m
- Pakistan: US$54m
- Singapore: US$53m
- Malaysia: US$52m
- Colombia: US$52m
- Denmark: US$46m
- Israel: US$46m
- Taiwan: US$44m
- Portugal: US$42m
- Czechia: US$38m
- Switzerland: US$38m
- Austria: US$37m
- Serbia: US$34m
- Ukraine: US$32m
- Greece: US$31m
- Bangladesh: US$30m
- Norway: US$29m
- Chile: US$29m
- Ireland: US$26m
- Jordan: US$26m
- Sweden: US$24m
- Peru: US$23m
- Algeria: US$21m
- Philippines: US$18m
- Kazakhstan: US$17m
- New Zealand: US$16m
- Morocco: US$16m
- Romania: US$15m
- Guatemala: US$15m
- Belarus: US$14m
- Paraguay: US$14m
- Nigeria: US$13m
- Iran: US$11m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | US$1bn | 17.4% |
| 2 | China | US$813m | 14.1% |
| 3 | United States | US$744m | 12.9% |
| 4 | Netherlands | US$481m | 8.3% |
| 5 | Belgium | US$403m | 7% |
| 6 | Italy | US$248m | 4.3% |
| 7 |  Japan | US$213m | 3.7% |
| 8 | France | US$188m | 3.3% |
| 9 |  India | US$188m | 3.3% |
| 10 |  Singapore | US$166m | 2.9% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | US$344m | 6% |
| 2 | China | US$343m | 5.9% |
| 3 | Italy | US$283m | 4.9% |
| 4 | France | US$275m | 4.8% |
| 5 |  Türkiye | US$241m | 4.2% |
| 6 | United States | US$238m | 4.1% |
| 7 | Netherlands | US$238m | 4.1% |
| 8 |  Brazil | US$211m | 3.7% |
| 9 | United Kingdom | US$209m | 3.6% |
| 10 |  Spain | US$207m | 3.6% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 3
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.
- N348346 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of Wedomine OPA-10AC-100 from China
- N326503 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of Ethylene Bis-Stearamide (CAS# 110-30-5), Ethylene Bis-Stearamide Sp (CAS# 110-30-5), and Ethyleneglycol Distearate (CAS# 91031-31-1) from Italy
- 600011546 HMRC
Delta T. This is an energy saving additive that can be added to closed loop heating and cooling systems to reduce the amount of energy that they use in terms of either gas or electricity. This is made from surfactants. This is made by adding surfactants to water. It works by changing the surface…
Code history
Since 2022; before, these goods were classified under 3402.13.
In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 3402.42 covers 3 tariff lines and the duty is 4%.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 3402.42; the duty is 4%.
Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard 4%; 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 non-ionic surfactants worth £175.8m (up 2% on the year before), at an average of £2.43 per kg; Germany supplied 28%, followed by Netherlands.
World trade in non-ionic surfactants reached US$6bn in 2024, up 9.2% on 2023.
Germany was the largest exporter with 17.4% of the total, ahead of China.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for other organic surface-active agents, whether: non-ionic?
Other organic surface-active agents, whether: non-ionic fall under HS subheading 3402.42, part of heading 3402, in section VI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on other organic surface-active agents in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 3402.42 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 4%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on other organic surface-active agents in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 3402.42 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 4%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most other organic surface-active agents?
Germany, with US$1bn in 2024 (17.4% of world exports).
Which countries can export non-ionic surfactants 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 4% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on non-ionic surfactants?
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 non-ionic surfactants from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Germany (28%), Netherlands (25%) and United States (10%), out of total imports of £175.8m.