Subheading · Chapter 49 · Heading 4901
4901.91: Dictionaries and encyclopaedias, and serial instalments thereof
Subheading 4901.91 belongs to heading 4901 (printed books, brochures, leaflets and similar printed matter) in chapter 49.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 4901 91 00 00 Dictionaries and encyclopaedias, and serial instalments thereof Free+3
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 2
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 598
- Documents
- 9014
- 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
- Iraq, Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2020/707, 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–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–XC agreement | XC | Free |
| UK–Kosovo agreement | Kosovo | Free |
| UK–XL agreement | XL | Free |
| UK–South Africa agreement | South Africa | Free |
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £442k | 30.6% | -2% |
 United States | £260k | 18% | +76.2% |
 Belgium | £196k | 13.6% | +145.8% |
 India | £133k | 9.2% | +71.2% |
 Italy | £78k | 5.4% | -32.6% |
| United Kingdom | £62k | 4.3% | -64.2% |
 Ireland | £43k | 3% | +82.4% |
 Germany | £38k | 2.6% | +610.2% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Türkiye 25% Statutory rate (Law 474) 1 tariff line USA Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line The Turkish schedule prints the statutory rate set under Customs Law 474. The rate applied at import is laid down in the Import Regime Decision and can be lower, or different by country of origin.
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$41.2kUS$41.2k+US$441.3k+US$1.6m+> US$5.2m
Exports: 117
- United Kingdom: US$19.7m
- China: US$8.9m
- Germany: US$6.3m
- United States: US$5.2m
- Italy: US$4.5m
- France: US$3.7m
- Australia: US$2.4m
- Serbia: US$2.3m
- India: US$2.2m
- South Korea: US$1.8m
- Denmark: US$1.6m
- Bulgaria: US$1.6m
- Netherlands: US$1.5m
- Mexico: US$1.4m
- Poland: US$1.3m
- Spain: US$1.1m
- Russia: US$858.6k
- Czechia: US$812k
- Portugal: US$796.7k
- Malaysia: US$790.2k
- Israel: US$728.8k
- Canada: US$586.8k
- Latvia: US$523.3k
- Japan: US$516.4k
- Brazil: US$499.2k
- Slovakia: US$460.3k
- Estonia: US$441.7k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$441.3k
- Belgium: US$405.8k
- Lithuania: US$317.9k
- South Africa: US$317.6k
- Türkiye: US$313.8k
- Colombia: US$285.9k
- El Salvador: US$280.5k
- Saudi Arabia: US$280.1k
- Lebanon: US$248k
- Slovenia: US$207.9k
- Uruguay: US$201.7k
- United Arab Emirates: US$191.5k
- Singapore: US$191.1k
- Switzerland: US$178k
- Ireland: US$148.3k
- North Macedonia: US$147.1k
- Hungary: US$112.6k
- Guatemala: US$111.5k
- Ukraine: US$91k
- Austria: US$89.1k
- Sweden: US$89.1k
- Romania: US$79.9k
- Taiwan: US$56.8k
- Finland: US$50.8k
- Fiji: US$49.4k
- Norway: US$49.2k
- Thailand: US$42.7k
- Ecuador: US$41.2k
- Argentina: US$36.1k
- Vietnam: US$31.9k
- New Zealand: US$31.7k
- Iceland: US$29.1k
- Cyprus: US$27.4k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$83.5kUS$83.5k+US$415.9k+US$1.3m+> US$3m
Imports: 187
- France: US$5.9m
- United Kingdom: US$4.6m
- Germany: US$4.2m
- United States: US$3.7m
- Canada: US$3.2m
- Singapore: US$3m
- Switzerland: US$2.8m
- United Arab Emirates: US$2.7m
- Israel: US$2.2m
- Belgium: US$1.6m
- Australia: US$1.5m
- Poland: US$1.5m
- Mexico: US$1.5m
- Dominican Republic: US$1.5m
- Norway: US$1.4m
- Spain: US$1.4m
- Jordan: US$1.4m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$1.3m
- Kenya: US$1.3m
- Czechia: US$1.3m
- Netherlands: US$1.2m
- Ireland: US$1.1m
- Montenegro: US$1.1m
- Saudi Arabia: US$980.7k
- Japan: US$959.3k
- Guatemala: US$930.9k
- Peru: US$901.3k
- Egypt: US$881.8k
- Chile: US$849.2k
- Sweden: US$818.6k
- Pakistan: US$818.4k
- Honduras: US$762.6k
- South Africa: US$761.7k
- Angola: US$752.4k
- Vietnam: US$701.4k
- Italy: US$667.5k
- Kazakhstan: US$623k
- Romania: US$582.3k
- Brazil: US$514.5k
- Russia: US$509k
- Türkiye: US$505.8k
- Mauritius: US$473.5k
- Papua New Guinea: US$434.7k
- Ghana: US$424.8k
- Yemen: US$419.8k
- Morocco: US$415.9k
- Sri Lanka: US$393.7k
- Austria: US$356.6k
- Argentina: US$353.6k
- Denmark: US$333.2k
- Qatar: US$317.9k
- Oman: US$291.9k
- Ukraine: US$273k
- Libya: US$270.6k
- Colombia: US$266.3k
- Slovakia: US$258.6k
- New Zealand: US$248.2k
- Malaysia: US$244.6k
- India: US$239.8k
- China: US$239.2k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | US$19.7m | 25.3% |
| 2 | China | US$8.9m | 11.4% |
| 3 | Germany | US$6.3m | 8.1% |
| 4 | United States | US$5.2m | 6.7% |
| 5 | Italy | US$4.5m | 5.8% |
| 6 |  France | US$3.7m | 4.8% |
| 7 |  Australia | US$2.4m | 3.1% |
| 8 |  Serbia | US$2.3m | 2.9% |
| 9 | India | US$2.2m | 2.8% |
| 10 |  South Korea | US$1.8m | 2.3% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | US$5.9m | 7.6% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | US$4.6m | 5.9% |
| 3 | Germany | US$4.2m | 5.4% |
| 4 | United States | US$3.7m | 4.7% |
| 5 |  Canada | US$3.2m | 4.1% |
| 6 |  Singapore | US$3m | 3.9% |
| 7 |  Switzerland | US$2.8m | 3.7% |
| 8 |  United Arab Emirates | US$2.7m | 3.5% |
| 9 |  Israel | US$2.2m | 2.8% |
| 10 | Belgium | US$1.6m | 2.1% |
The UK Global Tariff has one tariff line for subheading 4901.91; the duty is duty-free.
Subheading 4901.91 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.
157 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 £1.4m between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 3% on the year before); China supplied 31%, followed by United States.
In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$77.7m (−4.7% year on year).
The largest exporter was the United Kingdom (US$19.7m), followed by China.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for dictionaries and encyclopaedias, and serial instalments thereof?
Dictionaries and encyclopaedias, and serial instalments thereof fall under HS subheading 4901.91, part of heading 4901, in section X of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on dictionaries and encyclopaedias, and serial… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 4901.91 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 dictionaries and encyclopaedias, and serial… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 4901.91 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 dictionaries and encyclopaedias, and serial…?
The United Kingdom, with US$19.7m in 2024 (25.3% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?
157 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 (31%), United States (18%) and Belgium (14%), out of total imports of £1.4m.