Subheading · Chapter 53 · Heading 5301

5301.21

5301.21: Flax, broken, scutched, hackled or otherwise processed: broken or scutched

Official description Broken or scutched

Subheading 5301.21 belongs to heading 5301 (flax, raw or processed but not spun) in chapter 53.

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free standard rate depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges — Import requirements: 3
VAT 20.00 % import VAT
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →
  1. 5301 21 00 00 Broken or scutched Free

Additional duties and import rules

Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.

Import requirements 3

  • Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
    Applies to goods from
    Ukraine
    Legal act
    S.I. 2022/395
    Documents
    • 9009
    • 9010
    • 9017
  • Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
    Applies to goods from
    North Korea
    Legal act
    S.I. 2019/411
    Documents
    • Y084 Derogation from import prohibition by virtue of Article 16i (1) of Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1509
  • Import controlImport control of organic products
    Applies to goods from
    all countries except Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
    Legal act
    S.I. 2019/693
    Documents
    • C644 Certificate of inspection for organic products
    • Y929 Goods not concerned by Regulation (EU) 2018/848 (organic products)

Preferential rates by country

Agreement or schemeCountriesRate
standard rate (no agreement)—Free
DCTS Comprehensive
Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 more

Afghanistan, 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")
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia and 23 more

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Free
DCTS Enhanced
Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 more

Algeria, 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 more

Antigua & 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 more

Anguilla, 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

last 12 months£8k+26.6% · previous 12 months
Average import price£8.36 per kg
Mar 2024: £3kFeb 2025: £4kApr 2025: £1kMay 2025: £2kOct 2025: £4kMar 2026: £4k
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

CountryValueShareChange
Belgium £8k 100% +74.2%
China £0 0% -100%

Same subheading in other tariffs

World trade in 2024

5301.21 · US$990m

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$41kUS$41k+US$589k+US$21m+> US$151m

Exports: 42
  1. France: US$731m
  2. Belgium: US$151m
  3. Egypt: US$74m
  4. Netherlands: US$21m
  5. Russia: US$5m
  6. Poland: US$3m
  7. Belarus: US$2m
  8. Latvia: US$1m
  9. Sweden: US$589k
  10. Portugal: US$302k
  11. Lithuania: US$290k
  12. Ukraine: US$229k
  13. China: US$179k
  14. India: US$152k
  15. Japan: US$127k
  16. Germany: US$112k
  17. United States: US$41k
  18. Denmark: US$9k
  19. Taiwan: US$6k
  20. Kazakhstan: US$3k
  21. Vietnam: US$3k
  22. South Korea: US$2k
  23. Czechia: US$2k
  24. Italy: US$2k
  25. Bulgaria: US$2k
  26. New Zealand: US$1k
  27. Austria: US$900
  28. South Africa: US$900
  29. Canada: US$200
  30. United Kingdom: US$200
  31. Malta: US$200
  32. Croatia: US$100
  33. Romania: US$100
  34. Türkiye: US$100
  35. Switzerland: US$0
  36. Spain: US$0
  37. Finland: US$0
  38. Greece: US$0
  39. Hungary: US$0
  40. Luxembourg: US$0
  41. Slovakia: US$0
  42. Slovenia: US$0

Top exporters

RankCountryValueShare
1 France US$731m 73.8%
2 Belgium US$151m 15.2%
3 Egypt US$74m 7.5%
4 Netherlands US$21m 2.1%
5 Russia US$5m 0.5%
6 Poland US$3m 0.3%
7 Belarus US$2m 0.2%
8 Latvia US$1m 0.1%
9 Sweden US$589k 0.1%
10 Portugal US$302k 0%

Top importers

RankCountryValueShare
1 China US$589m 59.5%
2 India US$158m 16%
3 Belgium US$138m 13.9%
4 Hong Kong SAR China US$21m 2.1%
5 Djibouti US$20m 2%
6 Lithuania US$19m 1.9%
7 Bangladesh US$11m 1.1%
8 Netherlands US$10m 1%
9 France US$8m 0.8%
10 Poland US$5m 0.5%

The UK Global Tariff has one tariff line for subheading 5301.21; the duty is duty-free.

Subheading 5301.21 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.

174 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.

Imports of these goods into the UK came to £8.4k between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 27% on the year before); Belgium supplied 100%, followed by China.

In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$990m (−2% year on year).

The largest exporter was France (US$731m), followed by Belgium.

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for flax, broken, scutched, hackled or otherwise processed: broken or scutched?

Flax, broken, scutched, hackled or otherwise processed: broken or scutched fall under HS subheading 5301.21, part of heading 5301, in section XI of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on flax, broken, scutched, hackled or otherwise… in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 5301.21 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 flax, broken, scutched, hackled or otherwise… in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 5301.21 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 flax, broken, scutched, hackled or otherwise…?

France, with US$731m in 2024 (73.8% of world exports).

Which countries can export these goods 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 Free applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.

Where does the UK import these goods from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Belgium (100%) and China (0%), out of total imports of £8.4k.

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