Subheading · Chapter 68 · Heading 6813
6813.20: Friction material and articles thereof: containing asbestos
Official description Containing asbestos
Subheading 6813.20 belongs to heading 6813 (friction material and articles thereof) in chapter 68.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 6813 20 00 00 Containing asbestos
- 6813 20 00 10 For use in civil aircraft Free
- 6813 20 00 90 Other 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 2
- 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 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)
- Tariff lines
- on 1 of 2 lines
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 | |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States | £79k | 70.2% | -0.9% |
 China | £10k | 9.1% | — |
 Spain | £9k | 8.3% | -58.1% |
 Mexico | £6k | 5.6% | — |
 Japan | £5k | 4% | +320.3% |
| United Kingdom | £3k | 2.8% | — |
 Germany | £0 | 0% | -100% |
 Italy | £0 | 0% | -100% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EUWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$16kUS$16k+US$133k+US$2m+> US$5m
Exports: 85
- China: US$17m
- United States: US$13m
- India: US$5m
- Germany: US$2m
- Indonesia: US$2m
- Bolivia: US$2m
- Türkiye: US$2m
- Thailand: US$2m
- Japan: US$2m
- Russia: US$1m
- South Korea: US$1m
- Taiwan: US$994k
- South Africa: US$524k
- France: US$491k
- Spain: US$474k
- Colombia: US$415k
- United Kingdom: US$404k
- Italy: US$403k
- Brazil: US$300k
- United Arab Emirates: US$150k
- Singapore: US$133k
- Australia: US$119k
- Malaysia: US$108k
- Netherlands: US$103k
- Kazakhstan: US$96k
- Mexico: US$92k
- Canada: US$85k
- Switzerland: US$62k
- Belgium: US$62k
- Poland: US$48k
- Sweden: US$44k
- Denmark: US$42k
- Czechia: US$38k
- Austria: US$37k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$34k
- Peru: US$31k
- Morocco: US$27k
- Dominican Republic: US$27k
- Serbia: US$25k
- Portugal: US$24k
- Finland: US$17k
- Uzbekistan: US$16k
- Ukraine: US$16k
- Chile: US$15k
- Bulgaria: US$15k
- Panama: US$14k
- Vietnam: US$14k
- Greece: US$14k
- Norway: US$13k
- Romania: US$10k
- Hungary: US$9k
- Curaçao: US$8k
- Tunisia: US$7k
- Slovakia: US$6k
- New Zealand: US$5k
- Côte d’Ivoire: US$3k
- Slovenia: US$3k
- Lithuania: US$3k
- Cayman Islands: US$2k
- Moldova: US$2k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$31kUS$31k+US$213k+US$614k+> US$2m
Imports: 181
- Mexico: US$9m
- Vietnam: US$6m
- Pakistan: US$4m
- South Africa: US$4m
- Indonesia: US$2m
- Thailand: US$2m
- Sri Lanka: US$2m
- United States: US$2m
- United Arab Emirates: US$1m
- Kazakhstan: US$1m
- China: US$1m
- Russia: US$1m
- Poland: US$1m
- Kenya: US$834k
- Bangladesh: US$823k
- Nigeria: US$792k
- India: US$719k
- Philippines: US$614k
- Nicaragua: US$589k
- Egypt: US$580k
- Dominican Republic: US$545k
- Portugal: US$545k
- Angola: US$544k
- Canada: US$522k
- Ghana: US$520k
- Paraguay: US$447k
- Malaysia: US$401k
- Uzbekistan: US$396k
- Algeria: US$374k
- Azerbaijan: US$363k
- Venezuela: US$363k
- Australia: US$346k
- Guatemala: US$338k
- Nepal: US$331k
- El Salvador: US$319k
- Spain: US$318k
- Iraq: US$289k
- Uganda: US$284k
- France: US$256k
- Iran: US$255k
- Brazil: US$247k
- Slovakia: US$247k
- Congo - Kinshasa: US$225k
- Guinea: US$220k
- Tanzania: US$213k
- Luxembourg: US$212k
- Costa Rica: US$199k
- Singapore: US$180k
- Myanmar (Burma): US$167k
- Zambia: US$146k
- Ukraine: US$131k
- United Kingdom: US$130k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$129k
- Saudi Arabia: US$109k
- Liberia: US$100k
- Mozambique: US$99k
- Côte d’Ivoire: US$98k
- Germany: US$87k
- Greece: US$87k
- Cambodia: US$86k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$17m | 31.8% |
| 2 | United States | US$13m | 23.7% |
| 3 |  India | US$5m | 10% |
| 4 | Germany | US$2m | 3.8% |
| 5 |  Indonesia | US$2m | 3.6% |
| 6 |  Bolivia | US$2m | 3.2% |
| 7 |  Türkiye | US$2m | 3% |
| 8 |  Thailand | US$2m | 3% |
| 9 | Japan | US$2m | 2.8% |
| 10 |  Russia | US$1m | 2.4% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico | US$9m | 16.7% |
| 2 |  Vietnam | US$6m | 10.3% |
| 3 |  Pakistan | US$4m | 8.2% |
| 4 |  South Africa | US$4m | 6.8% |
| 5 | Indonesia | US$2m | 3.8% |
| 6 | Thailand | US$2m | 3.5% |
| 7 |  Sri Lanka | US$2m | 3.5% |
| 8 | United States | US$2m | 3.3% |
| 9 |  United Arab Emirates | US$1m | 2.2% |
| 10 |  Kazakhstan | US$1m | 2.2% |
The UK Global Tariff divides subheading 6813.20 into 2 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
Subheading 6813.20 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is 2.7%.
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 £112.4k between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 33% on the year before); United States supplied 70%, followed by China.
In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$54m (+13.9% year on year).
The largest exporter was China (US$17m), followed by the United States.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for friction material and articles thereof: containing asbestos?
Friction material and articles thereof: containing asbestos fall under HS subheading 6813.20, part of heading 6813, in section XIII of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on friction material and articles thereof in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 6813.20 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 friction material and articles thereof in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 6813.20 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 2.7%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most friction material and articles thereof?
China, with US$17m in 2024 (31.8% 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 United States (70%), China (9%) and Spain (8%), out of total imports of £112.4k.