Subheading · Chapter 81 · Heading 8101

8101.96

8101.96: Tungsten: other, wire

Official description Wire

8101.96 is a six-digit subheading of heading 8101, tungsten (wolfram) and articles thereof, including waste and scrap, chapter 81.

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free standard rate · across 3 national lines depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges 2 additional measures Import requirements: 4
VAT 20.00 % import VAT
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →
  1. 8101 96 00 00 Wire Free
  2. 8101 96 00 10 Tungsten wire containing by weight 99% or more of tungsten with: - a maximum cross-sectional dimension of not more than 50 µm - a resistance of 40 ohm or more but not more than 300 ohm at length of 1 metre Free
  3. 8101 96 00 20 Tungsten wire - containing by weight 99.95% or more of tungsten, and - with a maximum cross-sectional dimension of not more than 1.02 mm Free
  4. 8101 96 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 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)
  • 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

Import requirements 4

  • Prohibition or restrictionImport prohibition
    Applies to goods from
    North Korea
    Legal act
    S.I. 2019/411
  • Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
    Applies to goods from
    Belarus, Russia, Syria, Ukraine
    Legal act
    2022 No. 748, S.I. 2019/855, S.I. 2019/792, S.I. 2022/395
    Documents
    • 9024
    • 9032
    • 9011
    • 9022
    • 9064
    • 9009
    • 9010
    • 9017
  • Import controlImport control on restricted goods and technologies
    Applies to goods from
    Iran, Libya, North Korea, Russia
    Legal act
    S.I. 2019/461, S.I. 2019/411, 2020 No. 1665, S.I. 2019/855
    Documents
    • Y966 Goods other than those described in the MG footnotes linked to the measure (Missile Technology Control Regime list - Annex III of Reg. (EU) 267/2012)
    • Y920 Goods other than those described in the footnotes linked to the measure
  • 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 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£1.7m-21% · previous 12 months
Average import price£555.70 per kg
Jan 2024: £117kFeb 2024: £159kMar 2024: £137kApr 2024: £238kMay 2024: £318kJun 2024: £226kJul 2024: £293kAug 2024: £197kSept 2024: £169kOct 2024: £81kNov 2024: £105kDec 2024: £249kJan 2025: £252kFeb 2025: £142kMar 2025: £330kApr 2025: £96kMay 2025: £162kJun 2025: £116kJul 2025: £211kAug 2025: £187kSept 2025: £44kOct 2025: £331kNov 2025: £286kDec 2025: £40kJan 2026: £62kFeb 2026: £46kMar 2026: £152kApr 2026: £170kMay 2026: £83kJun 2026: £51kJul 2026: £290kAug 2026: £104k 202420252026
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

CountryValueShareChange
United States £648k 39% -44.6%
China £394k 23.7% -31.3%
Sweden £324k 19.5% +64.4%
India £131k 7.9% +79.6%
Germany £69k 4.1% +88.6%
Japan £52k 3.1% +281.9%
Austria £28k 1.7% +16.5%
Switzerland £6k 0.3% —

Same subheading in other tariffs

World trade in 2024

8101.96 · US$138.2m

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$59.8kUS$59.8k+US$698.9k+US$5.6m+> US$14.2m

Exports: 70
  1. China: US$50.1m
  2. Japan: US$15.1m
  3. India: US$14.2m
  4. United States: US$12.5m
  5. Austria: US$8.9m
  6. Hungary: US$5.7m
  7. Germany: US$5.6m
  8. Malaysia: US$4.6m
  9. Czechia: US$3.6m
  10. Sweden: US$2.9m
  11. South Korea: US$2.5m
  12. Thailand: US$2.4m
  13. Netherlands: US$2.1m
  14. United Kingdom: US$1.3m
  15. Israel: US$941.5k
  16. Hong Kong SAR China: US$914.7k
  17. Switzerland: US$698.9k
  18. Taiwan: US$663.4k
  19. France: US$480k
  20. Australia: US$426k
  21. Italy: US$423.3k
  22. Singapore: US$420.8k
  23. Spain: US$272.7k
  24. Ireland: US$232.8k
  25. Luxembourg: US$185.5k
  26. Belgium: US$165.4k
  27. Chile: US$159.4k
  28. Slovakia: US$136.8k
  29. Costa Rica: US$90.6k
  30. Portugal: US$78.3k
  31. Canada: US$72.6k
  32. South Africa: US$66.5k
  33. Poland: US$62.3k
  34. Mexico: US$59.8k
  35. Egypt: US$54k
  36. Türkiye: US$46.5k
  37. Cambodia: US$27.4k
  38. Finland: US$15.5k
  39. Uganda: US$14.2k
  40. Norway: US$13.2k
  41. Philippines: US$11.9k
  42. Denmark: US$10.8k
  43. Brazil: US$9.6k
  44. Lithuania: US$7.5k
  45. Andorra: US$6k
  46. Romania: US$5.7k
  47. Bulgaria: US$3k
  48. Ukraine: US$3k
  49. Russia: US$2.6k
  50. Morocco: US$2.3k
  51. Indonesia: US$2.2k
  52. United Arab Emirates: US$1.9k
  53. Vietnam: US$1.9k
  54. Sri Lanka: US$1.7k
  55. Moldova: US$1.5k
  56. Slovenia: US$1.2k
  57. Guatemala: US$1.1k
  58. Serbia: US$1.1k
  59. New Zealand: US$800
  60. Tanzania: US$400

Top exporters

RankCountryValueShare
1 China US$50.1m 36.2%
2 Japan US$15.1m 10.9%
3 India US$14.2m 10.3%
4 United States US$12.5m 9%
5 Austria US$8.9m 6.4%
6 Hungary US$5.7m 4.1%
7 Germany US$5.6m 4%
8 Malaysia US$4.6m 3.4%
9 Czechia US$3.6m 2.6%
10 Sweden US$2.9m 2.1%

Top importers

RankCountryValueShare
1 United States US$25.1m 18.2%
2 India US$14.1m 10.2%
3 Japan US$10.3m 7.5%
4 China US$9.5m 6.9%
5 Germany US$6.3m 4.6%
6 Mexico US$5.6m 4.1%
7 South Korea US$5.5m 4%
8 Poland US$4.6m 3.3%
9 Czechia US$4.2m 3.1%
10 Honduras US$3.9m 2.8%

Recent rule changes mentioning this code

Acts whose text cites this code or its heading. Check the act itself: a code can be cited for reasons other than a change of its duty.

  1. GB Tariff change

    UK Trade Tariff: measure changes on 1015 commodity codes

    Trade Tariff changes 2026-09-29 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk

Rule changes →

In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 8101.96 covers 3 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.

The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 8101.96; the duty is 6%.

Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free; 174 of them pay no duty at all, for example under DCTS Comprehensive or European Union.

In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported these goods worth £1.7m (down 21% on the year before), at an average of £555.70 per kg; United States supplied 39%, followed by China.

World trade in these goods reached US$138.2m in 2024, up 18.2% on 2023.

China was the largest exporter with 36.2% of the total, ahead of Japan.

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for tungsten: other, wire?

Tungsten: other, wire fall under HS subheading 8101.96, part of heading 8101, in section XV of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on tungsten: other, wire in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8101.96 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 tungsten: other, wire in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8101.96 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 6%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which country exports the most tungsten: other, wire?

China, with US$50.1m in 2024 (36.2% 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 (39%), China (24%) and Sweden (20%), out of total imports of £1.7m.