Subheading · Chapter 82 · Heading 8203
8203.20: Pliers (including cutting pliers), pincers, tweezers and similar tools
Pliers, pincers and tweezers
8203.20 is the HS subheading for pliers, pincers and tweezers, under heading 8203 in chapter 82.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8203 20 00 00 Pliers (including cutting pliers), pincers, tweezers and similar tools 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 1
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Russia, Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/855, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9011
- 9022
- 9064
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £25.1m | 37.9% | +5.6% |
 Germany | £11.5m | 17.4% | -8.4% |
 United States | £9.6m | 14.5% | +6.5% |
 Switzerland | £4.1m | 6.1% | +3.2% |
 Taiwan | £3.3m | 5.1% | -4.8% |
 India | £2.4m | 3.6% | -1.3% |
 Sweden | £1.9m | 2.8% | +2.6% |
 Japan | £1.8m | 2.7% | +21.3% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$35kUS$35k+US$1m+US$18m+> US$57m
Exports: 181
- China: US$826m
- Germany: US$357m
- Taiwan: US$157m
- United States: US$156m
- Vietnam: US$87m
- France: US$57m
- Japan: US$53m
- Netherlands: US$41m
- Switzerland: US$37m
- Spain: US$37m
- India: US$33m
- Sweden: US$25m
- Italy: US$23m
- Poland: US$23m
- Pakistan: US$21m
- United Kingdom: US$18m
- Austria: US$18m
- Mexico: US$16m
- Belgium: US$13m
- Czechia: US$12m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$7m
- Slovenia: US$6m
- Slovakia: US$6m
- Thailand: US$6m
- Portugal: US$5m
- Denmark: US$4m
- Türkiye: US$4m
- Brazil: US$3m
- South Korea: US$2m
- Singapore: US$2m
- Canada: US$2m
- South Africa: US$2m
- Argentina: US$2m
- Romania: US$2m
- Malaysia: US$2m
- Russia: US$2m
- Hungary: US$2m
- Australia: US$1m
- Lithuania: US$1m
- New Zealand: US$1m
- Croatia: US$1m
- Kazakhstan: US$1m
- Ukraine: US$1m
- Chile: US$809k
- Norway: US$761k
- Saudi Arabia: US$747k
- Latvia: US$733k
- Greece: US$707k
- Finland: US$659k
- Philippines: US$644k
- Israel: US$618k
- Ireland: US$612k
- United Arab Emirates: US$599k
- Estonia: US$596k
- Indonesia: US$533k
- Serbia: US$524k
- Laos: US$450k
- Bulgaria: US$423k
- Costa Rica: US$412k
- Dominican Republic: US$355k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$887kUS$887k+US$7m+US$27m+> US$63m
Imports: 218
- United States: US$349m
- Germany: US$144m
- France: US$100m
- Canada: US$94m
- United Kingdom: US$82m
- Netherlands: US$73m
- Mexico: US$63m
- Poland: US$63m
- Italy: US$51m
- Malaysia: US$50m
- Russia: US$48m
- Spain: US$48m
- Japan: US$43m
- Australia: US$38m
- China: US$38m
- Belgium: US$34m
- Vietnam: US$34m
- Austria: US$33m
- Brazil: US$30m
- South Korea: US$29m
- Czechia: US$28m
- United Arab Emirates: US$27m
- Switzerland: US$27m
- Sweden: US$23m
- Thailand: US$21m
- Denmark: US$20m
- Türkiye: US$19m
- Taiwan: US$17m
- Indonesia: US$17m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$16m
- Kazakhstan: US$16m
- Portugal: US$16m
- Saudi Arabia: US$15m
- Romania: US$15m
- India: US$15m
- Costa Rica: US$14m
- Norway: US$14m
- Finland: US$13m
- Singapore: US$12m
- Hungary: US$12m
- Slovakia: US$12m
- Algeria: US$12m
- Iraq: US$12m
- Chile: US$10m
- South Africa: US$9m
- Ireland: US$9m
- Kyrgyzstan: US$9m
- Israel: US$9m
- Peru: US$8m
- Greece: US$7m
- Ukraine: US$7m
- Argentina: US$7m
- Philippines: US$7m
- Croatia: US$7m
- Colombia: US$7m
- Morocco: US$6m
- New Zealand: US$5m
- Bangladesh: US$5m
- Guatemala: US$5m
- Bulgaria: US$5m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$826m | 39.6% |
| 2 | Germany | US$357m | 17.1% |
| 3 | Taiwan | US$157m | 7.5% |
| 4 | United States | US$156m | 7.5% |
| 5 |  Vietnam | US$87m | 4.2% |
| 6 |  France | US$57m | 2.7% |
| 7 | Japan | US$53m | 2.5% |
| 8 |  Netherlands | US$41m | 2% |
| 9 | Switzerland | US$37m | 1.8% |
| 10 |  Spain | US$37m | 1.7% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$349m | 16.7% |
| 2 | Germany | US$144m | 6.9% |
| 3 | France | US$100m | 4.8% |
| 4 |  Canada | US$94m | 4.5% |
| 5 | United Kingdom | US$82m | 4% |
| 6 | Netherlands | US$73m | 3.5% |
| 7 |  Mexico | US$63m | 3% |
| 8 |  Poland | US$63m | 3% |
| 9 |  Italy | US$51m | 2.4% |
| 10 |  Malaysia | US$50m | 2.4% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 22
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.
- N360759 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification and country of origin of a hand tool set
- N355091 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification and country of origin of pliers
- N355094 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification and country of origin of a breaker bar, locking chain pliers and locking pliers
- N354094 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a 10 Piece Pliers & Wrench Set from China
- N354290 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification and country of origin of a jewelry making tool kit
- N352414 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification and country of origin of long nose pliers
- 600013178 HMRC
Eyelash curler, A set consisting of steel eyelash curler, small steel scissors, steel eyebrow tweezer, and EVA eyebrow stencil, eyelash brush, plastic with plastic bristles. The body of the curler is made of steel, the top part of the curler, that contacts the lashes for curling, is made from…
- 600012439 HMRC
A hand tool for removing ear wax. Made from steel wire with a plastic handle, the wire extends out from the handle to form a u shaped hook/loop. The hook is inserted into the ear and used to remove wax from the ear. A plastic tube fits to the handle for storage. Packaged as a pair in a small…
22 rulings in total for this code
Subheading 8203.20 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 8203.20; the duty is 1.7%.
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 pliers, pincers and tweezers worth £66.3m (up 2% on the year before), at an average of £15.25 per kg; China supplied 38%, followed by Germany.
World trade in pliers, pincers and tweezers reached US$2bn in 2024, up 5.6% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 39.6% of the total, ahead of Germany.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for pliers (including cutting pliers), pincers, tweezers and similar tools?
Pliers (including cutting pliers), pincers, tweezers and similar tools fall under HS subheading 8203.20, part of heading 8203, in section XV of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on pliers (including cutting pliers), pincers… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8203.20 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 pliers (including cutting pliers), pincers… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8203.20 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 1.7%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most pliers (including cutting pliers), pincers…?
China, with US$826m in 2024 (39.6% of world exports).
Which countries can export pliers, pincers and tweezers 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 pliers, pincers and tweezers from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were China (38%), Germany (17%) and United States (15%), out of total imports of £66.3m.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.