Subheading · Chapter 84 · Heading 8429
8429.51: Mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders: front-end shovel loaders
Front-end loaders
Official description Front-end shovel loaders
8429.51 is the HS subheading for front-end loaders, under heading 8429 in chapter 84.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8429 51 00 00 Front-end shovel loaders p/st
- 8429 51 10 00 Loaders specially designed for underground use Freep/st
- Other p/st
- 8429 51 91 00 Crawler shovel loaders Freep/st
- 8429 51 99 00 Other Freep/st
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 1
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 376
- Documents
- 9008
Import requirements 2
- 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
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Germany | £75.7m | 24.7% | +53.7% |
 China | £67.3m | 22% | +102.9% |
 Sweden | £48.1m | 15.7% | -10.9% |
 United States | £18.5m | 6% | -12.5% |
 Austria | £17.8m | 5.8% | +83.3% |
 France | £16.8m | 5.5% | +7.4% |
 South Korea | £16.7m | 5.5% | +44.2% |
 Brazil | £8.7m | 2.9% | +43.1% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$832.5kUS$832.5k+US$9.5m+US$334m+> US$1bn
Exports: 150
- China: US$3.7bn
- United States: US$2bn
- Japan: US$1.6bn
- Sweden: US$1.1bn
- Germany: US$1bn
- Brazil: US$782.3m
- United Kingdom: US$771.9m
- Austria: US$728.4m
- South Korea: US$525.6m
- Czechia: US$479m
- France: US$389.4m
- Italy: US$376.9m
- Belgium: US$367.2m
- Netherlands: US$338.5m
- Finland: US$334m
- India: US$302.6m
- Thailand: US$161.4m
- South Africa: US$53m
- Canada: US$51.5m
- Norway: US$46.9m
- Switzerland: US$37.8m
- Türkiye: US$37.6m
- Denmark: US$32.3m
- Poland: US$30.4m
- Singapore: US$26m
- Spain: US$24.8m
- Mexico: US$20.8m
- Saudi Arabia: US$20.4m
- Bulgaria: US$14.5m
- Australia: US$12.1m
- Estonia: US$11.4m
- Slovenia: US$11.2m
- Kazakhstan: US$10.1m
- Ireland: US$10m
- Chile: US$10m
- Hungary: US$9.8m
- Malaysia: US$9.5m
- Slovakia: US$9.5m
- Tunisia: US$8.7m
- Kuwait: US$7.8m
- Luxembourg: US$7.6m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$7.6m
- Lithuania: US$6.7m
- Peru: US$6.5m
- Romania: US$6.4m
- Côte d’Ivoire: US$6.3m
- New Zealand: US$5.8m
- Latvia: US$5.8m
- Burkina Faso: US$4m
- Mauritius: US$4m
- Greece: US$4m
- Croatia: US$3.8m
- Indonesia: US$3.2m
- Kenya: US$3.1m
- Portugal: US$2.9m
- Philippines: US$2.8m
- United Arab Emirates: US$2.6m
- Senegal: US$2.4m
- Togo: US$2.3m
- Greenland: US$2.2m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$9.6mUS$9.6m+US$39.6m+US$173.3m+> US$444.3m
Imports: 217
- United States: US$3.2bn
- Canada: US$1.4bn
- Australia: US$846m
- Germany: US$764.6m
- Russia: US$496.8m
- Italy: US$456.3m
- France: US$444.3m
- Netherlands: US$381.6m
- Belgium: US$339.1m
- United Kingdom: US$324m
- Türkiye: US$290.7m
- Brazil: US$284.3m
- Poland: US$274.7m
- United Arab Emirates: US$274.6m
- Mexico: US$250.4m
- Saudi Arabia: US$248.7m
- Spain: US$237.9m
- Peru: US$217.9m
- Indonesia: US$206.3m
- Sweden: US$205.3m
- Japan: US$179.9m
- Norway: US$173.3m
- South Africa: US$173.3m
- Kazakhstan: US$162.4m
- Chile: US$161.3m
- Czechia: US$149.7m
- Romania: US$131.6m
- Austria: US$131.3m
- Denmark: US$116m
- India: US$106m
- Finland: US$95.6m
- Bulgaria: US$84.2m
- Ireland: US$82.3m
- Israel: US$80.8m
- Vietnam: US$75.2m
- Switzerland: US$75m
- Argentina: US$70.5m
- Colombia: US$61m
- Egypt: US$59.3m
- Thailand: US$57.7m
- Algeria: US$56.2m
- Mongolia: US$56.2m
- South Korea: US$55.1m
- Iraq: US$54.4m
- China: US$54.3m
- Ghana: US$52.4m
- Portugal: US$52m
- Philippines: US$50.9m
- Malaysia: US$47.3m
- Ukraine: US$46.1m
- Greece: US$45.3m
- Libya: US$44.4m
- New Zealand: US$43.2m
- Lithuania: US$42.4m
- Uzbekistan: US$39.6m
- Hungary: US$39.5m
- Morocco: US$38.8m
- Congo - Kinshasa: US$38m
- Dominican Republic: US$37.4m
- Zimbabwe: US$35.8m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$3.7bn | 23.8% |
| 2 | United States | US$2bn | 12.6% |
| 3 |  Japan | US$1.6bn | 10.1% |
| 4 | Sweden | US$1.1bn | 6.8% |
| 5 | Germany | US$1bn | 6.7% |
| 6 | Brazil | US$782.3m | 5% |
| 7 | United Kingdom | US$771.9m | 5% |
| 8 | Austria | US$728.4m | 4.7% |
| 9 | South Korea | US$525.6m | 3.4% |
| 10 |  Czechia | US$479m | 3.1% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$3.2bn | 20.7% |
| 2 |  Canada | US$1.4bn | 9% |
| 3 |  Australia | US$846m | 5.5% |
| 4 | Germany | US$764.6m | 4.9% |
| 5 |  Russia | US$496.8m | 3.2% |
| 6 |  Italy | US$456.3m | 2.9% |
| 7 | France | US$444.3m | 2.9% |
| 8 |  Netherlands | US$381.6m | 2.5% |
| 9 |  Belgium | US$339.1m | 2.2% |
| 10 | United Kingdom | US$324m | 2.1% |
In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 8429.51 covers 3 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature divides subheading 8429.51 into 3 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
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 UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported front-end loaders worth £306.7m (up 36% on the year before), at an average of £8.25 per kg; Germany supplied 25%, followed by China.
World trade in front-end loaders reached US$15.5bn in 2024, down 14.8% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 23.8% of the total, ahead of the United States.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders: front-end shovel loaders?
Mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders: front-end shovel loaders fall under HS subheading 8429.51, part of heading 8429, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8429.51 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 mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8429.51 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 mechanical shovels, excavators and shovel loaders?
China, with US$3.7bn in 2024 (23.8% of world exports).
Which countries can export front-end loaders 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.
Is there anti-dumping duty on front-end loaders?
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 front-end loaders from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Germany (25%), China (22%) and Sweden (16%), out of total imports of £306.7m.