Subheading · Chapter 84 · Heading 8456
8456.11: Operated by laser or other light or photon beam processes: operated by laser
Laser machine tools
Official description Operated by laser
8456.11 is the HS subheading for laser machine tools, under heading 8456 in chapter 84.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8456 11 00 00 Operated by laser p/st
- 8456 11 10 00 Of a kind used solely or principally for the manufacture of printed circuits, printed circuit assemblies, parts of heading 8517, or parts of automatic data processing machines Freep/st
- 8456 11 90 00 Other 4%p/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 3
- 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
- Import controlImport control on restricted goods and technologies
- Applies to goods from
- Iran, North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/461, S.I. 2019/411
- 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
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | Free – 4% |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Switzerland | £23m | 24.1% | +31.9% |
 China | £20m | 21% | +19.2% |
 Japan | £15.7m | 16.5% | +10.3% |
 Germany | £12.2m | 12.8% | -13.6% |
 Italy | £10.2m | 10.7% | +70.7% |
 Netherlands | £3.2m | 3.4% | +318.8% |
 United States | £2.7m | 2.8% | +12.7% |
 Türkiye | £2.5m | 2.6% | +43.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EUWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$274.2kUS$274.2k+US$5.9m+US$64.6m+> US$425.4m
Exports: 118
- China: US$1.7bn
- Germany: US$876.2m
- Japan: US$636.3m
- Switzerland: US$425.4m
- Italy: US$403.3m
- South Korea: US$280.7m
- United States: US$207.7m
- Singapore: US$101.9m
- France: US$86.4m
- Türkiye: US$68.4m
- Taiwan: US$66.5m
- Austria: US$64.6m
- Belgium: US$55m
- United Kingdom: US$49.5m
- Spain: US$47.9m
- Netherlands: US$47.5m
- Poland: US$43.2m
- Canada: US$35.6m
- Slovakia: US$32.6m
- Israel: US$24.5m
- Slovenia: US$19.3m
- Thailand: US$15.2m
- Mexico: US$14.3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$9.4m
- India: US$9.2m
- Denmark: US$8.8m
- Malaysia: US$7.4m
- Sweden: US$7.4m
- Hungary: US$7.2m
- Vietnam: US$5.9m
- Lithuania: US$5.4m
- Czechia: US$5.2m
- Finland: US$4.8m
- Australia: US$4.1m
- Portugal: US$4.1m
- Romania: US$3.4m
- Bulgaria: US$2.8m
- South Africa: US$2.2m
- Serbia: US$1.8m
- Croatia: US$1.4m
- Ireland: US$1.2m
- Greece: US$1.1m
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$970.2k
- Brazil: US$823.3k
- Russia: US$787k
- Argentina: US$760k
- Estonia: US$734.2k
- New Zealand: US$635.1k
- United Arab Emirates: US$559.6k
- El Salvador: US$547.9k
- Armenia: US$508.9k
- Kazakhstan: US$495.7k
- Indonesia: US$461.7k
- Angola: US$363.7k
- Chile: US$339.4k
- Luxembourg: US$339.2k
- Senegal: US$309k
- Burkina Faso: US$302.7k
- Norway: US$274.2k
- Ukraine: US$254.5k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$1.1mUS$1.1m+US$16.8m+US$97.8m+> US$221.5m
Imports: 198
- United States: US$688.6m
- China: US$409.9m
- Germany: US$336.5m
- Vietnam: US$251.5m
- Mexico: US$246.3m
- South Korea: US$221.5m
- Taiwan: US$187.3m
- Brazil: US$181m
- Canada: US$157.3m
- France: US$150.4m
- Poland: US$147.8m
- Türkiye: US$146.3m
- India: US$137m
- Italy: US$116m
- Netherlands: US$112.7m
- United Kingdom: US$111.7m
- Spain: US$108.3m
- Japan: US$104m
- Thailand: US$101.2m
- Malaysia: US$97.8m
- Czechia: US$80.7m
- Switzerland: US$79m
- Australia: US$72.5m
- Belgium: US$69.3m
- Austria: US$62.2m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$60.2m
- Saudi Arabia: US$47.2m
- Indonesia: US$45.5m
- United Arab Emirates: US$43.2m
- Hungary: US$42.1m
- Slovakia: US$39.2m
- Sweden: US$37.4m
- Romania: US$34.3m
- South Africa: US$28.5m
- Denmark: US$28.2m
- Israel: US$27.9m
- Portugal: US$26.9m
- Finland: US$26.7m
- Russia: US$23.5m
- Philippines: US$22.7m
- Kazakhstan: US$22.4m
- Bulgaria: US$22.2m
- Ireland: US$22.1m
- Singapore: US$21m
- Serbia: US$20.6m
- Slovenia: US$20.5m
- Argentina: US$20m
- Ukraine: US$19m
- Norway: US$17m
- Croatia: US$16.8m
- Egypt: US$16.7m
- Colombia: US$14.4m
- Estonia: US$14.3m
- Uzbekistan: US$13.8m
- Lithuania: US$12.2m
- Morocco: US$11.3m
- Chile: US$11.2m
- Belarus: US$10.8m
- Peru: US$10.2m
- Iran: US$9.9m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$1.7bn | 31.5% |
| 2 | Germany | US$876.2m | 16.2% |
| 3 | Japan | US$636.3m | 11.8% |
| 4 | Switzerland | US$425.4m | 7.9% |
| 5 | Italy | US$403.3m | 7.5% |
| 6 |  South Korea | US$280.7m | 5.2% |
| 7 | United States | US$207.7m | 3.8% |
| 8 |  Singapore | US$101.9m | 1.9% |
| 9 |  France | US$86.4m | 1.6% |
| 10 | Türkiye | US$68.4m | 1.3% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$688.6m | 12.7% |
| 2 | China | US$409.9m | 7.6% |
| 3 | Germany | US$336.5m | 6.2% |
| 4 |  Vietnam | US$251.5m | 4.7% |
| 5 |  Mexico | US$246.3m | 4.6% |
| 6 | South Korea | US$221.5m | 4.1% |
| 7 |  Taiwan | US$187.3m | 3.5% |
| 8 |  Brazil | US$181m | 3.3% |
| 9 |  Canada | US$157.3m | 2.9% |
| 10 | France | US$150.4m | 2.8% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 5
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.
- N355137 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification, country of origin, marking, and eligibility for preferential treatment under the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement of a laser marking machine, an engraver and cutter machine, and an engraver machine
- N334884 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of laser cutting and engraving machines from China
- N293047 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a subtractive manufacturing machine from unspecified countries
- 600011099 HMRC
A laser engraving system, which is made from 3 assemblies - a machine bed, an electronic control system and a laser beam delivery system. The laser engraving system will be used for engraving, texturing, imaging and micromachining the surface of cylindrical forms to produce printing and embossing…
- 600010567 HMRC
A Marking and Coding Laser for use with a range of substrates, e.g. plastics, flexible films, window frame, cables and food and drink packaging. It has easy message creation and management of printing parameters for coding and marking of batch details, best before dates and other traceability…
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.
- Sanctions · Applies from:
The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
S.I. 2026/543 · Source: legislation.gov.uk
Code history
Since 2017; before, these goods were classified under 8456.10.
In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 8456.11 covers 2 tariff lines and the duty is between 0% and 4%. 1 of them is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature divides subheading 8456.11 into 2 tariff lines; the duty is between 0% and 4.5% (average 2.3%). 1 of them is duty-free.
Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free – 4%; 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 laser machine tools worth £95.3m (up 11% on the year before), at an average of £21.66 per kg; Switzerland supplied 24%, followed by China.
World trade in laser machine tools reached US$5.4bn in 2024, down 14% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 31.5% of the total, ahead of Germany.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for operated by laser or other light or photon beam processes: operated by laser?
Operated by laser or other light or photon beam processes: operated by laser fall under HS subheading 8456.11, part of heading 8456, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on operated by laser or other light or photon beam… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8456.11 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 0% to 4%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on operated by laser or other light or photon beam… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8456.11 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 0% to 4.5%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most operated by laser or other light or photon beam…?
China, with US$1.7bn in 2024 (31.5% of world exports).
Which countries can export laser machine tools 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 – 4% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on laser machine tools?
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 laser machine tools from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Switzerland (24%), China (21%) and Japan (17%), out of total imports of £95.3m.