Subheading · Chapter 84 · Heading 8456
8456.40: Operated by plasma arc processes
8456.40 is a six-digit subheading of heading 8456, machine tools for working any material by removal of material, by laser or…, chapter 84.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8456 40 00 00 Operated by plasma arc processes 2%+2p/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
- North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/411
- Documents
- 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) | — | 2% |
| 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–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–XC agreement | XC | Free |
| UK–Kosovo agreement | Kosovo | Free |
| UK–XL agreement | XL | Free |
| UK–South Africa agreement | South Africa | Free |
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States | £1.2m | 27.4% | -55.9% |
 Netherlands | £920k | 20.9% | +78,110.5% |
 Germany | £740k | 16.8% | -2.2% |
 Italy | £478k | 10.9% | +7,698.4% |
 Türkiye | £337k | 7.7% | +195.3% |
 China | £327k | 7.4% | -24.9% |
 Czechia | £165k | 3.7% | +123.3% |
 Poland | £92k | 2.1% | -37.4% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU 3.5% Third-country duty 1 tariff line Türkiye 50% Statutory rate (Law 474) 1 tariff line USA 2.2% – 3.5% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 2.9% The Turkish schedule prints the statutory rate set under Customs Law 474. The rate applied at import is laid down in the Import Regime Decision and can be lower, or different by country of origin.
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$174.7kUS$174.7k+US$2.4m+US$9.9m+> US$59m
Exports: 89
- China: US$70.6m
- Canada: US$66.5m
- United States: US$59m
- Netherlands: US$56.3m
- Germany: US$42.3m
- Slovakia: US$15.6m
- Italy: US$13.2m
- Spain: US$10m
- Poland: US$9.9m
- Mexico: US$9.4m
- United Kingdom: US$9.1m
- Türkiye: US$8.6m
- New Zealand: US$6.4m
- Japan: US$6.2m
- Czechia: US$6.1m
- South Korea: US$4.4m
- Belgium: US$4.2m
- Taiwan: US$3.9m
- Singapore: US$2.7m
- Switzerland: US$2.4m
- Finland: US$2.4m
- Sweden: US$2.4m
- India: US$1.9m
- France: US$1.8m
- Austria: US$1.7m
- Romania: US$1.3m
- Philippines: US$1m
- Armenia: US$933.7k
- Chile: US$911.3k
- Portugal: US$881.4k
- Australia: US$530k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$518.2k
- Brazil: US$467.4k
- Ireland: US$467.2k
- Bulgaria: US$421.7k
- Malaysia: US$347.6k
- Croatia: US$328k
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$279.6k
- Serbia: US$251.5k
- Russia: US$211k
- Greece: US$201.2k
- Guatemala: US$188.2k
- Hungary: US$174.7k
- South Africa: US$167k
- Denmark: US$161.1k
- Latvia: US$159.5k
- Thailand: US$156.9k
- Ukraine: US$124.6k
- Slovenia: US$117k
- Vietnam: US$101.6k
- Albania: US$76.8k
- Kazakhstan: US$67.3k
- Tunisia: US$60.4k
- United Arab Emirates: US$55.8k
- Colombia: US$46.4k
- Saudi Arabia: US$32.1k
- Peru: US$27.5k
- Egypt: US$24k
- Zambia: US$23.3k
- Norway: US$23k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$142.7kUS$142.7k+US$1.5m+US$6.2m+> US$15.7m
Imports: 191
- United States: US$112m
- Netherlands: US$22.9m
- Canada: US$16.8m
- Mexico: US$16.7m
- China: US$15.8m
- United Arab Emirates: US$15.7m
- Germany: US$14.4m
- Australia: US$11.9m
- United Kingdom: US$11.3m
- India: US$8.5m
- Türkiye: US$7.9m
- France: US$7.7m
- Singapore: US$7.5m
- Italy: US$7.3m
- Russia: US$7.3m
- Poland: US$7.2m
- Saudi Arabia: US$6.5m
- Spain: US$6.4m
- Malaysia: US$6.3m
- Czechia: US$6.2m
- Vietnam: US$5.8m
- South Korea: US$5.2m
- Brazil: US$5m
- Indonesia: US$4.5m
- Thailand: US$3.6m
- Finland: US$3.5m
- Belgium: US$3.3m
- Austria: US$3.1m
- Norway: US$3m
- Ireland: US$3m
- Japan: US$2.9m
- Hungary: US$2.9m
- New Zealand: US$2.6m
- Switzerland: US$2.5m
- Argentina: US$2.4m
- Romania: US$2.4m
- Chile: US$2.2m
- Qatar: US$2.2m
- South Africa: US$2.1m
- Slovakia: US$2m
- Egypt: US$2m
- Kazakhstan: US$2m
- Taiwan: US$1.9m
- Croatia: US$1.9m
- Algeria: US$1.8m
- Sweden: US$1.6m
- Morocco: US$1.5m
- Uzbekistan: US$1.5m
- Colombia: US$1.5m
- Portugal: US$1.5m
- Peru: US$1.5m
- Lithuania: US$1.5m
- Greece: US$1.4m
- Philippines: US$1.4m
- Iraq: US$1.3m
- Costa Rica: US$1.3m
- Oman: US$1.2m
- Bulgaria: US$1.1m
- Serbia: US$946k
- Slovenia: US$914k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$70.6m | 16.5% |
| 2 |  Canada | US$66.5m | 15.5% |
| 3 | United States | US$59m | 13.8% |
| 4 | Netherlands | US$56.3m | 13.2% |
| 5 | Germany | US$42.3m | 9.9% |
| 6 |  Slovakia | US$15.6m | 3.6% |
| 7 | Italy | US$13.2m | 3.1% |
| 8 |  Spain | US$10m | 2.3% |
| 9 | Poland | US$9.9m | 2.3% |
| 10 |  Mexico | US$9.4m | 2.2% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$112m | 26.2% |
| 2 | Netherlands | US$22.9m | 5.4% |
| 3 | Canada | US$16.8m | 3.9% |
| 4 | Mexico | US$16.7m | 3.9% |
| 5 | China | US$15.8m | 3.7% |
| 6 |  United Arab Emirates | US$15.7m | 3.7% |
| 7 | Germany | US$14.4m | 3.4% |
| 8 |  Australia | US$11.9m | 2.8% |
| 9 | United Kingdom | US$11.3m | 2.7% |
| 10 |  India | US$8.5m | 2% |
Subheading 8456.40 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is 2%.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 8456.40; the duty is 3.5%.
Goods from 175 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard 2%; 175 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 these goods worth £4.4m (down 3% on the year before), at an average of £23.53 per kg; United States supplied 27%, followed by Netherlands.
World trade in these goods reached US$428m in 2024, down 15.4% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 16.5% of the total, ahead of Canada.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for operated by plasma arc processes?
Operated by plasma arc processes fall under HS subheading 8456.40, part of heading 8456, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on operated by plasma arc processes in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8456.40 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 2%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on operated by plasma arc processes in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8456.40 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 3.5%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most operated by plasma arc processes?
China, with US$70.6m in 2024 (16.5% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?
175 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 2% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on these goods?
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 these goods from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were United States (27%), Netherlands (21%) and Germany (17%), out of total imports of £4.4m.