Subheading · Chapter 84 · Heading 8471
8471.70: Automatic data-processing machines and units thereof: storage units
Computer storage units
Official description Storage units
8471.70 is the HS subheading for computer storage units, under heading 8471 in chapter 84.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8471 70 00 00 Storage units p/st
- 8471 70 20 00 Central storage units Freep/st
- Other p/st
- Disk storage units p/st
- 8471 70 30 00 Optical, including magneto-optical Freep/st
- Other p/st
- 8471 70 50 00 Hard disk drives Freep/st
- 8471 70 70 00 Other Freep/st
- 8471 70 80 00 Magnetic tape storage units Freep/st
- 8471 70 98 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 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
- Russia, Ukraine
- Legal act
- 2023 No. 440, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9011
- 9022
- 9038
- 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
- Import controlImport control on luxury goods
- Applies to goods from
- North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/411
- Documents
- Y945 Travellers' personal effects or goods of a non-commercial nature for travellers' personal use contained in their luggage (Art 10.2 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1509)
- Y946 Goods necessary for the official purposes of diplomatic or consular missions of Member States in the DPRK or international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law, or to the personal effects of their staff (Art 10.3 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1509)
- Y948 Goods other than those described in Annex VIII (Luxury goods) of Reg. (EU) 2017/1509
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 | £220.5m | 16.5% | +16.5% |
 Taiwan | £172.5m | 12.9% | +32.9% |
 Thailand | £136m | 10.2% | +15.4% |
 Poland | £122.2m | 9.2% | +141.4% |
 Vietnam | £92.2m | 6.9% | +74.6% |
 Czechia | £91.9m | 6.9% | +98.5% |
 United States | £73m | 5.5% | -24.4% |
 Malaysia | £66.6m | 5% | +18.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$107.2kUS$107.2k+US$4.7m+US$121.1m+> US$2.8bn
Exports: 205
- Thailand: US$16.5bn
- China: US$10.6bn
- United States: US$4.9bn
- Philippines: US$4.3bn
- Mexico: US$3.5bn
- Vietnam: US$2.9bn
- Taiwan: US$2.8bn
- Singapore: US$1.8bn
- Ireland: US$1.7bn
- Malaysia: US$1.7bn
- Czechia: US$1.5bn
- Germany: US$1.5bn
- Netherlands: US$1.5bn
- Hungary: US$934m
- South Korea: US$893.5m
- Poland: US$603.1m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$475.9m
- United Kingdom: US$425m
- France: US$219.3m
- Japan: US$210.7m
- Italy: US$121.1m
- Slovakia: US$117.4m
- Spain: US$112.1m
- Israel: US$100.7m
- Belgium: US$78.9m
- Denmark: US$73m
- Sweden: US$64.7m
- Canada: US$63.8m
- Austria: US$62.7m
- Latvia: US$55.9m
- Switzerland: US$50.9m
- Türkiye: US$38.1m
- India: US$34.9m
- United Arab Emirates: US$31.9m
- Romania: US$28.7m
- Lithuania: US$25.8m
- Slovenia: US$20.4m
- Brazil: US$19.6m
- Australia: US$19.5m
- Finland: US$19.4m
- South Africa: US$18.7m
- Somalia: US$15.4m
- Chile: US$11.4m
- Portugal: US$11.3m
- Serbia: US$11m
- Norway: US$10.6m
- Greece: US$7.3m
- Estonia: US$6m
- Indonesia: US$5.8m
- Kazakhstan: US$5m
- Bulgaria: US$4.7m
- Luxembourg: US$3.6m
- Egypt: US$2.5m
- Bahrain: US$2.1m
- Cyprus: US$2m
- Mauritius: US$1.9m
- Croatia: US$1.9m
- Ukraine: US$1.8m
- Saudi Arabia: US$1.7m
- New Zealand: US$1.5m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$5.4mUS$5.4m+US$55.8m+US$543.3m+> US$2bn
Imports: 217
- United States: US$10bn
- China: US$9.7bn
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$5.7bn
- Mexico: US$4.7bn
- Germany: US$3.4bn
- Netherlands: US$2.5bn
- Czechia: US$2bn
- Singapore: US$2bn
- Japan: US$1.7bn
- United Kingdom: US$1.3bn
- France: US$1.1bn
- Taiwan: US$1.1bn
- Poland: US$1.1bn
- Ireland: US$866.8m
- India: US$824m
- South Korea: US$773.8m
- Hungary: US$724m
- Indonesia: US$658.1m
- Spain: US$590.6m
- Vietnam: US$566.2m
- Thailand: US$561.8m
- Italy: US$543.3m
- Canada: US$535.6m
- United Arab Emirates: US$509.7m
- Malaysia: US$495.5m
- Brazil: US$431.1m
- Australia: US$399.2m
- Türkiye: US$370.7m
- Switzerland: US$352.2m
- Belgium: US$338.3m
- Austria: US$307.6m
- Sweden: US$301m
- Israel: US$293.3m
- Russia: US$248.4m
- Denmark: US$229m
- Saudi Arabia: US$224.5m
- Finland: US$161.8m
- South Africa: US$160.9m
- Norway: US$140m
- Slovakia: US$134.9m
- Romania: US$134.9m
- Argentina: US$116.3m
- Chile: US$97.2m
- Kazakhstan: US$81.8m
- Portugal: US$80.9m
- New Zealand: US$79.9m
- Latvia: US$74.4m
- Greece: US$69.9m
- Ukraine: US$69.1m
- Philippines: US$66.5m
- Peru: US$63.3m
- Qatar: US$62.4m
- Colombia: US$61.2m
- Lithuania: US$60.9m
- Bulgaria: US$55.8m
- Uzbekistan: US$53.9m
- Slovenia: US$52.8m
- Paraguay: US$50m
- Croatia: US$41m
- Morocco: US$34m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thailand | US$16.5bn | 27.4% |
| 2 | China | US$10.6bn | 17.5% |
| 3 | United States | US$4.9bn | 8.2% |
| 4 |  Philippines | US$4.3bn | 7.1% |
| 5 |  Mexico | US$3.5bn | 5.8% |
| 6 | Vietnam | US$2.9bn | 4.8% |
| 7 | Taiwan | US$2.8bn | 4.6% |
| 8 |  Singapore | US$1.8bn | 3% |
| 9 |  Ireland | US$1.7bn | 2.8% |
| 10 | Malaysia | US$1.7bn | 2.8% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$10bn | 16.5% |
| 2 | China | US$9.7bn | 16.1% |
| 3 |  Hong Kong SAR China | US$5.7bn | 9.5% |
| 4 | Mexico | US$4.7bn | 7.8% |
| 5 |  Germany | US$3.4bn | 5.7% |
| 6 |  Netherlands | US$2.5bn | 4.2% |
| 7 | Czechia | US$2bn | 3.3% |
| 8 | Singapore | US$2bn | 3.3% |
| 9 |  Japan | US$1.7bn | 2.8% |
| 10 | United Kingdom | US$1.3bn | 2.1% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 17
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.
- N342959 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification, country of origin marking, status under the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), and applicability of Section 301 Trade Remedies of a Server Rack
- N342790 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification, country of origin marking, status under the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), and applicability of Section 301 Trade Remedies of a Server Rack
- N301517 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of the Amber Life from China
- 600014870 HMRC
The Dell PowerVault line is a family of external data storage systems designed to provide centralised, reliable, and scalable storage for servers and enterprise IT infrastructure. PowerVault products function as storage units rather than computing devices, supplying disk-based data storage,…
- 600014767 HMRC
Cloud Store Max 24TB Flash storage solution in a 1RU Cloud Store Max features 24TB capacity 12 card RAID 0 Flash memory core, 4 x 10G Ethernet 100G Ethernet QSFP connection for high speed copper cables or longer optical Eber cables, USB-C and Blackmagic Cloud sync for distributing files globally.
- 600014768 HMRC
Cloud Store Max 48TB Flash storage solution in a compact 1R8 design. Capacity 12 card RAID 0 Flash memory core 4 x 10G Ethernet 100G Ethernet QSFP connection for high speed copper cables or longer optical Eber cables, 8SB-C and Cloud sync for distributing files globally.
- 600014769 HMRC
The Cloud Store Mini 16TB is a fast network storage solution in a compact rack mount design. It features a high speed 10G Ethernet connection and four internal M.2 flash memory cards operating in parallel RAID 0 for extremely fast file access. The device features one 10G Ethernet port…
- 600014770 HMRC
The Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini 8TB is a fast network storage solution in a compact rack mount design. It features a high speed 10G Ethernet connection and four internal M.2 flash memory cards operating in parallel RAID 0 for extremely fast file access. The device features one 10G Ethernet port…
- 600014763 HMRC
Cloud Dock 2 can mount media disks from cameras and directly share your media files globally with editors and colorists over a fast 10G Ethernet network without waiting for files to copy Share up to 2 independent 2.5 inch disks over a high speed 10G Ethernet network. Plug in SATA HDDs and SSDs, or…
17 rulings in total for this code
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.
- Tariff change
UK Trade Tariff: measure changes on 103 commodity codes
Trade Tariff changes 2026-09-21 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
- Tariff change
Update to VATZ Coverage – 8 September 2026
Trade Tariff news 8315 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
- Sanctions · Applies from:
The Iran (Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
S.I. 2026/983 · Source: legislation.gov.uk
- Import and export controls
FR Doc. 2026-14542 · 91 FR 45516 · Source: federalregister.gov
-
Tariff change · Applies from: CELEX 32026R1395 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Tariff change
FR Doc. 2026-11158 · 91 FR 33854 · Source: federalregister.gov
- Sanctions · Applies from:
CELEX 32026R0506 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 8471.70 covers 6 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature divides subheading 8471.70 into 6 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 computer storage units worth £1.3bn (up 20% on the year before), at an average of £486.61 per kg; China supplied 17%, followed by Taiwan.
World trade in computer storage units reached US$60.3bn in 2024, up 15.6% on 2023.
Thailand was the largest exporter with 27.4% of the total, ahead of China.
Legal notes
Additional notes
1. For the purposes of subheadings 840710 and 840910, the expression ‘aircraft engines’ shall apply only to engines designed for fitting with an airscrew or rotor.
2. Subheading 84717030 shall also apply to CD-ROM drives, being storage units for automatic data-processing machines, which consist of drive units designed for retrieving the signals from CD-ROMs, audio CDs and photo CDs and equipped with a jack for earphones, a volume-control button or a start/stop button.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for automatic data-processing machines and units thereof: storage units?
Automatic data-processing machines and units thereof: storage units fall under HS subheading 8471.70, part of heading 8471, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on automatic data-processing machines and units… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8471.70 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 automatic data-processing machines and units… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8471.70 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 automatic data-processing machines and units…?
Thailand, with US$16.5bn in 2024 (27.4% of world exports).
Which countries can export computer storage units 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 computer storage units?
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 computer storage units from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were China (17%), Taiwan (13%) and Thailand (10%), out of total imports of £1.3bn.
Typical products
- cd rom drive
- dvd drives for computers
- external hdd
- floppy disc drives
- hard disks
- hard drives
- hdd
- solid state drive
- ssd
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.