Subheading · Chapter 84 · Heading 8475
8475.21: Machines for making optical fibres and preforms thereof
8475.21 is a six-digit subheading of heading 8475, machines for assembling electric or electronic lamps, tubes or valves or…, chapter 84.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8475 21 00 00 Machines for making optical fibres and preforms thereof 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 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) | — | 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 | £40k | 72.8% | -76.8% |
 India | £9k | 16.5% | — |
 Cocos (Keeling) Islands | £2k | 4.5% | — |
 Japan | £2k | 3.2% | — |
 United States | £2k | 3% | -97.9% |
 Spain | £0 | 0% | -100% |
 Finland | £0 | 0% | -100% |
| United Kingdom | £0 | 0% | -100% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$21kUS$21k+US$580k+US$6m+> US$9m
Exports: 40
- Finland: US$17m
- United Kingdom: US$9m
- Germany: US$6m
- China: US$6m
- United States: US$5m
- Spain: US$2m
- Slovenia: US$2m
- South Korea: US$2m
- Poland: US$1m
- Italy: US$580k
- Belgium: US$524k
- Japan: US$414k
- India: US$218k
- Portugal: US$201k
- Taiwan: US$173k
- Netherlands: US$171k
- Brazil: US$158k
- Australia: US$21k
- Thailand: US$21k
- Austria: US$16k
- Czechia: US$16k
- Saudi Arabia: US$11k
- France: US$11k
- South Africa: US$8k
- Panama: US$7k
- Croatia: US$7k
- Türkiye: US$6k
- Canada: US$5k
- Switzerland: US$5k
- Sweden: US$2k
- Greece: US$2k
- Morocco: US$2k
- Senegal: US$1k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$900
- Malaysia: US$700
- United Arab Emirates: US$200
- Costa Rica: US$200
- Latvia: US$0
- Mauritius: US$0
- Singapore: US$0
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$28kUS$28k+US$442k+US$2m+> US$5m
Imports: 80
- China: US$12m
- India: US$11m
- Indonesia: US$5m
- United Kingdom: US$4m
- Poland: US$2m
- United States: US$2m
- Portugal: US$2m
- Philippines: US$2m
- Latvia: US$2m
- Brazil: US$1m
- Germany: US$1m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$1m
- South Korea: US$1m
- Italy: US$524k
- Iran: US$522k
- Egypt: US$499k
- Malaysia: US$496k
- Taiwan: US$468k
- Spain: US$444k
- Nigeria: US$442k
- Mexico: US$367k
- Australia: US$322k
- Mauritius: US$275k
- United Arab Emirates: US$234k
- Türkiye: US$192k
- Singapore: US$183k
- Peru: US$178k
- Ireland: US$142k
- Chile: US$111k
- France: US$101k
- Canada: US$96k
- Kenya: US$73k
- Thailand: US$64k
- Denmark: US$50k
- Sweden: US$48k
- Finland: US$42k
- Israel: US$36k
- Angola: US$35k
- Saudi Arabia: US$28k
- Dominican Republic: US$26k
- Suriname: US$23k
- Japan: US$19k
- Romania: US$18k
- North Macedonia: US$15k
- Netherlands: US$14k
- Guyana: US$10k
- Malawi: US$8k
- Belize: US$7k
- Montenegro: US$7k
- Belgium: US$5k
- Bahrain: US$5k
- New Zealand: US$5k
- Vietnam: US$4k
- Bangladesh: US$4k
- Pakistan: US$4k
- Senegal: US$4k
- Hungary: US$3k
- Lithuania: US$3k
- Switzerland: US$3k
- Qatar: US$3k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland | US$17m | 31.1% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | US$9m | 17.3% |
| 3 |  Germany | US$6m | 11% |
| 4 | China | US$6m | 10.8% |
| 5 | United States | US$5m | 10.1% |
| 6 | Spain | US$2m | 4.6% |
| 7 |  Slovenia | US$2m | 4.3% |
| 8 |  South Korea | US$2m | 4% |
| 9 |  Poland | US$1m | 2.1% |
| 10 |  Italy | US$580k | 1.1% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$12m | 22.3% |
| 2 | India | US$11m | 20.8% |
| 3 |  Indonesia | US$5m | 8.6% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | US$4m | 6.8% |
| 5 | Poland | US$2m | 4.7% |
| 6 | United States | US$2m | 4.2% |
| 7 |  Portugal | US$2m | 4% |
| 8 |  Philippines | US$2m | 4% |
| 9 |  Latvia | US$2m | 3.8% |
| 10 |  Brazil | US$1m | 2.7% |
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
Subheading 8475.21 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 8475.21; 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 these goods worth £54.6k (down 92% on the year before), at an average of £462.75 per kg; China supplied 73%, followed by India.
World trade in these goods reached US$54m in 2024, down 41.5% on 2023.
Finland was the largest exporter with 31.1% of the total, ahead of the United Kingdom.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for machines for making optical fibres and preforms thereof?
Machines for making optical fibres and preforms thereof fall under HS subheading 8475.21, part of heading 8475, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on machines for making optical fibres and preforms… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8475.21 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 machines for making optical fibres and preforms… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8475.21 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 machines for making optical fibres and preforms…?
Finland, with US$17m in 2024 (31.1% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods 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 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 China (73%), India (17%) and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (5%), out of total imports of £54.6k.