Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8504

8504.34

8504.34: Having a power handling capacity exceeding 500 kVA

Transformers over 500 kVA (dry type)

8504.34 is the HS subheading for transformers over 500 kVA (dry type), under heading 8504 in chapter 85.

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free standard rate depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges 3 additional measures Import requirements: 2
VAT 0.00 % import VAT
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →
  1. 8504 34 00 00 Having a power handling capacity exceeding 500 kva Free+4p/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 3

  • Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
    Applies to goods from
    Belarus, Russia
    Legal act
    2022 No. 376
    Documents
    • 9008
  • Duty suspensionSuspension - goods for certain categories of ships, boats and other vessels and for drilling or production platforms Free
    Applies to goods from
    all countries
    Legal act
    2020 No. 1431
    Documents
    • C990 End use authorisation ships and platforms (Column 8c, Annex A of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446)
  • Duty suspensionAirworthiness tariff suspension Free
    Applies to goods from
    all countries
    Legal act
    S.I. 2018/1249
    Documents
    • C119 Authorised Release Certificate — EASA Form 1 (Appendix I to Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 748/2012), or equivalent certificate

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
    Russia, Ukraine
    Legal act
    2023 No. 440, S.I. 2022/395
    Documents
    • 9011
    • 9022
    • 9038
    • 9009
    • 9010
    • 9017

Preferential rates by country

Agreement or schemeCountriesRate
standard rate (no agreement)—Free
DCTS Comprehensive
Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 more

Afghanistan, 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")
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia and 23 more

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Free
DCTS Enhanced
Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 more

Algeria, 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 more

Antigua & 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 more

Anguilla, 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

last 12 months£24.2m-24.4% · previous 12 months
Average import price£7.66 per kg
Jan 2024: £2.5mFeb 2024: £4.2mMar 2024: £3.3mApr 2024: £5.6mMay 2024: £4mJun 2024: £3.8mJul 2024: £3.6mAug 2024: £4.4mSept 2024: £2.5mOct 2024: £4mNov 2024: £2.7mDec 2024: £3mJan 2025: £2mFeb 2025: £2.7mMar 2025: £2.8mApr 2025: £2.2mMay 2025: £4mJun 2025: £2mJul 2025: £3.2mAug 2025: £949kSept 2025: £2.7mOct 2025: £1.9mNov 2025: £836kDec 2025: £1.7mJan 2026: £1.7mFeb 2026: £2.4mMar 2026: £3.8mApr 2026: £1.7mMay 2026: £1.3mJun 2026: £2.5mJul 2026: £2.4mAug 2026: £1.2m 202420252026
Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

CountryValueShareChange
Italy £10m 41.1% +6.1%
Germany £5m 20.8% -54.6%
Czechia £2.3m 9.5% -6.7%
France £1.6m 6.7% -57.5%
Spain £1.5m 6% +151.5%
Switzerland £1.2m 5.1% -12.1%
China £687k 2.8% -42.5%
United States £457k 1.9% +32.2%

Same subheading in other tariffs

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

8504.34 · US$2.5bn

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$832.9kUS$832.9k+US$9.9m+US$59.7m+> US$172.4m

Exports: 118
  1. China: US$687.3m
  2. Italy: US$357.6m
  3. South Korea: US$176m
  4. Germany: US$172.4m
  5. Mexico: US$155.3m
  6. Canada: US$114.8m
  7. Spain: US$77m
  8. Austria: US$75.5m
  9. Switzerland: US$68.8m
  10. Türkiye: US$63m
  11. United States: US$60.5m
  12. France: US$59.7m
  13. India: US$47.8m
  14. Japan: US$43.6m
  15. Czechia: US$38.4m
  16. Finland: US$30.9m
  17. Poland: US$23.6m
  18. Hungary: US$20.2m
  19. Lebanon: US$15.4m
  20. Thailand: US$15.3m
  21. Brazil: US$12.8m
  22. Denmark: US$12.7m
  23. United Kingdom: US$12.4m
  24. South Africa: US$12m
  25. Bulgaria: US$10.9m
  26. Taiwan: US$10.9m
  27. New Zealand: US$10.9m
  28. Belgium: US$10.6m
  29. Norway: US$9.9m
  30. Singapore: US$9.1m
  31. Egypt: US$7.9m
  32. Sweden: US$7.7m
  33. Oman: US$7.4m
  34. Netherlands: US$7.4m
  35. Indonesia: US$7m
  36. Russia: US$6.8m
  37. Colombia: US$6.4m
  38. Australia: US$6m
  39. Ireland: US$5.9m
  40. Vietnam: US$5.4m
  41. Hong Kong SAR China: US$5m
  42. United Arab Emirates: US$4.4m
  43. Malaysia: US$4.4m
  44. Croatia: US$4.3m
  45. Portugal: US$3.2m
  46. Saudi Arabia: US$2.4m
  47. Kazakhstan: US$2.2m
  48. Peru: US$2m
  49. Chile: US$1.7m
  50. Argentina: US$1.7m
  51. Iceland: US$1.5m
  52. Slovakia: US$1.5m
  53. Slovenia: US$1.4m
  54. Morocco: US$1.2m
  55. Ecuador: US$980.1k
  56. Philippines: US$891.4k
  57. Romania: US$832.9k
  58. Lithuania: US$815.1k
  59. Pakistan: US$794.3k
  60. North Macedonia: US$743k

Top exporters

RankCountryValueShare
1 China US$687.3m 27.1%
2 Italy US$357.6m 14.1%
3 South Korea US$176m 7%
4 Germany US$172.4m 6.8%
5 Mexico US$155.3m 6.1%
6 Canada US$114.8m 4.5%
7 Spain US$77m 3%
8 Austria US$75.5m 3%
9 Switzerland US$68.8m 2.7%
10 Türkiye US$63m 2.5%

Top importers

RankCountryValueShare
1 United States US$452.5m 17.9%
2 Germany US$133.1m 5.3%
3 Thailand US$91.7m 3.6%
4 Malaysia US$82.7m 3.3%
5 Denmark US$79.5m 3.1%
6 France US$73m 2.9%
7 Spain US$69.8m 2.8%
8 Australia US$63.7m 2.5%
9 Saudi Arabia US$59.6m 2.4%
10 United Kingdom US$56.6m 2.2%

The UK Global Tariff has one tariff line for subheading 8504.34; the duty is duty-free.

Subheading 8504.34 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is 3.7%.

175 countries pay no duty in the UK thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as DCTS Comprehensive and European Union, against a standard rate of Free.

In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.

Imports of transformers over 500 kVA (dry type) into the UK came to £24.2m between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 24% on the year before); Italy supplied 41%, followed by Germany.

In 2024, countries exported transformers over 500 kVA (dry type) worth US$2.5bn (+12.8% year on year).

The largest exporter was China (US$687.3m), followed by Italy.

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for having a power handling capacity exceeding 500 kVA?

Having a power handling capacity exceeding 500 kVA fall under HS subheading 8504.34, part of heading 8504, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on having a power handling capacity exceeding 500 kVA in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8504.34 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 having a power handling capacity exceeding 500 kVA in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8504.34 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 3.7%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which country exports the most having a power handling capacity exceeding 500 kVA?

China, with US$687.3m in 2024 (27.1% of world exports).

Which countries can export transformers over 500 kVA (dry type) 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 Free applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.

Is there anti-dumping duty on transformers over 500 kVA (dry type)?

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 transformers over 500 kVA (dry type) from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Italy (41%), Germany (21%) and Czechia (10%), out of total imports of £24.2m.