Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8504
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
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 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 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–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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £10m | 41.1% | +6.1% | |
| £5m | 20.8% | -54.6% | |
| £2.3m | 9.5% | -6.7% | |
| £1.6m | 6.7% | -57.5% | |
| £1.5m | 6% | +151.5% | |
| £1.2m | 5.1% | -12.1% | |
| £687k | 2.8% | -42.5% | |
| £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
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$832.9kUS$832.9k+US$9.9m+US$59.7m+> US$172.4m
Exports: 118
- China: US$687.3m
- Italy: US$357.6m
- South Korea: US$176m
- Germany: US$172.4m
- Mexico: US$155.3m
- Canada: US$114.8m
- Spain: US$77m
- Austria: US$75.5m
- Switzerland: US$68.8m
- Türkiye: US$63m
- United States: US$60.5m
- France: US$59.7m
- India: US$47.8m
- Japan: US$43.6m
- Czechia: US$38.4m
- Finland: US$30.9m
- Poland: US$23.6m
- Hungary: US$20.2m
- Lebanon: US$15.4m
- Thailand: US$15.3m
- Brazil: US$12.8m
- Denmark: US$12.7m
- United Kingdom: US$12.4m
- South Africa: US$12m
- Bulgaria: US$10.9m
- Taiwan: US$10.9m
- New Zealand: US$10.9m
- Belgium: US$10.6m
- Norway: US$9.9m
- Singapore: US$9.1m
- Egypt: US$7.9m
- Sweden: US$7.7m
- Oman: US$7.4m
- Netherlands: US$7.4m
- Indonesia: US$7m
- Russia: US$6.8m
- Colombia: US$6.4m
- Australia: US$6m
- Ireland: US$5.9m
- Vietnam: US$5.4m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$5m
- United Arab Emirates: US$4.4m
- Malaysia: US$4.4m
- Croatia: US$4.3m
- Portugal: US$3.2m
- Saudi Arabia: US$2.4m
- Kazakhstan: US$2.2m
- Peru: US$2m
- Chile: US$1.7m
- Argentina: US$1.7m
- Iceland: US$1.5m
- Slovakia: US$1.5m
- Slovenia: US$1.4m
- Morocco: US$1.2m
- Ecuador: US$980.1k
- Philippines: US$891.4k
- Romania: US$832.9k
- Lithuania: US$815.1k
- Pakistan: US$794.3k
- North Macedonia: US$743k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$2.6mUS$2.6m+US$12.8m+US$34.4m+> US$73m
Imports: 192
- United States: US$452.5m
- Germany: US$133.1m
- Thailand: US$91.7m
- Malaysia: US$82.7m
- Denmark: US$79.5m
- France: US$73m
- Spain: US$69.8m
- Australia: US$63.7m
- Saudi Arabia: US$59.6m
- United Kingdom: US$56.6m
- Sweden: US$56.4m
- Taiwan: US$55.2m
- Canada: US$51.1m
- Mexico: US$46.1m
- Vietnam: US$44.2m
- Pakistan: US$39.6m
- Indonesia: US$38.4m
- Poland: US$37.6m
- Italy: US$35.4m
- Japan: US$34.4m
- United Arab Emirates: US$34.1m
- Singapore: US$32.7m
- Brazil: US$31.8m
- India: US$31.3m
- Ireland: US$28m
- China: US$26.6m
- Oman: US$26.4m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$25.8m
- Netherlands: US$24.5m
- Norway: US$24m
- New Zealand: US$23.8m
- Egypt: US$22.1m
- South Korea: US$21.5m
- Finland: US$20.2m
- Türkiye: US$19.8m
- Hungary: US$17.9m
- Czechia: US$17.5m
- Libya: US$17.2m
- Bolivia: US$16.2m
- South Africa: US$15.8m
- Russia: US$15.7m
- Austria: US$15.6m
- Philippines: US$14.1m
- Romania: US$14.1m
- Belgium: US$13.4m
- Ukraine: US$13m
- Chile: US$12.9m
- Qatar: US$12.8m
- Greece: US$12.8m
- Nigeria: US$12.7m
- Djibouti: US$12.2m
- Dominican Republic: US$11.8m
- Kuwait: US$10.4m
- Switzerland: US$9.8m
- Nepal: US$9.6m
- Mongolia: US$9m
- Peru: US$9m
- Luxembourg: US$8.8m
- Cambodia: US$8.7m
- Croatia: US$8.3m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$687.3m | 27.1% | |
| 2 | US$357.6m | 14.1% | |
| 3 | US$176m | 7% | |
| 4 | US$172.4m | 6.8% | |
| 5 | US$155.3m | 6.1% | |
| 6 | US$114.8m | 4.5% | |
| 7 | US$77m | 3% | |
| 8 | US$75.5m | 3% | |
| 9 | US$68.8m | 2.7% | |
| 10 | US$63m | 2.5% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US$452.5m | 17.9% | |
| 2 | US$133.1m | 5.3% | |
| 3 | US$91.7m | 3.6% | |
| 4 | US$82.7m | 3.3% | |
| 5 | US$79.5m | 3.1% | |
| 6 | US$73m | 2.9% | |
| 7 | US$69.8m | 2.8% | |
| 8 | US$63.7m | 2.5% | |
| 9 | US$59.6m | 2.4% | |
| 10 | 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.