Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8518
8518.40: Microphones and stands therefor: audio-frequency electric amplifiers
Audio amplifiers
Official description Audio-frequency electric amplifiers
8518.40 is the HS subheading for audio amplifiers, under heading 8518 in chapter 85.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8518 40 00 00 Audio-frequency electric amplifiers Freep/st
- 8518 40 00 10 For use in civil aircraft Freep/st
- 8518 40 00 90 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 2
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 376
- Documents
- 9008
- 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 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
- Belarus, Russia, Syria, Ukraine
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 748, S.I. 2019/792, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9024
- 9032
- 9025
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- Import controlImport control on restricted goods and technologies
- Applies to goods from
- Iran, Libya, Russia
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/461, 2020 No. 1665, S.I. 2019/855
- Documents
- Y966 Goods other than those described in the MG footnotes linked to the measure (Missile Technology Control Regime list - Annex III of Reg. (EU) 267/2012)
- 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 | £32.8m | 23.7% | +21.1% |
 Slovakia | £24.1m | 17.4% | +6,488% |
 Morocco | £13.8m | 9.9% | -57.3% |
 Germany | £10.4m | 7.5% | -19.5% |
 Spain | £10.2m | 7.4% | -1.2% |
 United States | £8.1m | 5.8% | -6.6% |
 Hungary | £7.9m | 5.7% | -8.7% |
 Mexico | £5.9m | 4.3% | +55.8% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$36kUS$36k+US$3m+US$40m+> US$233m
Exports: 158
- China: US$1bn
- Mexico: US$953m
- Germany: US$367m
- United States: US$314m
- Hungary: US$233m
- Thailand: US$142m
- Morocco: US$105m
- Vietnam: US$95m
- Denmark: US$91m
- Japan: US$91m
- Romania: US$84m
- France: US$64m
- United Kingdom: US$58m
- Malaysia: US$58m
- Slovakia: US$52m
- South Korea: US$40m
- Poland: US$37m
- Canada: US$33m
- Spain: US$32m
- Taiwan: US$32m
- Netherlands: US$31m
- Czechia: US$31m
- Indonesia: US$30m
- Brazil: US$29m
- Italy: US$24m
- Singapore: US$22m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$20m
- Belgium: US$18m
- Switzerland: US$18m
- Sweden: US$16m
- Philippines: US$11m
- Austria: US$10m
- Norway: US$8m
- India: US$6m
- Portugal: US$5m
- Australia: US$4m
- Türkiye: US$4m
- Greece: US$3m
- Lithuania: US$3m
- Costa Rica: US$3m
- Finland: US$2m
- United Arab Emirates: US$2m
- Albania: US$2m
- Estonia: US$2m
- Ireland: US$2m
- Kazakhstan: US$1m
- Bulgaria: US$1m
- Russia: US$1m
- South Africa: US$1m
- Latvia: US$1m
- Ukraine: US$1m
- Serbia: US$962k
- Slovenia: US$917k
- Croatia: US$844k
- New Zealand: US$754k
- Israel: US$692k
- Macao SAR China: US$629k
- Moldova: US$495k
- Armenia: US$483k
- Chile: US$454k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$662kUS$662k+US$5m+US$42m+> US$161m
Imports: 213
- United States: US$1bn
- Germany: US$436m
- Japan: US$334m
- China: US$224m
- South Korea: US$206m
- United Kingdom: US$169m
- Mexico: US$161m
- Poland: US$153m
- France: US$108m
- Spain: US$98m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$92m
- Canada: US$85m
- Netherlands: US$83m
- Vietnam: US$70m
- India: US$70m
- Sweden: US$62m
- Singapore: US$59m
- Italy: US$59m
- Belgium: US$54m
- Czechia: US$45m
- Russia: US$43m
- Greece: US$42m
- Australia: US$40m
- United Arab Emirates: US$38m
- Thailand: US$38m
- Slovakia: US$36m
- Türkiye: US$34m
- Indonesia: US$26m
- Austria: US$23m
- Switzerland: US$21m
- South Africa: US$18m
- Hungary: US$18m
- Brazil: US$17m
- Denmark: US$17m
- Malaysia: US$16m
- Norway: US$15m
- Saudi Arabia: US$14m
- Philippines: US$14m
- Romania: US$13m
- Israel: US$13m
- Finland: US$12m
- Taiwan: US$11m
- Portugal: US$10m
- Kazakhstan: US$9m
- Dominican Republic: US$8m
- New Zealand: US$8m
- Colombia: US$7m
- Iran: US$7m
- Kyrgyzstan: US$6m
- Nigeria: US$6m
- Guatemala: US$6m
- Chile: US$5m
- Egypt: US$5m
- Croatia: US$5m
- Belarus: US$5m
- Peru: US$5m
- Ireland: US$5m
- Qatar: US$4m
- Estonia: US$4m
- Latvia: US$3m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$1bn | 27.6% |
| 2 | Mexico | US$953m | 21.5% |
| 3 | Germany | US$367m | 8.3% |
| 4 | United States | US$314m | 7.1% |
| 5 | Hungary | US$233m | 5.3% |
| 6 |  Thailand | US$142m | 3.2% |
| 7 | Morocco | US$105m | 2.4% |
| 8 |  Vietnam | US$95m | 2.2% |
| 9 |  Denmark | US$91m | 2.1% |
| 10 |  Japan | US$91m | 2.1% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$1bn | 25.6% |
| 2 | Germany | US$436m | 9.8% |
| 3 | Japan | US$334m | 7.5% |
| 4 | China | US$224m | 5.1% |
| 5 |  South Korea | US$206m | 4.7% |
| 6 | United Kingdom | US$169m | 3.8% |
| 7 | Mexico | US$161m | 3.6% |
| 8 |  Poland | US$153m | 3.5% |
| 9 |  France | US$108m | 2.4% |
| 10 | Spain | US$98m | 2.2% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 5
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.
- N358350 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of four assistive telecommunication devices from China
- N353460 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a Pre-Amp PCBA from China
- N321626 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of audio-frequency electric amplifiers from China
- 600013533 HMRC
This product is an Amplifier Assembly which is used in the High Power Amplifier Unit and used with Sonar Type 2008, an underwater telephone, fitted to submarines. It provides simplex communication between vessels. The item is made from multiple components including, stainless steel housing,…
- 600013412 HMRC
A passenger address amplifier for installation into passenger carrying aircraft comprising electronic components within a housing and a control knob on the front for operation. It is used in aircraft communication systems to amplify audio signals for the public address system. It amplifies audio…
The UK Global Tariff divides subheading 8518.40 into 2 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
Subheading 8518.40 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.
174 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 audio amplifiers into the UK came to £138.6m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 10% on the year before); China supplied 24%, followed by Slovakia.
In 2024, countries exported audio amplifiers worth US$4bn (−5.9% year on year).
The largest exporter was China (US$1bn), followed by Mexico.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for microphones and stands therefor: audio-frequency electric amplifiers?
Microphones and stands therefor: audio-frequency electric amplifiers fall under HS subheading 8518.40, part of heading 8518, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on microphones and stands therefor in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8518.40 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 microphones and stands therefor in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8518.40 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 microphones and stands therefor?
China, with US$1bn in 2024 (27.6% of world exports).
Which countries can export audio amplifiers 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 audio amplifiers?
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 audio amplifiers from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were China (24%), Slovakia (17%) and Morocco (10%), out of total imports of £138.6m.