Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8531
8531.90: Electric sound or visual signalling apparatus: parts
Parts of signalling apparatus
Official description Parts
8531.90 is the HS subheading for parts of signalling apparatus, under heading 8531 in chapter 85.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8531 90 00 00 Parts Free+3
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
- 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
- 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–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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States | £40.4m | 36.8% | +338.7% |
 China | £30.1m | 27.4% | -5.1% |
 Malaysia | £4.9m | 4.5% | +8.5% |
 Romania | £4.2m | 3.8% | +11.6% |
 Netherlands | £2.9m | 2.7% | -5.5% |
 Israel | £2.7m | 2.5% | -20.8% |
 Germany | £2.7m | 2.4% | -9.4% |
 Italy | £2m | 1.8% | -38.9% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Türkiye 50% Statutory rate (Law 474) 1 tariff line USA Free General (MFN) 4 tariff lines 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$119.2kUS$119.2k+US$9.5m+US$66.6m+> US$197.4m
Exports: 153
- China: US$1.5bn
- United States: US$431.4m
- Mexico: US$322.4m
- Spain: US$238.5m
- Netherlands: US$197.4m
- Germany: US$170.9m
- Taiwan: US$114.4m
- Poland: US$85.8m
- United Kingdom: US$85.3m
- Hungary: US$82.7m
- Malaysia: US$79.6m
- Singapore: US$75.8m
- Canada: US$71.4m
- Ukraine: US$67.1m
- Romania: US$66.9m
- Japan: US$66.6m
- Sweden: US$65.6m
- France: US$63.2m
- Israel: US$52.6m
- Italy: US$52.5m
- Czechia: US$51.9m
- Thailand: US$46.8m
- South Korea: US$46.3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$34.8m
- India: US$32.3m
- Vietnam: US$26.9m
- Austria: US$25.1m
- Belgium: US$22.5m
- Switzerland: US$22.1m
- Sri Lanka: US$22m
- Portugal: US$18.8m
- Dominican Republic: US$18.6m
- South Africa: US$17.5m
- Australia: US$17m
- Norway: US$13.1m
- Peru: US$10.2m
- Indonesia: US$9.7m
- Türkiye: US$9.5m
- Philippines: US$9.5m
- Bulgaria: US$9m
- Denmark: US$8.8m
- Finland: US$8.7m
- United Arab Emirates: US$8.3m
- Russia: US$8.1m
- Slovenia: US$7.8m
- Ireland: US$6.1m
- New Zealand: US$5.3m
- Lithuania: US$4.7m
- Brazil: US$4.7m
- Greece: US$4m
- Croatia: US$3.2m
- Slovakia: US$3m
- Chile: US$2.3m
- Tunisia: US$1.4m
- Latvia: US$1.3m
- Colombia: US$1.1m
- Estonia: US$875.5k
- Serbia: US$810.3k
- Saudi Arabia: US$624.8k
- Cyprus: US$544.4k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$1mUS$1m+US$12.9m+US$48.2m+> US$188.1m
Imports: 212
- United States: US$613.8m
- Vietnam: US$372.6m
- Spain: US$240.3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$216.3m
- Mexico: US$203.9m
- France: US$199.3m
- Netherlands: US$188.1m
- Germany: US$154.4m
- Italy: US$141.6m
- China: US$118.7m
- United Kingdom: US$110.5m
- Singapore: US$103.4m
- Canada: US$92.2m
- India: US$89.5m
- Russia: US$82.9m
- South Korea: US$78.9m
- United Arab Emirates: US$62.9m
- Poland: US$62.7m
- Sweden: US$62m
- Japan: US$54.9m
- Türkiye: US$49m
- Romania: US$48.2m
- Australia: US$47.2m
- Bangladesh: US$42.2m
- Saudi Arabia: US$39.1m
- Portugal: US$38.8m
- Belgium: US$37.4m
- Malaysia: US$36.9m
- Israel: US$35.4m
- Greece: US$34.5m
- Brazil: US$32.2m
- Austria: US$32m
- Taiwan: US$31.5m
- Norway: US$30.8m
- Thailand: US$30.4m
- South Africa: US$29.5m
- Switzerland: US$28.2m
- Chile: US$28m
- Indonesia: US$27.9m
- Czechia: US$26.8m
- Sri Lanka: US$21.6m
- Ukraine: US$20.2m
- Ireland: US$19.4m
- Hungary: US$18.7m
- Egypt: US$17.2m
- Algeria: US$17.1m
- Slovenia: US$17m
- Dominican Republic: US$16.6m
- Philippines: US$16.2m
- Denmark: US$15.6m
- Finland: US$13.2m
- Colombia: US$13m
- Peru: US$12.9m
- Cambodia: US$10.3m
- Argentina: US$9m
- Slovakia: US$8.9m
- Estonia: US$8.1m
- Kazakhstan: US$7.9m
- Qatar: US$7.9m
- New Zealand: US$7.4m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$1.5bn | 33.2% |
| 2 | United States | US$431.4m | 9.8% |
| 3 |  Mexico | US$322.4m | 7.3% |
| 4 |  Spain | US$238.5m | 5.4% |
| 5 | Netherlands | US$197.4m | 4.5% |
| 6 | Germany | US$170.9m | 3.9% |
| 7 |  Taiwan | US$114.4m | 2.6% |
| 8 |  Poland | US$85.8m | 1.9% |
| 9 | United Kingdom | US$85.3m | 1.9% |
| 10 |  Hungary | US$82.7m | 1.9% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$613.8m | 13.9% |
| 2 |  Vietnam | US$372.6m | 8.5% |
| 3 | Spain | US$240.3m | 5.5% |
| 4 |  Hong Kong SAR China | US$216.3m | 4.9% |
| 5 | Mexico | US$203.9m | 4.6% |
| 6 |  France | US$199.3m | 4.5% |
| 7 | Netherlands | US$188.1m | 4.3% |
| 8 | Germany | US$154.4m | 3.5% |
| 9 | Italy | US$141.6m | 3.2% |
| 10 | China | US$118.7m | 2.7% |
The UK Global Tariff has one tariff line for subheading 8531.90; the duty is duty-free.
Subheading 8531.90 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.
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 parts of signalling apparatus into the UK came to £109.8m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 35% on the year before); United States supplied 37%, followed by China.
In 2024, countries exported parts of signalling apparatus worth US$4.4bn (+3.4% year on year).
The largest exporter was China (US$1.5bn), followed by the United States.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for electric sound or visual signalling apparatus: parts?
Electric sound or visual signalling apparatus: parts fall under HS subheading 8531.90, part of heading 8531, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on electric sound or visual signalling apparatus in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8531.90 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 electric sound or visual signalling apparatus in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8531.90 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 electric sound or visual signalling apparatus?
China, with US$1.5bn in 2024 (33.2% of world exports).
Which countries can export parts of signalling apparatus 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 parts of signalling apparatus?
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 parts of signalling apparatus from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were United States (37%), China (27%) and Malaysia (5%), out of total imports of £109.8m.