Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8532
8532.21: Electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or adjustable: other fixed capacitors, tantalum
Tantalum capacitors
Official description Tantalum
8532.21 is the HS subheading for tantalum capacitors, under heading 8532 in chapter 85.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8532 21 00 00 Tantalum 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 2
- 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)
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
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 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–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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 El Salvador | £3.2m | 21.5% | +127.8% |
 Mexico | £2.2m | 14.6% | +40.1% |
 Israel | £2.1m | 14.3% | +15.5% |
 China | £2.1m | 13.9% | +55.2% |
 Czechia | £1.6m | 11% | -26.4% |
 United States | £1.6m | 10.5% | -1.2% |
 France | £433k | 2.9% | +43.1% |
 Germany | £377k | 2.5% | +185.4% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$189.2kUS$189.2k+US$2.3m+US$103.7m+> US$179.2m
Exports: 95
- China: US$369.5m
- United States: US$238.9m
- Mexico: US$179.2m
- Indonesia: US$175.2m
- Thailand: US$145.4m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$137.2m
- Japan: US$129.6m
- Philippines: US$109.3m
- Czechia: US$103.7m
- Germany: US$78.6m
- Israel: US$78.6m
- El Salvador: US$48.4m
- Taiwan: US$47.5m
- South Korea: US$22.7m
- Singapore: US$20.6m
- Netherlands: US$18.9m
- France: US$9.7m
- Belgium: US$9m
- Hungary: US$7.9m
- Malaysia: US$3.1m
- United Kingdom: US$2.6m
- Canada: US$2.3m
- Spain: US$1.7m
- Austria: US$1.7m
- India: US$1.6m
- Vietnam: US$1.2m
- Kazakhstan: US$942.4k
- Italy: US$880.4k
- Poland: US$720.6k
- Switzerland: US$571.3k
- Estonia: US$376.8k
- Finland: US$361.7k
- Dominican Republic: US$328.5k
- Brazil: US$320k
- Sweden: US$294.3k
- Ukraine: US$278k
- Slovenia: US$276.5k
- Portugal: US$263.7k
- Australia: US$232.1k
- Bulgaria: US$221.1k
- United Arab Emirates: US$216.3k
- Türkiye: US$201.1k
- Romania: US$189.2k
- Ireland: US$181k
- Slovakia: US$144.8k
- Bahrain: US$130.9k
- Denmark: US$119k
- Lithuania: US$114k
- Latvia: US$113k
- Russia: US$70.1k
- Norway: US$68.1k
- Belize: US$36.8k
- Croatia: US$35.4k
- Serbia: US$24.3k
- Costa Rica: US$18.2k
- North Macedonia: US$11.8k
- New Zealand: US$11.8k
- South Africa: US$11.3k
- Colombia: US$10.1k
- Tunisia: US$9.9k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$124.5kUS$124.5k+US$4.1m+US$32.6m+> US$163.6m
Imports: 134
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$434.3m
- Taiwan: US$271.3m
- China: US$183m
- United States: US$163.6m
- Germany: US$81.5m
- Vietnam: US$81.4m
- Malaysia: US$78.6m
- Mexico: US$68m
- South Korea: US$65.2m
- Singapore: US$64.2m
- Switzerland: US$50.7m
- Czechia: US$38.4m
- Ireland: US$32.6m
- Japan: US$30.7m
- Thailand: US$24.3m
- Netherlands: US$21.7m
- France: US$21.2m
- Italy: US$20.4m
- Austria: US$18.2m
- Türkiye: US$17.1m
- United Kingdom: US$16.8m
- India: US$16.6m
- Israel: US$16.3m
- Canada: US$15.9m
- Hungary: US$12m
- Belgium: US$11.1m
- Poland: US$9.5m
- Philippines: US$9.1m
- Romania: US$7.9m
- Brazil: US$7.7m
- Spain: US$6.3m
- South Africa: US$4.4m
- El Salvador: US$4.1m
- Australia: US$4.1m
- Ukraine: US$3.8m
- Estonia: US$3.8m
- Russia: US$3.5m
- Finland: US$3.3m
- Sweden: US$3.3m
- Denmark: US$3.3m
- Bulgaria: US$2.9m
- Indonesia: US$2m
- Serbia: US$1.9m
- Lithuania: US$1.9m
- Norway: US$1.6m
- Slovakia: US$1.6m
- Egypt: US$1.4m
- Morocco: US$1.2m
- Slovenia: US$1m
- United Arab Emirates: US$1m
- Tunisia: US$780k
- Latvia: US$523.5k
- North Macedonia: US$488.7k
- Portugal: US$468.7k
- Sri Lanka: US$384.7k
- New Zealand: US$374.5k
- Greece: US$314.1k
- Saudi Arabia: US$308.2k
- Costa Rica: US$271.9k
- Paraguay: US$204.8k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$369.5m | 18.9% |
| 2 | United States | US$238.9m | 12.2% |
| 3 | Mexico | US$179.2m | 9.2% |
| 4 |  Indonesia | US$175.2m | 9% |
| 5 |  Thailand | US$145.4m | 7.5% |
| 6 |  Hong Kong SAR China | US$137.2m | 7% |
| 7 |  Japan | US$129.6m | 6.6% |
| 8 |  Philippines | US$109.3m | 5.6% |
| 9 | Czechia | US$103.7m | 5.3% |
| 10 | Germany | US$78.6m | 4% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong SAR China | US$434.3m | 22.3% |
| 2 |  Taiwan | US$271.3m | 13.9% |
| 3 | China | US$183m | 9.4% |
| 4 | United States | US$163.6m | 8.4% |
| 5 | Germany | US$81.5m | 4.2% |
| 6 |  Vietnam | US$81.4m | 4.2% |
| 7 |  Malaysia | US$78.6m | 4% |
| 8 | Mexico | US$68m | 3.5% |
| 9 |  South Korea | US$65.2m | 3.3% |
| 10 |  Singapore | US$64.2m | 3.3% |
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.
- Tariff change
UK Trade Tariff: measure changes on 103 commodity codes
Trade Tariff changes 2026-09-21 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
-
Sanctions · Applies from: CELEX 32026R0271 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Subheading 8532.21 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 8532.21; 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 tantalum capacitors worth £14.8m (up 27% on the year before), at an average of £186.35 per kg; El Salvador supplied 22%, followed by Mexico.
World trade in tantalum capacitors reached US$2bn in 2024, up 13.3% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 18.9% of the total, ahead of the United States.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or adjustable: other fixed capacitors, tantalum?
Electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or adjustable: other fixed capacitors, tantalum fall under HS subheading 8532.21, part of heading 8532, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8532.21 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 electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8532.21 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 electrical capacitors, fixed, variable or…?
China, with US$369.5m in 2024 (18.9% of world exports).
Which countries can export tantalum capacitors 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 tantalum capacitors?
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 tantalum capacitors from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were El Salvador (22%), Mexico (15%) and Israel (14%), out of total imports of £14.8m.