Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8535

8535.40

8535.40: Lightning arresters, voltage limiters and surge suppressors

8535.40 is a six-digit subheading of heading 8535, electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits, or for…, chapter 85.

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty 2% standard rate · across 2 national lines depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges 4 additional measures Import requirements: 4
VAT 20.00 % import VAT
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →
  1. 8535 40 00 00 Lightning arresters, voltage limiters and surge suppressors 2%
  2. 8535 40 00 10 For use in certain types of aircraft 2%
  3. 8535 40 00 90 Other 2%

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 4

  • Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
    Applies to goods from
    Belarus, Russia
    Legal act
    2022 No. 376
    Documents
  • Duty suspensionAutonomous suspension under end-use Free
    Applies to goods from
    all countries
    Legal act
    2020 No. 1435
    Documents
    • N990 EUS - Authorisation for the use of end use procedure (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
  • 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)
    Tariff lines
    on 1 of 2 lines

Import requirements 4

  • 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
  • Import controlImport control on restricted goods and technologies
    Applies to goods from
    Iran, North Korea
    Legal act
    S.I. 2019/461, S.I. 2019/411
    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
  • Import controlImport control of fluorinated greenhouse gases
    Applies to goods from
    all countries
    Legal act
    517/2014
    Documents
    • Y054 Goods labelled according to the provisions of Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2024/573
    • Y053
    • Y986 Exemption from import prohibition according to Article 11.1 and 11.2 of Regulation (EU) 2024/573
    • Y926
    • 9066
    • Y950
    • Y123 Undertaking registered in the F-Gas Portal according to Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2024/573
    • Y124
    • Y976

Preferential rates by country

Agreement or schemeCountriesRate
standard rate (no agreement)—2%
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–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

last 12 months£16.6m+7.3% · previous 12 months
Average import price£26.77 per kg
Jan 2024: £997kFeb 2024: £936kMar 2024: £724kApr 2024: £1.3mMay 2024: £802kJun 2024: £780kJul 2024: £1.1mAug 2024: £996kSept 2024: £1.3mOct 2024: £1.6mNov 2024: £1.7mDec 2024: £1.4mJan 2025: £1.4mFeb 2025: £1.6mMar 2025: £1.4mApr 2025: £834kMay 2025: £708kJun 2025: £1.4mJul 2025: £1.2mAug 2025: £991kSept 2025: £1.9mOct 2025: £1.6mNov 2025: £1.3mDec 2025: £859kJan 2026: £1mFeb 2026: £1.3mMar 2026: £1.6mApr 2026: £817kMay 2026: £1.5mJun 2026: £1.2mJul 2026: £1.4mAug 2026: £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
Germany £4.8m 29% +44%
China £3.1m 18.6% -23.9%
Sweden £1.6m 9.9% -5.7%
India £1.5m 9.1% -29.6%
United States £1.4m 8.7% +138.3%
Switzerland £1.4m 8.2% +6.7%
Denmark £495k 3% +434.1%
Canada £358k 2.2% +255.9%

Same subheading in other tariffs

World trade in 2024

8535.40 · US$786m

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$90.9kUS$90.9k+US$3.3m+US$11.5m+> US$41.8m

Exports: 127
  1. China: US$170.3m
  2. Germany: US$138.9m
  3. United States: US$81.1m
  4. Switzerland: US$41.8m
  5. Mexico: US$40.4m
  6. Sweden: US$36m
  7. Japan: US$29.6m
  8. France: US$28.7m
  9. United Kingdom: US$23.4m
  10. India: US$20.9m
  11. Spain: US$14.4m
  12. Poland: US$13.5m
  13. South Korea: US$11.5m
  14. Saudi Arabia: US$11.5m
  15. Türkiye: US$8.5m
  16. Czechia: US$8.4m
  17. Denmark: US$7.4m
  18. Italy: US$6m
  19. Brazil: US$5.7m
  20. Belgium: US$5.6m
  21. Austria: US$5.5m
  22. Taiwan: US$5.3m
  23. Slovenia: US$5.1m
  24. Vietnam: US$4.9m
  25. Singapore: US$4.8m
  26. Malaysia: US$4.8m
  27. Australia: US$4.4m
  28. Netherlands: US$4.1m
  29. Russia: US$3.9m
  30. Hungary: US$3.8m
  31. Hong Kong SAR China: US$3.3m
  32. Estonia: US$3.3m
  33. Canada: US$3.2m
  34. Thailand: US$3.2m
  35. South Africa: US$3.1m
  36. Paraguay: US$2m
  37. Indonesia: US$1.8m
  38. Bulgaria: US$1.7m
  39. Romania: US$1.5m
  40. Lebanon: US$1.5m
  41. Slovakia: US$1m
  42. Norway: US$1m
  43. Greece: US$867.6k
  44. Portugal: US$790.7k
  45. Morocco: US$723.1k
  46. Finland: US$660.4k
  47. Latvia: US$565.2k
  48. Croatia: US$518.9k
  49. Ireland: US$503.9k
  50. Lithuania: US$502.9k
  51. Serbia: US$489.9k
  52. Costa Rica: US$387.9k
  53. Colombia: US$381k
  54. New Zealand: US$376.7k
  55. Israel: US$363.4k
  56. United Arab Emirates: US$324.5k
  57. Philippines: US$304.6k
  58. Cyprus: US$212.5k
  59. Andorra: US$132k
  60. Egypt: US$119.2k

Top exporters

RankCountryValueShare
1 China US$170.3m 21.7%
2 Germany US$138.9m 17.7%
3 United States US$81.1m 10.3%
4 Switzerland US$41.8m 5.3%
5 Mexico US$40.4m 5.1%
6 Sweden US$36m 4.6%
7 Japan US$29.6m 3.8%
8 France US$28.7m 3.6%
9 United Kingdom US$23.4m 3%
10 India US$20.9m 2.7%

Top importers

RankCountryValueShare
1 United States US$101.8m 12.9%
2 Saudi Arabia US$45.9m 5.8%
3 Germany US$36.2m 4.6%
4 Canada US$31.2m 4%
5 India US$29m 3.7%
6 China US$24.5m 3.1%
7 Mexico US$24.2m 3.1%
8 South Korea US$23.5m 3%
9 Brazil US$21m 2.7%
10 Poland US$20.4m 2.6%

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.

  1. GB Sanctions · Applies from:

    The Iran (Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

    S.I. 2026/983 · Source: legislation.gov.uk

  2. GB Other

    Update to VAT Z Coverage on Aircraft and Aircraft Parts – 19 May 2026

    Trade Tariff news 6334 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk

  3. GB Sanctions · Applies from:

    The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

    S.I. 2026/543 · Source: legislation.gov.uk

  4. GB Tariff change

    Autonomous Suspension under Authorised Use on Offshore Wind Turbines. Stop Press – 17 March 2026

    Trade Tariff news 5311 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk

Rule changes →

In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 8535.40 covers 2 tariff lines and the duty is 2%.

The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 8535.40; the duty is 2.7%.

Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard 2%; 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 these goods worth £16.6m (up 7% on the year before), at an average of £26.77 per kg; Germany supplied 29%, followed by China.

World trade in these goods reached US$786m in 2024, up 9% on 2023.

China was the largest exporter with 21.7% of the total, ahead of Germany.

Products classified here

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for lightning arresters, voltage limiters and surge suppressors?

Lightning arresters, voltage limiters and surge suppressors fall under HS subheading 8535.40, part of heading 8535, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on lightning arresters, voltage limiters and surge… in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8535.40 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 2%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

What is the import duty on lightning arresters, voltage limiters and surge… in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8535.40 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 2.7%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which country exports the most lightning arresters, voltage limiters and surge…?

China, with US$170.3m in 2024 (21.7% of world exports).

Which countries can export these goods 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 2% applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.

Is there anti-dumping duty on these goods?

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 these goods from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Germany (29%), China (19%) and Sweden (10%), out of total imports of £16.6m.

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Typical products

Everyday names, not part of the legal text.