Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8536
8536.70: Connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cables
Optical fibre connectors
8536.70 is the HS subheading for optical fibre connectors, under heading 8536 in chapter 85.
What you pay
Importing into UK from Barbados
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8536 70 00 00 Connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cables Free
- 8536 70 00 10 Optical socket, plug or connector, for use in the manufacture of goods falling within headings 8521 or 8528 Free
- Other Free
- 8536 70 00 93 Connectors of plastics for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cables, for use in certain types of aircraft Free
- 8536 70 00 99 Other Free
Additional duties and import rulesBarbados
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 4
- Duty suspensionNon preferential duty under end-use Free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- S.I. 2020/1430
- Documents
- N990 EUS - Authorisation for the use of end use procedure (Column 8c, Annex A of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446)
- Duty suspensionAutonomous tariff suspension Free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- In force
- until 31 December 2028
- Legal act
- 2020 No. 1435
- Tariff lines
- on 1 of 3 lines
- 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 3 lines
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £16.9m | 19.5% | +5% |
 Cambodia | £13.3m | 15.3% | -8.5% |
 United States | £12.7m | 14.7% | -11.6% |
 India | £12m | 13.9% | +72.7% |
 Poland | £5.6m | 6.5% | +14.2% |
 Taiwan | £2.9m | 3.3% | +32.3% |
 Mexico | £2.9m | 3.3% | -42.9% |
 Tunisia | £2.6m | 3% | +56.9% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$33kUS$33k+US$3.9m+US$23.7m+> US$196.2m
Exports: 162
- China: US$804.3m
- United States: US$437.5m
- Mexico: US$348.7m
- Taiwan: US$237.7m
- Japan: US$196.2m
- France: US$77.4m
- Germany: US$75.9m
- United Kingdom: US$72.3m
- Thailand: US$54.8m
- Vietnam: US$54.4m
- Poland: US$39m
- Singapore: US$31.8m
- Switzerland: US$30.4m
- India: US$28.5m
- Cambodia: US$27.4m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$23.7m
- Netherlands: US$22.6m
- Costa Rica: US$22m
- Spain: US$20.7m
- South Korea: US$18.1m
- Malaysia: US$14.1m
- Czechia: US$13.6m
- Philippines: US$13m
- Tunisia: US$12.9m
- Portugal: US$11m
- Canada: US$10.8m
- Italy: US$10.2m
- Ireland: US$9.8m
- Romania: US$8.1m
- Bulgaria: US$6.9m
- Belgium: US$6.7m
- Austria: US$6.7m
- Indonesia: US$6.3m
- Türkiye: US$5.9m
- Australia: US$5.6m
- Norway: US$5.3m
- Sweden: US$5.2m
- Hungary: US$5m
- Finland: US$4.4m
- South Africa: US$3.9m
- Honduras: US$3.8m
- United Arab Emirates: US$3m
- Israel: US$2.7m
- Denmark: US$2.6m
- Brazil: US$2.4m
- Slovakia: US$2.3m
- Greece: US$1.9m
- Guatemala: US$1.7m
- Colombia: US$1.4m
- Slovenia: US$1.1m
- Russia: US$1m
- Morocco: US$957.9k
- Serbia: US$851.3k
- Senegal: US$759.9k
- Saudi Arabia: US$677.2k
- Latvia: US$623.7k
- Nicaragua: US$547.4k
- Lithuania: US$546.8k
- Chile: US$543.6k
- Bahrain: US$492.4k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$919.2kUS$919.2k+US$6.3m+US$39.8m+> US$80.7m
Imports: 214
- United States: US$665.5m
- China: US$165.1m
- Mexico: US$139.3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$135.2m
- Germany: US$115m
- Nicaragua: US$88m
- United Kingdom: US$80.7m
- Philippines: US$73.6m
- Vietnam: US$69.8m
- Indonesia: US$67.4m
- Canada: US$63.3m
- Italy: US$61.7m
- Malaysia: US$56m
- India: US$52.5m
- South Korea: US$51.8m
- Brazil: US$48.7m
- Japan: US$48.5m
- Poland: US$48.3m
- Taiwan: US$45.9m
- Singapore: US$42.4m
- France: US$40.8m
- Thailand: US$39.8m
- Netherlands: US$38.2m
- Ireland: US$34m
- Australia: US$30.3m
- Saudi Arabia: US$29.4m
- Spain: US$26.1m
- Norway: US$19.9m
- Czechia: US$19.4m
- Türkiye: US$19.2m
- Argentina: US$16.7m
- United Arab Emirates: US$16.1m
- Russia: US$14.9m
- Colombia: US$14m
- Belgium: US$13.7m
- Chile: US$11.7m
- Egypt: US$11.5m
- Switzerland: US$11.2m
- Peru: US$10.2m
- Macao SAR China: US$10m
- Israel: US$10m
- Sweden: US$9.8m
- Austria: US$9.8m
- South Africa: US$9.7m
- Romania: US$9.3m
- Denmark: US$9.2m
- Portugal: US$9m
- Greece: US$8.8m
- Slovakia: US$7.8m
- Morocco: US$7.8m
- Hungary: US$7.7m
- Costa Rica: US$7.1m
- Venezuela: US$6.4m
- Tunisia: US$6.3m
- Guatemala: US$6.2m
- Serbia: US$5.8m
- Nigeria: US$5.6m
- Senegal: US$5.2m
- Iraq: US$5.1m
- Ecuador: US$5m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$804.3m | 28.5% |
| 2 | United States | US$437.5m | 15.5% |
| 3 | Mexico | US$348.7m | 12.4% |
| 4 | Taiwan | US$237.7m | 8.4% |
| 5 |  Japan | US$196.2m | 7% |
| 6 |  France | US$77.4m | 2.7% |
| 7 |  Germany | US$75.9m | 2.7% |
| 8 | United Kingdom | US$72.3m | 2.6% |
| 9 |  Thailand | US$54.8m | 1.9% |
| 10 |  Vietnam | US$54.4m | 1.9% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$665.5m | 23.6% |
| 2 | China | US$165.1m | 5.8% |
| 3 | Mexico | US$139.3m | 4.9% |
| 4 |  Hong Kong SAR China | US$135.2m | 4.8% |
| 5 | Germany | US$115m | 4.1% |
| 6 |  Nicaragua | US$88m | 3.1% |
| 7 | United Kingdom | US$80.7m | 2.9% |
| 8 |  Philippines | US$73.6m | 2.6% |
| 9 | Vietnam | US$69.8m | 2.5% |
| 10 |  Indonesia | US$67.4m | 2.4% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 2
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.
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.
- Sanctions · Applies from:
The Iran (Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
S.I. 2026/983 · Source: legislation.gov.uk
- Import and export controls
FR Doc. 2026-14542 · 91 FR 45516 · Source: federalregister.gov
- Tariff change
FR Doc. 2026-11158 · 91 FR 33854 · Source: federalregister.gov
- Other
Update to VAT Z Coverage on Aircraft and Aircraft Parts – 19 May 2026
Trade Tariff news 6334 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
-
Sanctions · Applies from: CELEX 32026R0506 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 8536.70 covers 3 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 8536.70; the duty is 3%.
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 optical fibre connectors worth £86.6m (up 4% on the year before), at an average of £39.10 per kg; China supplied 20%, followed by Cambodia.
World trade in optical fibre connectors reached US$2.8bn in 2024, up 23% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 28.5% of the total, ahead of the United States.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cables?
Connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cables fall under HS subheading 8536.70, part of heading 8536, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8536.70 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 connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8536.70 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 3%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre…?
China, with US$804.3m in 2024 (28.5% of world exports).
Which countries can export optical fibre connectors 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 optical fibre connectors?
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 optical fibre connectors from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were China (20%), Cambodia (15%) and United States (15%), out of total imports of £86.6m.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.