Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8538
8538.10: Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases for the goods of heading 8537, not equipped with their apparatus
Unequipped boards and cabinets for control panels
8538.10 is the HS subheading for unequipped boards and cabinets for control panels, under heading 8538 in chapter 85.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8538 10 00 00 Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases for the goods of heading 8537, not equipped with their apparatus 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 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
- Russia, Ukraine
- Legal act
- 2023 No. 440, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9011
- 9022
- 9038
- 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–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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands | £57.9m | 33.4% | +10,169.6% |
 Denmark | £16m | 9.2% | +65.5% |
 China | £13.8m | 8% | +28% |
 Germany | £9.5m | 5.5% | +16% |
| United Kingdom | £8m | 4.6% | -36.6% |
 India | £7.7m | 4.5% | +1.5% |
 Romania | £7.3m | 4.2% | -11.4% |
 Italy | £6.9m | 4% | -4.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Türkiye 25% Statutory rate (Law 474) 1 tariff line 
USA Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line 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$267.5kUS$267.5k+US$15.9m+US$67.1m+> US$256.5m
Exports: 166
- China: US$614.6m
- Germany: US$524.2m
- Italy: US$440.6m
- India: US$320.7m
- Spain: US$256.5m
- United States: US$214.2m
- Poland: US$192.1m
- France: US$185.1m
- Czechia: US$173.8m
- Mexico: US$162m
- Denmark: US$157.9m
- Hungary: US$155.6m
- Romania: US$150.2m
- Türkiye: US$110.9m
- Netherlands: US$94.5m
- Canada: US$70.8m
- Slovakia: US$67.1m
- Austria: US$66.3m
- Japan: US$61.2m
- United Kingdom: US$59.6m
- South Korea: US$56.9m
- Malaysia: US$49.9m
- Thailand: US$45.8m
- Singapore: US$44.4m
- Sweden: US$42.9m
- Slovenia: US$36.2m
- Taiwan: US$33.9m
- Finland: US$32.5m
- United Arab Emirates: US$32.2m
- Belgium: US$32.1m
- Greece: US$30.8m
- Estonia: US$30.5m
- Sri Lanka: US$27.5m
- Bulgaria: US$25.6m
- Switzerland: US$24.2m
- Serbia: US$24m
- Portugal: US$23m
- Tunisia: US$20.1m
- Vietnam: US$19.1m
- Morocco: US$17.2m
- Saudi Arabia: US$15.9m
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$15.2m
- Norway: US$14.4m
- Ukraine: US$14.4m
- Ireland: US$14m
- Lithuania: US$13.9m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$9.6m
- South Africa: US$8.8m
- Colombia: US$8.7m
- Croatia: US$7.2m
- Russia: US$6.9m
- Brazil: US$6.2m
- Egypt: US$6.1m
- Latvia: US$5.7m
- Australia: US$5m
- Indonesia: US$4.7m
- Philippines: US$3.6m
- Kazakhstan: US$3.5m
- Bahrain: US$2.9m
- Israel: US$2.7m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$2.4mUS$2.4m+US$13.7m+US$65.6m+> US$140.5m
Imports: 216
- United States: US$569.8m
- Germany: US$418.2m
- France: US$373.3m
- Saudi Arabia: US$216.4m
- Italy: US$179.2m
- Mexico: US$145.3m
- Poland: US$140.5m
- India: US$130.2m
- Austria: US$121.4m
- Netherlands: US$115.6m
- Czechia: US$114.2m
- United Kingdom: US$106m
- Spain: US$104.9m
- Hungary: US$90.8m
- Belgium: US$86.7m
- Romania: US$83.8m
- Australia: US$72.3m
- Switzerland: US$71.7m
- United Arab Emirates: US$71m
- Canada: US$69.7m
- Sweden: US$69m
- China: US$65.6m
- Japan: US$64.6m
- Denmark: US$63m
- Ireland: US$60.7m
- Singapore: US$55.1m
- Finland: US$50.9m
- Indonesia: US$50.6m
- Malaysia: US$50m
- Portugal: US$46.9m
- Morocco: US$45.4m
- Slovakia: US$43.6m
- Bulgaria: US$42.1m
- Norway: US$40.6m
- Taiwan: US$38.9m
- Brazil: US$35.9m
- Chile: US$32m
- Thailand: US$30.6m
- Türkiye: US$29.7m
- South Africa: US$28.5m
- Vietnam: US$27.9m
- Israel: US$27.3m
- Greece: US$27m
- South Korea: US$27m
- Egypt: US$25.2m
- Qatar: US$24.7m
- Croatia: US$24.5m
- Philippines: US$22.7m
- Russia: US$20.7m
- Kazakhstan: US$15.5m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$15.4m
- Estonia: US$14m
- Tunisia: US$13.8m
- Peru: US$13.7m
- Slovenia: US$12.8m
- Dominican Republic: US$12.8m
- Ukraine: US$11.2m
- New Zealand: US$10.4m
- Latvia: US$10.2m
- Iraq: US$10.2m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$614.6m | 12.5% |
| 2 | Germany | US$524.2m | 10.7% |
| 3 | Italy | US$440.6m | 9% |
| 4 | India | US$320.7m | 6.5% |
| 5 |  Spain | US$256.5m | 5.2% |
| 6 | United States | US$214.2m | 4.4% |
| 7 |  Poland | US$192.1m | 3.9% |
| 8 |  France | US$185.1m | 3.8% |
| 9 |  Czechia | US$173.8m | 3.5% |
| 10 |  Mexico | US$162m | 3.3% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$569.8m | 11.6% |
| 2 | Germany | US$418.2m | 8.5% |
| 3 | France | US$373.3m | 7.6% |
| 4 |  Saudi Arabia | US$216.4m | 4.4% |
| 5 | Italy | US$179.2m | 3.6% |
| 6 | Mexico | US$145.3m | 3% |
| 7 | Poland | US$140.5m | 2.9% |
| 8 | India | US$130.2m | 2.6% |
| 9 |  Austria | US$121.4m | 2.5% |
| 10 | Netherlands | US$115.6m | 2.4% |
Subheading 8538.10 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 8538.10; the duty is duty-free.
Goods from 175 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free; 175 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 unequipped boards and cabinets for control panels worth £173.5m (up 56% on the year before), at an average of £14.18 per kg; Netherlands supplied 33%, followed by Denmark.
World trade in unequipped boards and cabinets for control panels reached US$4.9bn in 2024, down 2.7% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 12.5% of the total, ahead of Germany.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases for the goods of heading 8537, not equipped with their apparatus?
Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases for the goods of heading 8537, not equipped with their apparatus fall under HS subheading 8538.10, part of heading 8538, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and… in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8538.10 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 boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and… in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8538.10 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 boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and…?
China, with US$614.6m in 2024 (12.5% of world exports).
Which countries can export unequipped boards and cabinets for control panels 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 unequipped boards and cabinets for control panels?
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 unequipped boards and cabinets for control panels from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Netherlands (33%), Denmark (9%) and China (8%), out of total imports of £173.5m.