Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8540
8540.20: Television camera tubes; image converters and intensifiers; other photocathode tubes
8540.20 is a six-digit subheading of heading 8540, thermionic, cold cathode or photocathode valves and tubes, chapter 85.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 8540 20 00 00 Television camera tubes; image converters and intensifiers; other photocathode tubes p/st
- 8540 20 10 00 Television camera tubes Freep/st
- 8540 20 10 10 For use in certain types of aircraft Free+3p/st
- 8540 20 10 90 Other Free+4p/st
- 8540 20 80 00 Other Freep/st
- 8540 20 80 10 For use in certain types of aircraft Free+3p/st
- Other Freep/st
- 8540 20 80 91 Photomultiplier Free+4p/st
- 8540 20 80 99 Other Free+4p/st
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 3
- 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
- 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 3 of 5 lines
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
- Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 France | £10.4m | 41.2% | +38.1% |
 Netherlands | £7.8m | 31% | +105.8% |
 Japan | £2.9m | 11.6% | +12.4% |
 United States | £1.7m | 6.6% | -58.2% |
| United Kingdom | £1.1m | 4.4% | +60.2% |
 China | £642k | 2.5% | +41.3% |
 Germany | £377k | 1.5% | +90.9% |
 Australia | £89k | 0.4% | +3.2% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU 2.7% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines 
Türkiye 20% – 35% Statutory rate (Law 474) 2 tariff lines · average 27.5% USA 3.3% – 6% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 4.7% 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$223kUS$223k+US$1.4m+US$18.7m+> US$104.8m
Exports: 65
- France: US$187.6m
- Japan: US$104.8m
- United States: US$102.3m
- Netherlands: US$99.5m
- China: US$54.1m
- Germany: US$31.5m
- United Kingdom: US$18.7m
- Serbia: US$6.7m
- Australia: US$4m
- Taiwan: US$3.7m
- Czechia: US$2.6m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$2.2m
- India: US$2m
- Switzerland: US$1.5m
- Türkiye: US$1.4m
- Russia: US$1.4m
- Greece: US$1.2m
- Singapore: US$1m
- Thailand: US$943.3k
- Poland: US$860k
- Sweden: US$819.9k
- Mexico: US$642.3k
- Belgium: US$614k
- South Korea: US$515.1k
- Israel: US$508.3k
- Austria: US$424.2k
- Canada: US$407.1k
- Kuwait: US$387.7k
- Slovakia: US$295.7k
- Spain: US$231.2k
- Portugal: US$230.7k
- Bulgaria: US$223k
- Italy: US$177.5k
- Malaysia: US$164.6k
- Lithuania: US$131.7k
- Denmark: US$130.1k
- Norway: US$117.9k
- South Africa: US$78.9k
- Ireland: US$47.3k
- Finland: US$42.9k
- Kyrgyzstan: US$42.3k
- Malta: US$27k
- Slovenia: US$23.6k
- Brazil: US$22.6k
- Indonesia: US$19.1k
- United Arab Emirates: US$15k
- Latvia: US$9.5k
- Hungary: US$7.2k
- Luxembourg: US$7.2k
- Colombia: US$6.4k
- Estonia: US$4.6k
- Bahrain: US$4.2k
- Saudi Arabia: US$3.6k
- Romania: US$2.4k
- Philippines: US$2.2k
- Vietnam: US$1.4k
- Ghana: US$400
- Croatia: US$300
- Mozambique: US$300
- North Macedonia: US$200
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$67kUS$67k+US$2.3m+US$10.3m+> US$35m
Imports: 122
- Greece: US$171.5m
- United States: US$71.3m
- China: US$66.6m
- France: US$35m
- Germany: US$26.7m
- United Kingdom: US$26.3m
- Poland: US$21.4m
- Singapore: US$20.7m
- Netherlands: US$16.4m
- India: US$13m
- Luxembourg: US$10.6m
- Taiwan: US$10.3m
- Finland: US$10.3m
- Israel: US$9.9m
- Czechia: US$9.9m
- Japan: US$9.8m
- Canada: US$9.1m
- Ukraine: US$9m
- Türkiye: US$8.4m
- Belarus: US$8.4m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$5.6m
- Estonia: US$5.5m
- Italy: US$5.5m
- Spain: US$5m
- South Korea: US$4.7m
- Bulgaria: US$4.5m
- Slovakia: US$4.5m
- Lithuania: US$4.2m
- South Africa: US$2.6m
- Austria: US$2.3m
- Switzerland: US$2.2m
- Australia: US$2m
- Serbia: US$2m
- Belgium: US$1.8m
- Norway: US$1.8m
- Russia: US$1.7m
- Hungary: US$1.4m
- Mexico: US$1.3m
- Sweden: US$1.3m
- United Arab Emirates: US$1.1m
- Ireland: US$859.2k
- Latvia: US$739.4k
- Ecuador: US$669.8k
- Vietnam: US$660.7k
- Thailand: US$636.8k
- Brazil: US$580k
- Indonesia: US$572.5k
- Denmark: US$528.4k
- New Zealand: US$488.1k
- Malaysia: US$455k
- Romania: US$412.4k
- Tunisia: US$316.9k
- Saudi Arabia: US$201.5k
- Argentina: US$195k
- Croatia: US$151.6k
- Jordan: US$123.2k
- Oman: US$116.3k
- Egypt: US$99.7k
- Sri Lanka: US$72.1k
- Benin: US$67k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | US$187.6m | 29.6% |
| 2 | Japan | US$104.8m | 16.5% |
| 3 | United States | US$102.3m | 16.1% |
| 4 | Netherlands | US$99.5m | 15.7% |
| 5 | China | US$54.1m | 8.5% |
| 6 | Germany | US$31.5m | 5% |
| 7 | United Kingdom | US$18.7m | 3% |
| 8 |  Serbia | US$6.7m | 1.1% |
| 9 | Australia | US$4m | 0.6% |
| 10 |  Taiwan | US$3.7m | 0.6% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Greece | US$171.5m | 27% |
| 2 | United States | US$71.3m | 11.2% |
| 3 | China | US$66.6m | 10.5% |
| 4 | France | US$35m | 5.5% |
| 5 | Germany | US$26.7m | 4.2% |
| 6 | United Kingdom | US$26.3m | 4.1% |
| 7 |  Poland | US$21.4m | 3.4% |
| 8 |  Singapore | US$20.7m | 3.3% |
| 9 | Netherlands | US$16.4m | 2.6% |
| 10 |  India | US$13m | 2% |
In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 8540.20 covers 5 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature divides subheading 8540.20 into 2 tariff lines; the duty is 2.7%.
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 these goods worth £25.3m (up 30% on the year before), at an average of £2,303.34 per kg; France supplied 41%, followed by Netherlands.
World trade in these goods reached US$634.6m in 2024, up 13.7% on 2023.
France was the largest exporter with 29.6% of the total, ahead of Japan.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for television camera tubes; image converters and intensifiers; other photocathode tubes?
Television camera tubes; image converters and intensifiers; other photocathode tubes fall under HS subheading 8540.20, part of heading 8540, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on television camera tubes in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8540.20 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 television camera tubes in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8540.20 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 television camera tubes?
France, with US$187.6m in 2024 (29.6% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods 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 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 France (41%), Netherlands (31%) and Japan (12%), out of total imports of £25.3m.