Subheading · Chapter 85 · Heading 8541

8541.21

8541.21: With a dissipation rate of less than 1 W

Small transistors (under 1 W)

8541.21 is the HS subheading for small transistors (under 1 W), under heading 8541 in chapter 85.

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free standard rate depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges 2 additional measures Import requirements: 3
VAT 0.00 % import VAT
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →
  1. 8541 21 00 00 With a dissipation rate of less than 1 w 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 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
    Russia, Ukraine
    Legal act
    2023 No. 440, S.I. 2022/395
    Documents
    • 9011
    • 9022
    • 9038
    • 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 schemeCountriesRate
standard rate (no agreement)—Free
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£11.5m+30.6% · previous 12 months
Average import price£256.80 per kg
Jan 2024: £792kFeb 2024: £818kMar 2024: £1.5mApr 2024: £864kMay 2024: £917kJun 2024: £652kJul 2024: £580kAug 2024: £1mSept 2024: £594kOct 2024: £552kNov 2024: £611kDec 2024: £537kJan 2025: £1mFeb 2025: £401kMar 2025: £790kApr 2025: £541kMay 2025: £1.3mJun 2025: £769kJul 2025: £799kAug 2025: £818kSept 2025: £1mOct 2025: £991kNov 2025: £1.1mDec 2025: £724kJan 2026: £688kFeb 2026: £801kMar 2026: £817kApr 2026: £1.6mMay 2026: £1mJun 2026: £827kJul 2026: £728kAug 2026: £1.1m 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
China £5.3m 45.9% +45.3%
Germany £1.7m 14.6% -15.3%
Malaysia £1.1m 9.9% +53.5%
United States £925k 8.1% +36.6%
United Kingdom £447k 3.9% +129%
Philippines £445k 3.9% +21.4%
India £346k 3% +35%
Japan £299k 2.6% +30.6%

Same subheading in other tariffs

World trade in 2024

8541.21 · US$4bn

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$99kUS$99k+US$4m+US$166m+> US$367m

Exports: 107
  1. China: US$2bn
  2. Japan: US$482m
  3. Germany: US$367m
  4. Thailand: US$287m
  5. Philippines: US$276m
  6. Austria: US$233m
  7. Malaysia: US$222m
  8. South Korea: US$207m
  9. United States: US$167m
  10. Taiwan: US$166m
  11. Hong Kong SAR China: US$93m
  12. Singapore: US$87m
  13. United Kingdom: US$64m
  14. Netherlands: US$48m
  15. Macao SAR China: US$19m
  16. Mexico: US$18m
  17. Spain: US$13m
  18. Hungary: US$12m
  19. Czechia: US$9m
  20. Italy: US$7m
  21. Belgium: US$7m
  22. Morocco: US$5m
  23. France: US$5m
  24. Vietnam: US$5m
  25. Israel: US$4m
  26. Slovakia: US$3m
  27. Poland: US$3m
  28. Canada: US$3m
  29. India: US$2m
  30. Switzerland: US$2m
  31. Ireland: US$2m
  32. Bulgaria: US$2m
  33. Romania: US$1m
  34. Indonesia: US$983k
  35. Slovenia: US$807k
  36. Sweden: US$784k
  37. Finland: US$654k
  38. Australia: US$580k
  39. Denmark: US$467k
  40. Portugal: US$448k
  41. Estonia: US$271k
  42. Türkiye: US$249k
  43. Ukraine: US$249k
  44. Lithuania: US$197k
  45. Serbia: US$197k
  46. Brazil: US$195k
  47. Croatia: US$195k
  48. Norway: US$165k
  49. North Macedonia: US$99k
  50. Bahrain: US$81k
  51. Greece: US$75k
  52. Latvia: US$74k
  53. Tunisia: US$37k
  54. South Africa: US$34k
  55. Zambia: US$26k
  56. Georgia: US$24k
  57. Cambodia: US$19k
  58. Niger: US$18k
  59. Sri Lanka: US$15k
  60. Malta: US$13k

Top exporters

RankCountryValueShare
1 China US$2bn 36.2%
2 Japan US$482m 10.9%
3 Germany US$367m 8.3%
4 Thailand US$287m 6.5%
5 Philippines US$276m 6.2%
6 Austria US$233m 5.3%
7 Malaysia US$222m 5%
8 South Korea US$207m 4.7%
9 United States US$167m 3.8%
10 Taiwan US$166m 3.7%

Top importers

RankCountryValueShare
1 Hong Kong SAR China US$1bn 31.5%
2 China US$598m 13.5%
3 Germany US$441m 9.9%
4 South Korea US$300m 6.8%
5 Japan US$221m 5%
6 Singapore US$171m 3.9%
7 Vietnam US$167m 3.8%
8 United States US$133m 3%
9 Mexico US$116m 2.6%
10 Philippines US$98m 2.2%

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 Tariff change

    UK Trade Tariff: measure changes on 103 commodity codes

    Trade Tariff changes 2026-09-21 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk

  2. GB Tariff change

    Update to VATZ Coverage – 8 September 2026

    Trade Tariff news 8315 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk

  3. EU Sanctions · Applies from:

    Council Regulation (EU) 2026/271 of 29 January 2026 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1529 concerning restrictive measures in view of Iran’s military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to armed groups and entities in the Middle East and the Red Sea region

    CELEX 32026R0271 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu

Rule changes →

Subheading 8541.21 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 8541.21; 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 small transistors (under 1 W) worth £11.5m (up 31% on the year before), at an average of £256.80 per kg; China supplied 46%, followed by Germany.

World trade in small transistors (under 1 W) reached US$4bn in 2024, down 7.2% on 2023.

China was the largest exporter with 36.2% of the total, ahead of Japan.

Products classified here

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for with a dissipation rate of less than 1 W?

With a dissipation rate of less than 1 W fall under HS subheading 8541.21, part of heading 8541, in section XVI of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on with a dissipation rate of less than 1 W in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 8541.21 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 with a dissipation rate of less than 1 W in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 8541.21 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 with a dissipation rate of less than 1 W?

China, with US$2bn in 2024 (36.2% of world exports).

Which countries can export small transistors (under 1 W) 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 small transistors (under 1 W)?

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 small transistors (under 1 W) from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were China (46%), Germany (15%) and Malaysia (10%), out of total imports of £11.5m.