Subheading · Chapter 90 · Heading 9031
9031.49: Other optical instruments and appliances: other
Other optical measuring instruments
Official description Other
9031.49 is the HS subheading for other optical measuring instruments, under heading 9031 in chapter 90.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 9031 49 00 00 Other
- 9031 49 10 00 Profile projectors Freep/st
- 9031 49 90 00 Other 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. 598
- Documents
- 9014
- 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 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
- Iraq, Russia, Syria, Ukraine
- Legal act
- S.I. 2020/707, 2023 No. 440, S.I. 2019/792, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9011
- 9022
- 9038
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- Import controlImport control on restricted goods and technologies
- Applies to goods from
- Iran, Libya, North Korea, Russia
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/461, S.I. 2019/411, 2020 No. 1665, S.I. 2019/855
- 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–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
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 Germany | £50.2m | 23.1% | +2.2% |
 China | £31.1m | 14.3% | +8.6% |
 United States | £24.2m | 11.1% | +29.3% |
 Japan | £19.2m | 8.8% | +3.3% |
| United Kingdom | £13m | 6% | +0.2% |
 Mexico | £12.3m | 5.7% | -36.1% |
 Switzerland | £11.6m | 5.4% | +60.2% |
 Canada | £9.5m | 4.4% | +72.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$142.1kUS$142.1k+US$7.8m+US$139.9m+> US$819.9m
Exports: 162
- Germany: US$2.2bn
- Japan: US$1.8bn
- China: US$1.7bn
- United States: US$896.2m
- South Korea: US$819.9m
- Canada: US$524.9m
- Taiwan: US$387.1m
- Italy: US$244.5m
- Switzerland: US$234.3m
- United Kingdom: US$233.6m
- France: US$231.4m
- Israel: US$173m
- Singapore: US$147.2m
- Mexico: US$143.2m
- Vietnam: US$142.1m
- Netherlands: US$139.9m
- Malaysia: US$126m
- Ireland: US$99.3m
- Austria: US$87.4m
- Sweden: US$85.3m
- Thailand: US$82m
- Indonesia: US$68.7m
- Spain: US$63.1m
- Finland: US$57.8m
- Hungary: US$54.5m
- Poland: US$53.2m
- Belgium: US$52.5m
- Denmark: US$39m
- Czechia: US$37.7m
- Luxembourg: US$25.7m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$22.5m
- Norway: US$22.3m
- Türkiye: US$21.5m
- Slovakia: US$21.1m
- India: US$18m
- Slovenia: US$15.4m
- Australia: US$13.9m
- Philippines: US$12.2m
- Romania: US$12.1m
- New Zealand: US$7.8m
- Latvia: US$7.3m
- Lithuania: US$7m
- Portugal: US$5.5m
- South Africa: US$5.2m
- Malta: US$5.1m
- Argentina: US$4.9m
- United Arab Emirates: US$4.8m
- Croatia: US$3.5m
- Russia: US$3.2m
- Bulgaria: US$3m
- Brazil: US$2.6m
- Serbia: US$2.4m
- Belarus: US$2.1m
- Tunisia: US$2m
- Estonia: US$1.8m
- Morocco: US$1.7m
- Kazakhstan: US$1.4m
- Greece: US$1.1m
- Colombia: US$844k
- Iceland: US$767.2k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$1.4mUS$1.4m+US$12.3m+US$131.7m+> US$378.7m
Imports: 208
- China: US$2.1bn
- United States: US$1.6bn
- Germany: US$759.5m
- Taiwan: US$631.9m
- South Korea: US$628.3m
- Vietnam: US$479.4m
- Japan: US$378.7m
- Mexico: US$292.6m
- France: US$245m
- India: US$244.6m
- United Kingdom: US$225.2m
- Italy: US$216.7m
- Singapore: US$202.4m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$191.5m
- Netherlands: US$186m
- Switzerland: US$181.5m
- Russia: US$171.8m
- Canada: US$166.5m
- Thailand: US$146m
- Poland: US$137.6m
- Spain: US$131.7m
- Malaysia: US$115.5m
- Brazil: US$113.5m
- Türkiye: US$113.4m
- Czechia: US$110.7m
- Austria: US$101.7m
- Belgium: US$88.5m
- Australia: US$73.6m
- Sweden: US$72m
- Saudi Arabia: US$66.6m
- Indonesia: US$66m
- Romania: US$60.2m
- Hungary: US$57.9m
- Denmark: US$54.2m
- Slovakia: US$50.7m
- Ireland: US$49.6m
- United Arab Emirates: US$45.7m
- Israel: US$45.4m
- Philippines: US$38.3m
- Norway: US$29.5m
- Finland: US$28.2m
- South Africa: US$24.9m
- Portugal: US$20.2m
- Slovenia: US$18.9m
- Serbia: US$16m
- Argentina: US$15.5m
- Belarus: US$14.3m
- Kazakhstan: US$14.2m
- Morocco: US$13.8m
- Kyrgyzstan: US$13.7m
- Chile: US$12.8m
- Ukraine: US$12.3m
- Bulgaria: US$12.2m
- New Zealand: US$12.1m
- Luxembourg: US$11.9m
- Colombia: US$11.7m
- Iran: US$10.8m
- Egypt: US$10.2m
- Greece: US$8.7m
- Croatia: US$7.9m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | US$2.2bn | 19.4% |
| 2 | Japan | US$1.8bn | 16.2% |
| 3 | China | US$1.7bn | 14.9% |
| 4 | United States | US$896.2m | 8.1% |
| 5 |  South Korea | US$819.9m | 7.4% |
| 6 | Canada | US$524.9m | 4.7% |
| 7 |  Taiwan | US$387.1m | 3.5% |
| 8 |  Italy | US$244.5m | 2.2% |
| 9 | Switzerland | US$234.3m | 2.1% |
| 10 | United Kingdom | US$233.6m | 2.1% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$2.1bn | 18.7% |
| 2 | United States | US$1.6bn | 14.3% |
| 3 | Germany | US$759.5m | 6.8% |
| 4 | Taiwan | US$631.9m | 5.7% |
| 5 | South Korea | US$628.3m | 5.7% |
| 6 |  Vietnam | US$479.4m | 4.3% |
| 7 | Japan | US$378.7m | 3.4% |
| 8 | Mexico | US$292.6m | 2.6% |
| 9 |  France | US$245m | 2.2% |
| 10 |  India | US$244.6m | 2.2% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 25
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.
- N364988 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of an automated body scanner from Spain
- N364058 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification and eligibility of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement of automated optical inspection systems from Canada
- N353708 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a package dimensioning and scale device from China
- N353292 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of the Mazlite System from Canada
- N352165 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a smart camera from China
- N343286 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a laser level, paint sprayers and a suction tool from China
- 600016367 HMRC
A machine vision inspection systems for contact lens manufacturing. It uses cameras, optical systems to capture images of the dry lenses in the process of soft contact manufacturing, and use machine vision algorithm to process the image to produce the results of pass or fail. This is an…
- 600016102 HMRC
A portable, handheld optical measuring device designed to measure and check railway wheelsets. The device uses non-contact laser light-section technology to capture wheel profile, diameter, back-to-back distance and other wheelset geometrical measurements. The handheld sensor transmits the…
- 600013425 HMRC
A C-Cell instrument, which is used to measure various parameters to determine the quality of baked goods and the analysis makes sure the product conforms to baking standards. The instrument takes a number of images of the baked good under inspection and analysis software then produces values for a…
- 600009731 HMRC
Fibre optic real time thermal rating (RTTR) measurement and monitoring system for power cables. It is a system made up of several components/sub-assemblies. The inputs to the monitoring system are the construction and installation details of the power cable, distributed temperature data of the…
25 rulings in total for this code
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.
- Tariff change
FR Doc. 2026-11158 · 91 FR 33854 · Source: federalregister.gov
-
Sanctions · Applies from: CELEX 32026R0506 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
- Sanctions · Applies from:
CELEX 32026R0271 · Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
The UK Global Tariff divides subheading 9031.49 into 2 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
In the EU Combined Nomenclature, subheading 9031.49 covers 2 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
174 countries pay no duty in the UK thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as DCTS Comprehensive and European Union, against a standard rate of Free.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
Imports of other optical measuring instruments into the UK came to £217m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 8% on the year before); Germany supplied 23%, followed by China.
In 2024, countries exported other optical measuring instruments worth US$11.1bn (−4.8% year on year).
The largest exporter was Germany (US$2.2bn), followed by Japan.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for other optical instruments and appliances: other?
Other optical instruments and appliances: other fall under HS subheading 9031.49, part of heading 9031, in section XVIII of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on other optical instruments and appliances: other in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 9031.49 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 other optical instruments and appliances: other in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 9031.49 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 other optical instruments and appliances: other?
Germany, with US$2.2bn in 2024 (19.4% of world exports).
Which countries can export other optical measuring instruments 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 other optical measuring instruments?
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 other optical measuring instruments from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Germany (23%), China (14%) and United States (11%), out of total imports of £217m.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.