Subheading · Chapter 96 · Heading 9608
9608.30: Fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens
Subheading 9608.30 belongs to heading 9608 (ballpoint pens) in chapter 96.
What you pay
Importing into UK from Barbados
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 9608 30 00 00 Fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens Free
2%
Additional duties and import rulesBarbados
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Import requirements 1
- Import controlImport control - CITES
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- 2021 No. 54
- Documents
- C400 Presentation of the required "CITES" certificate
- Y900 Declared goods do not belong to the Washington Convention (CITES)
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 Germany | £4.1m | 46.6% | +3.4% |
 China | £1.6m | 18.2% | -29% |
 Japan | £937k | 10.6% | +30.4% |
 France | £900k | 10.2% | +25.2% |
 Taiwan | £483k | 5.5% | -0.7% |
 Italy | £416k | 4.7% | +7.5% |
 United States | £81k | 0.9% | -60.1% |
 India | £68k | 0.8% | +58.1% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$73kUS$73k+US$815.8k+US$5.5m+> US$23.3m
Exports: 129
- Germany: US$133.9m
- China: US$113.1m
- Japan: US$31.8m
- France: US$23.3m
- Italy: US$18.1m
- Czechia: US$13.6m
- Taiwan: US$12.1m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$11.1m
- Netherlands: US$10.9m
- Poland: US$8.4m
- United States: US$5.7m
- United Kingdom: US$5.5m
- Spain: US$5.2m
- Belgium: US$4.9m
- India: US$4.8m
- Ireland: US$4.1m
- Switzerland: US$3.9m
- Slovakia: US$3.1m
- Singapore: US$2.7m
- Slovenia: US$2.6m
- Vietnam: US$2.4m
- Tunisia: US$1.9m
- Canada: US$1.6m
- Thailand: US$1.2m
- Sweden: US$1.1m
- Austria: US$901.9k
- Armenia: US$854.1k
- Israel: US$815.8k
- South Korea: US$796.7k
- Greece: US$775.9k
- South Africa: US$664.9k
- Malaysia: US$517.7k
- Indonesia: US$496.5k
- Denmark: US$489k
- Türkiye: US$485k
- Latvia: US$380.4k
- Portugal: US$370.8k
- Lithuania: US$294k
- Bulgaria: US$221.5k
- Jordan: US$218.1k
- Romania: US$216.4k
- Finland: US$202.3k
- United Arab Emirates: US$198.3k
- Cyprus: US$185.2k
- Estonia: US$183k
- Mexico: US$169k
- Brazil: US$131.4k
- Hungary: US$98.5k
- Australia: US$94.7k
- Saudi Arabia: US$94.4k
- Cambodia: US$92.3k
- Kazakhstan: US$90.7k
- Pakistan: US$85.9k
- Macao SAR China: US$76.7k
- Afghanistan: US$73.3k
- Moldova: US$73k
- New Zealand: US$69.5k
- Croatia: US$60.7k
- Peru: US$58.1k
- Serbia: US$57.2k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$81.8kUS$81.8k+US$699.4k+US$7.4m+> US$14.7m
Imports: 206
- Germany: US$54.7m
- United States: US$44.1m
- China: US$38.1m
- France: US$20.6m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$19.1m
- Singapore: US$17.1m
- Poland: US$14.7m
- South Korea: US$12.9m
- United Kingdom: US$12m
- Spain: US$12m
- Vietnam: US$11.8m
- Italy: US$11.4m
- Netherlands: US$10.8m
- Austria: US$9.7m
- Belgium: US$9.4m
- Japan: US$9.3m
- Czechia: US$9m
- Switzerland: US$8.8m
- Taiwan: US$8.5m
- United Arab Emirates: US$8.3m
- Türkiye: US$7.4m
- Mexico: US$6.3m
- Canada: US$5.6m
- India: US$5.6m
- Slovakia: US$4.7m
- Australia: US$4.4m
- Portugal: US$4.3m
- Romania: US$4.1m
- Indonesia: US$3.8m
- Thailand: US$3.4m
- Sweden: US$2.7m
- Israel: US$2.1m
- Malaysia: US$1.7m
- Saudi Arabia: US$1.6m
- Russia: US$1.6m
- Egypt: US$1.5m
- Denmark: US$1.5m
- Philippines: US$1.5m
- Norway: US$1.4m
- Brazil: US$1.3m
- Ireland: US$1.3m
- Greece: US$1.2m
- Ukraine: US$1.2m
- Algeria: US$1.1m
- Nepal: US$1.1m
- Pakistan: US$988k
- Finland: US$928.7k
- South Africa: US$850.9k
- Kyrgyzstan: US$750.1k
- Lithuania: US$733.3k
- Luxembourg: US$699.4k
- New Zealand: US$699k
- Bahrain: US$689.8k
- Latvia: US$672.1k
- Slovenia: US$649.1k
- Colombia: US$624k
- Chile: US$618.3k
- Guatemala: US$606.6k
- Hungary: US$584.3k
- Myanmar (Burma): US$583.9k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | US$133.9m | 30.6% |
| 2 | China | US$113.1m | 25.8% |
| 3 | Japan | US$31.8m | 7.3% |
| 4 | France | US$23.3m | 5.3% |
| 5 | Italy | US$18.1m | 4.1% |
| 6 |  Czechia | US$13.6m | 3.1% |
| 7 | Taiwan | US$12.1m | 2.8% |
| 8 |  Hong Kong SAR China | US$11.1m | 2.5% |
| 9 |  Netherlands | US$10.9m | 2.5% |
| 10 |  Poland | US$8.4m | 1.9% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | US$54.7m | 12.5% |
| 2 | United States | US$44.1m | 10.1% |
| 3 | China | US$38.1m | 8.7% |
| 4 | France | US$20.6m | 4.7% |
| 5 | Hong Kong SAR China | US$19.1m | 4.4% |
| 6 |  Singapore | US$17.1m | 3.9% |
| 7 | Poland | US$14.7m | 3.4% |
| 8 |  South Korea | US$12.9m | 3% |
| 9 | United Kingdom | US$12m | 2.7% |
| 10 |  Spain | US$12m | 2.7% |
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.
The UK Global Tariff has one tariff line for subheading 9608.30; the duty is 2%.
Subheading 9608.30 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is 3.7%.
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 2%.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
Imports of these goods into the UK came to £8.8m between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 3% on the year before); Germany supplied 47%, followed by China.
In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$437.5m (+2.4% year on year).
The largest exporter was Germany (US$133.9m), followed by China.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens?
Fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens fall under HS subheading 9608.30, part of heading 9608, in section XX of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 9608.30 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 2%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 9608.30 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 3.7%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens?
Germany, with US$133.9m in 2024 (30.6% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods 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 2% 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 Germany (47%), China (18%) and Japan (11%), out of total imports of £8.8m.