UK Global Tariff · commodity code · HS 1212.21

1212 21 00 00

1212 21 00 00: Fit for human consumption

✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: UK Global Tariff · checked on 24 October 2026

  1. 1212 Locust beans, seaweeds and other algae, sugar beet and sugar cane, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not ground; fruit stones and kernels and other vegetable products (including unroasted chicory roots of the variety cichorium intybus sativum) of a kind used primarily for human consumption, not elsewhere specified or included
  2. Seaweeds and other algae
  3. 1212 21 00 00 Fit for human consumption

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free standard rate depends on the country of origin
Additional duties and charges 1 additional measure Import requirements: 3
VAT 0.00 % import VAT
Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

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 1

  • Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
    Applies to goods from
    Belarus, Russia
    Legal act
    2022 No. 376
    Documents
    • 9008

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 of organic products
    Applies to goods from
    all countries except Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
    Legal act
    S.I. 2019/693
    Documents
    • C644 Certificate of inspection for organic products
    • Y929 Goods not concerned by Regulation (EU) 2018/848 (organic products)

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
CPTPP Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia Free
Eastern and Southern Africa States Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe 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–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–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–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

Footnotes

TN701 According to the Council Regulation (EU) No 692/2014 (OJ L183, p. 9), as retained in UK La…

UK: imports by month · HS 1212.21

last 12 months£11m+6.6% · previous 12 months
Average import price£2.61 per kg
Jan 2024: £677kFeb 2024: £786kMar 2024: £810kApr 2024: £1mMay 2024: £944kJun 2024: £737kJul 2024: £656kAug 2024: £787kSept 2024: £859kOct 2024: £1.1mNov 2024: £1.2mDec 2024: £757kJan 2025: £774kFeb 2025: £1mMar 2025: £924kApr 2025: £677kMay 2025: £846kJun 2025: £383kJul 2025: £1mAug 2025: £729kSept 2025: £746kOct 2025: £1.3mNov 2025: £994kDec 2025: £880kJan 2026: £1mFeb 2026: £969kMar 2026: £673kApr 2026: £897kMay 2026: £687kJun 2026: £981kJul 2026: £1.3mAug 2026: £628k 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 £5m 45.1% +39.2%
South Korea £1.8m 16.8% -28.5%
United States £970k 8.8% +149.9%
Philippines £803k 7.3% +87.6%
Iceland £520k 4.7% -10.8%
Japan £422k 3.8% -35%
Ireland £257k 2.3% -15.7%
Taiwan £185k 1.7% -64.5%

Same subheading in other tariffs

1212.21 Fit for human consumption

Binding rulings for similar goods

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.

  • 600016700 HMRC 15 September 2026 – 14 September 2029 · 1212 21 00 00

    A frozen seaweed dish intended for use as a side dish, an appetiser, or an ingredient in commercially prepared foods, and Sushi dishes. Once defrosted, it is ready for consumption. The seaweed is mixed with black fungus, sesame seed, and chilli pepper. It is made by harvesting farmed seaweed,…

  • 600012888 HMRC 12 May 2025 – 11 May 2028 · 1212 21 00 00

    Frozen seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) The ingredients are: Seaweed (wakame), Black fungus, Agar-agar, Sesame oil, Sesame seeds, Chili, Rice Vinegar, Salt, high Fructose Corn Syrup, Mirin, Sugar, Flavour enhancer E621, Hydrolyzed, Vegetable Protein, Colouring E133 & Colouring E102. It is packed in…

  • 600009799 HMRC 8 February 2024 – 7 February 2027 · 1212 21 00 00

    Product is 100% natural dried seaweed for human consumption, used as a raw material for making sushi. The seaweed is washed and dried at 160-350°C for approximately 5 seconds, it is then cooled and packaged in plastic bags. Available in various quantities.

Legal notes

Notes

Chapter notes: Chapter 12 →

Commodity code 1212 21 00 00 is a line of the UK Global Tariff under HS subheading 1212.21 (fit for human consumption).

The third-country duty is free.

172 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 goods of subheading 1212.21 into the UK came to £11m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 7% on the year before); China supplied 45%, followed by South Korea.

For the same subheading, the EU duty is free, the Türkiye duty is free, the US duty is free, the Canada duty is free, the Mexico duty is 0%–20%, the Brazil duty is 5.4%, the Argentina duty is 5.4%, the Peru duty is 6%, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is 10.5%–40%, the Taiwan duty is 3%–15%, the GCC duty is 5%, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is free and the Nigeria duty is 5%.

The UK imported goods of subheading 1212.21 worth US$15m in 2024; the largest supplier was South Korea.

Questions and answers

What is the UK import duty for commodity code 1212 21 00 00?

The third-country duty in the UK Global Tariff is free. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which countries get a lower rate on 1212 21 00 00?

172 countries have a preferential rate on this line, 172 of them at 0%, under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union and DCTS Enhanced and other arrangements. The rate applies only to goods that meet the rules of origin of the agreement, with proof of origin. Choose the country of origin on this page to see its rate.

Do anti-dumping or other extra duties apply to 1212 21 00 00?

Additional duty of 35% on goods from Belarus and Russia. These are charged on top of the customs duty.

Where does the UK import these goods from?

For subheading 1212.21 as a whole, the largest supplier in 2024 was South Korea (US$4m), followed by China.

Download as CSV Follow changes (RSS)

Typical products

Everyday names, not part of the legal text.