UK Global Tariff · commodity code · HS 9608.40
9608 40 00 00: Propelling or sliding pencils
✓ Can be used in a customs declaration Data: UK Global Tariff · checked on 24 October 2026
- 9608 Ballpoint pens; felt-tipped and other porous-tipped pens and markers; fountain pens, stylograph pens and other pens; duplicating stylos; propelling or sliding pencils; pen-holders, pencil-holders and similar holders; parts (including caps and clips) of the foregoing articles, other than those of heading 9609
- 9608 40 00 00 Propelling or sliding pencils
What you pay
Importing into UK
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. 598
- Documents
- 9014
Import requirements 2
- 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 - CITES
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- 2021 No. 54
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | 2% |
| 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 |
Footnotes
TN701 According to the Council Regulation (EU) No 692/2014 (OJ L183, p. 9), as retained in UK La…
The prohibition shall not apply in respect of:
(a) the execution until 26 September 2014, of trade contracts concluded before 25 June 2014, or of ancillary contracts necessary for the execution of such contracts, provided that the natural or legal persons, entity or body seeking to perform the contract have notified, at least 10 working days in advance, the activity or transaction to the competent authority of the Member State in which they are established.
(b) goods originating in Crimea or Sevastopol which have been made available to the Ukrainian authorities for examination, for which compliance with the conditions conferring entitlement to preferential origin has been verified and for which a certificate of origin has been issued in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 978/2012 and Regulation (EU) No 374/2014, as retained in UK Law, or in accordance with the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement
UK: imports by month · HS 9608.40
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £2.7m | 59.8% | +42.9% |
 Japan | £506k | 11.3% | +34.5% |
 Germany | £398k | 8.9% | +4.2% |
 United States | £300k | 6.7% | +39.3% |
 India | £172k | 3.8% | +225.6% |
 France | £109k | 2.4% | -38.8% |
 Romania | £98k | 2.2% | -17.2% |
 Czechia | £54k | 1.2% | +22.7% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
9608.40 Propelling or sliding pencils
EU 3.7% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Türkiye 3.7% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines USA Free – 6.6% General (MFN) 2 tariff lines · average 3.3% 
Canada 7% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Mexico 10% – 15% Third-country duty 3 tariff lines · average 13.3% 
Brazil 16.2% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Argentina 18% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Peru 6% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
New Zealand Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line Japan Free – 5.4% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines · average 2.7% 
Taiwan 3.4% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
GCC 5% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Switzerland Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Norway Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
North Macedonia 12% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 
Nigeria 20% Third-country duty 1 tariff line 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.
- N351130 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a graphite pencil set from China
- N329177 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of a watercolor pencil set and graphite pencils from China.
- N311043 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of mechanical pencils from China
- N306035 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of LEGO minifigure toys and LEGO writing instruments from China
5 rulings in total for this code
Legal notes
Commodity code 9608 40 00 00 is a line of the UK Global Tariff under HS subheading 9608.40 (propelling or sliding pencils).
The third-country duty is 2%, and quantities are declared in p/st.
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 goods of subheading 9608.40 into the UK came to £4.5m between September 2025 and August 2026 (up 30% on the year before); China supplied 60%, followed by Japan.
For the same subheading, the EU duty is 3.7%, the Türkiye duty is 3.7%, the US duty is 0%–6.6%, the Canada duty is 7%, the Mexico duty is 10%–15%, the Brazil duty is 16.2%, the Argentina duty is 18%, the Peru duty is 6%, the New Zealand duty is free, the Japan duty is 0%–5.4%, the Taiwan duty is 3.4%, the GCC duty is 5%, the Switzerland duty is free, the Norway duty is free, the North Macedonia duty is 12% and the Nigeria duty is 20%.
The UK imported goods of subheading 9608.40 worth US$3m in 2024; the largest supplier was China.
Questions and answers
What is the UK import duty for commodity code 9608 40 00 00?
The third-country duty in the UK Global Tariff is 2%; the supplementary unit is p/st. Preferential rates for goods from agreement countries, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which countries get a lower rate on 9608 40 00 00?
174 countries have a preferential rate on this line, 174 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 9608 40 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 9608.40 as a whole, the largest supplier in 2024 was China (US$1m).