Import duty on cutting tools and toolholders: US, UK, UAE
Cutting tools are HS 8207, carbide inserts 8209 and toolholders 8466.10. The US base duty on these lines runs from 2.9% to 8.4%, the UK charges 0% plus 20% import VAT, and the UAE applies the GCC rate of 5% of CIF value. US Section 232, 301 and IEEPA duties are extra and not included.
Codes and base duty, side by side
Each code links to its official page. The UK charges 0% third-country duty on every line here; the UAE applies one general rate. In the US the line, and the rate, depend on what the cutting part is made of.
| Product | US: HTS line and General rate | UK: commodity code and duty | UAE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid carbide end millHS 8207.70 | 8207.70.30 5%Tools for milling, cutting part over 0.2% chromium, molybdenum or tungsten, or over 0.1% vanadium, by weight; stat. 8207.70.30.30 end milling cutters8207.70.60 2.9%Tools for milling, other; stat. 8207.70.60.30 end milling cutters [1][2] | 8207 70 10 00 0%Tools for milling, for working metal, with working part of cermets [3] | HS 8207.70: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| HSS end mill or milling cutterHS 8207.70 | 8207.70.30 5%Tools for milling, cutting part over 0.2% chromium, molybdenum or tungsten, or over 0.1% vanadium, by weight; stat. 8207.70.30.30 end milling cutters8207.70.60 2.9%Tools for milling, other; stat. 8207.70.60.30 end milling cutters [1] | 8207 70 31 00 0%Tools for milling, for working metal, working part of other materials, shank type8207 70 37 00 0%Same, other than shank type (e.g. arbor-mounted cutters) [3] | HS 8207.70: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Indexable carbide insertHS 8209.00 | 8209.00.00 4.6%Plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted, of cermets; stat. 8209.00.00.30 of sintered metal carbides [1] | 8209 00 20 00 0%Plates, sticks, tips and the like for tools, unmounted, of cermets: indexable inserts [3] | HS 8209.00: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Drill for metal (HSS or carbide)HS 8207.50 | 8207.50.20 5%Tools for drilling, cutting part over 0.2% chromium, molybdenum or tungsten, or over 0.1% vanadium, by weight8207.50.40 8.4%Tools for drilling, other, suitable for cutting metal [1] | 8207 50 50 00 0%Tools for drilling, for working metal, working part of cermets (carbide)8207 50 60 00 0%Same, working part of high speed steel8207 50 70 00 0%Same, working part of other materials [3] | HS 8207.50: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Tap or threading toolHS 8207.40 | 8207.40.30 5.7%Tools for tapping or threading, cutting part over 0.2% chromium, molybdenum or tungsten, or over 0.1% vanadium, by weight8207.40.60 4.8%Tools for tapping or threading, other [1] | 8207 40 10 00 0%Tools for tapping or threading, for working metal: tools for tapping8207 40 30 00 0%Same: tools for threading [3] | HS 8207.40: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Boring tool or boring barHS 8207.60 | 8207.60.00 4.8%Tools for boring or broaching, and parts thereof; stat. 8207.60.00.61 other; reamers are 8207.60.00.35 [1] | 8207 60 30 00 0%Tools for boring or broaching, working part of other materials: tools for boring, for working metal [3] | HS 8207.60: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Solid or brazed turning toolHS 8207.80 | 8207.80.30 4.8%Tools for turning, cutting part over 0.2% chromium, molybdenum or tungsten, or over 0.1% vanadium, by weight8207.80.60 3.7%Tools for turning, other [1] | 8207 80 11 00 0%Tools for turning, for working metal, working part of cermets8207 80 19 00 0%Same, working part of other materials [3] | HS 8207.80: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Toolholder (CAT, BT, HSK, collet chuck)HS 8466.10 | 8466.10.01 3.9%Tool holders and self-opening dieheads; stat. 8466.10.01.75 other [1] | 8466 10 38 00 0%Tool holders, other than arbors, collets and sleeves, not for lathes [3] | HS 8466.10: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Collet, arbor or reducing sleeveHS 8466.10 | 8466.10.01 3.9%Tool holders and self-opening dieheads [1] | 8466 10 20 00 0%Tool holders: arbors, collets and sleeves [3] | HS 8466.10: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Lathe toolholder for insertsHS 8466.10 | 8466.10.01 3.9%Tool holders and self-opening dieheads; stat. 8466.10.01.30 holders for replaceable cutting or drill inserts [1] | 8466 10 31 00 0%Tool holders, other than arbors, collets and sleeves: for lathes [3] | HS 8466.10: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
| Machine vise or other work holderHS 8466.20 | 8466.20.80 3.7%Work holders, other than for machine tools used in cutting gears [1] | 8466 20 91 00 0%Work holders, other: for lathes8466 20 98 00 0%Work holders, other: other [3] | HS 8466.20: 5% GCC general rate on CIF value; 12-digit line not verified [5][6] |
US: HTS 2026 Revision 22, General (column 1) rate, which applies to countries with normal trade relations, India and China included. Free-trade partners listed in the HTS "Special" column (for example Australia, Korea, Singapore) pay less [1]. UK: third-country duty from the UK Trade Tariff; India's preference is also 0% (from 15 Jul 2026), so it changes nothing here. Goods from Russia and Belarus carry an extra 35% [3]. UAE: GCC common tariff, 5% on goods from outside the GCC, with 417 goods exempted by schedule [5]; Dubai charges it on the CIF value [6].
What the US base rate leaves out
The rate in the table is only the HTS base rate. US importers can owe extra duties listed in Chapter 99 of the HTS, and these changed several times in 2025 and 2026. We do not add them up, because no official source we could read gives one reliable total per line and origin.
Never quote a US landed cost from the base rate alone. Check each programme below for your HTS line and country of origin on the day you import, or ask your customs broker.
- Section 232 (steel and aluminum derivatives). Toolholders and cutting tools are made of steel, so check whether your line is on the derivative list: CBP Section 232 FAQ [9].
- IEEPA duties. Country-based duties and their current status: CBP IEEPA FAQ [10].
- Section 301. Mainly goods from China: USTR Section 301 [11].
- The Chapter 99 lines themselves (9903.xx.xx), which your broker enters next to the base line: USITC HTS Chapter 99 [8].
How to pick the right line
Same first 6 digits everywhere. 8207.70 (milling tools) means the same thing in the US, the UK and the UAE. After that each country splits the code its own way: the US by the alloy content of the cutting part, the UK by working-part material and tool shape, the UAE to 12 digits.
Carbide is a cermet in the tariff. The UK puts carbide end mills, drills and turning tools in the "working part of cermets" lines, and the US 8209 line for inserts is "of cermets", split into "of sintered metal carbides" and "of other cermets" [1]. The US 8207 lines instead ask whether the cutting part has over 0.2% chromium, molybdenum or tungsten, or over 0.1% vanadium. A 2000 CBP ruling put solid carbide end mills in 8207.70.3030 on that test [2].
Holder or tool? A holder that carries a tool (CAT40 collet chuck, shell mill arbor, lathe holder for inserts) is 8466.10. The insert that does the cutting is 8209. A tool with its cutting edge built in (solid end mill, drill, tap) is 8207.
Get it in writing. This table is our reading of the tariff text, not a ruling. For a binding answer use a CBP binding ruling (search CROSS first), an HMRC Advance Tariff Ruling [4], or the UAE Commodity Search and your local customs department [7].
Need the toolholder details too? Spindle taper identifier, ER collet chart, pull stud finder.
Sources and last checked
| # | Source | What we took from it | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USITC: Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 2026 Revision 22 | Line descriptions and General (column 1) duty rates for headings 8207, 8209, 8466.10 and 8466.20, read from the USITC HTS REST API (release dated 26 Oct 2026). | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 2 | CBP CROSS: ruling NY F85821 (14 Apr 2000), solid carbide end millsThe CROSS API refused scripted requests, so we read the ruling text through a public mirror. Open it on CROSS to confirm before you rely on it. | Kennametal solid carbide end mills classified in 8207.70.3030 (cutting part over 0.2% chromium and tungsten). | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 3 | UK Trade Tariff (GOV.UK): commodity API v2 | Third-country duty (measure 103) 0.00% on every commodity code listed here, import VAT (measure 305) 20%, the 35% additional duty on goods from Russia and Belarus (measure 695), and the India tariff preference (0.00%, from 15 Jul 2026). | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 4 | GOV.UK: Apply for an Advance Tariff Ruling | How to get a legally binding UK classification. | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 5 | ICP (UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security): Customs Union for GCC | Common customs tariff: 5% on all foreign goods imported from outside the GCC; 417 goods exempted by schedule. | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 6 | u.ae (UAE government portal): Customs duty and tariff | Dubai: customs tariff is 5% of the CIF value (alcohol and cigarettes excluded); UAE tariffs range from 0 to 5%. Page updated 28 Oct 2026. | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 7 | ICP: Central Customs Tariff System (Commodity Search, duty estimator) | Where to confirm the 12-digit UAE code, its duty rate and any agreement rate. UAE codes have 12 digits since the GCC integrated tariff. | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 8 | USITC HTS: Chapter 99 (temporary and additional duties) | Not used for any number. Linked because Section 232, 301 and IEEPA duties are listed here, not in the base rate. | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 9 | CBP: Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, FAQ | Not used for any number. Linked for steel and aluminum derivative duties. | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 10 | CBP: IEEPA frequently asked questions | Not used for any number. Linked for IEEPA duties and their current status. | 2 Nov 2026 |
| 11 | USTR: Section 301 investigations | Not used for any number. Linked for Section 301 duties (for example on goods from China). | 2 Nov 2026 |
Tariffs change. Found a rate that differs from the official page today? Email the correction with the code and we fix it.
Selling tools to buyers in the US, UK or UAE? Put the HS code and specs on every product page. Krira Digital builds catalog websites for manufacturers.
Questions
What is the HS code for a carbide end mill?
HS 8207.70 (tools for milling). In the US the line is 8207.70.30 (5%) when the cutting part has over 0.2% chromium, molybdenum or tungsten, or over 0.1% vanadium, otherwise 8207.70.60 (2.9%); CBP classified solid carbide end mills in 8207.70.3030 in ruling NY F85821. In the UK it is 8207 70 10 00, milling tools for metal with a working part of cermets, at 0% duty.
What is the HS code for carbide inserts?
HS 8209.00: plates, tips and the like for tools, unmounted, of cermets. US 8209.00.00 at 4.6% (statistical suffix .30 for sintered metal carbides). UK 8209 00 20 00, indexable inserts, at 0% duty.
What is the HS code for a CNC toolholder?
HS 8466.10, tool holders. US 8466.10.01 at 3.9%. In the UK, collets, arbors and sleeves are 8466 10 20 00, lathe toolholders 8466 10 31 00 and other toolholders (CAT, BT, HSK holders, collet chucks) 8466 10 38 00, all at 0% duty.
What is the US import duty on cutting tools from India?
The HTS base (General) rate applies to India: 2.9% to 8.4% for the lines on this page, depending on the tool. Chapter 99 duties (Section 232, IEEPA) can apply on top; check the CBP pages linked above for your line on the day you import.
Why does this page not show a total US duty?
Section 232, 301 and IEEPA duties sit in Chapter 99 of the HTS, depend on the line and the country of origin, and changed several times in 2025 and 2026. The USITC tariff data we use does not return them per line, so a single total would be a guess.
Is there import duty on cutting tools into the UK?
The UK third-country duty is 0% on all the cutting tool, insert, toolholder and work holder codes on this page (UK Trade Tariff, checked 2 Nov 2026). Import VAT of 20% still applies, and goods from Russia and Belarus carry an additional 35% duty.
What is the customs duty on tools in the UAE?
The UAE applies the GCC common customs tariff: 5% on goods imported from outside the GCC, with 417 goods exempted by schedule (ICP). In Dubai it is charged on the CIF value. Confirm your 12-digit code in the ICP Commodity Search.
Are HS codes the same in every country?
The first 6 digits are the same worldwide. Each country adds its own digits: the US HTS uses 8 (plus 2 statistical), the UK 10 and the UAE 12, and each splits the lines differently.
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