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HS 8109Critical minerals

HS Code for Zirconium & Hafnium (HS 8109 / 8112.31)

Nuclear-grade zircaloy tubing clads uranium fuel pellets in PWR/BWR reactors - the primary nuclear application. Hafnium (nearly always found with Zr) is separated and used for reactor control rods, superalloys, semiconductor high-k dielectrics. SMR deployment drives niche demand growth.

Reviewed against WCO HS · WTO IDB · National customs schedules4 authoritative sourcesLast reviewed July 2026

Sample 6-digit codes

CodeDescription
8109.20Zirconium unwrought / powders
8109.31Zirconium waste and scrap
8112.31Hafnium unwrought / powders
Need to check a specific code? Use the free HS code lookup tool.

Typical import duty by market

MarketDuty
European Union
5%
United States
4.4%
Japan
0-3%

Worked landed-cost example

10 MT zircaloy-4 tubing 15mm OD, FOB Le Havre USD 88,000/MT, CIF Charleston SC

FOBUSD 880,000
Secure freight + insuranceUSD 12,000
CIFUSD 892,000
US duty 4.4%USD 39,248
Landed ≈ USD 931k. Zirconium mineral sands are cheap; nuclear-grade tubing conversion is where the value is.
Run your own numbers in the import duty & tax calculator.
Regulatory checkpoints
  • · IAEA safeguards (nuclear-grade material dual-use).
  • · NRC / EU / IAEA end-use certificate.
  • · ASTM B350 nuclear-grade zircaloy standard.
  • · IMDG Class 4 UN 2008 (pyrophoric hafnium powder).
Top exporting countries
  • · Australia (mineral sands)
  • · China (ATI Zr)
  • · France (Framatome)
  • · USA (ATI)

Frequently asked questions

Hf-free zircaloy - why hard?

Zr and Hf occur together in zircon sand (~2% Hf in Zr). Nuclear fuel cladding needs Hf below 100 ppm because Hf absorbs neutrons. Separation is by fractional distillation of ZrCl4/HfCl4 - only ~4 plants worldwide (ATI, Framatome, Chepetsk, CNNC). This creates a bottleneck for SMR fuel supply chains.

Destination market toolkits

Country-specific duty, VAT/GST and Incoterms practice for the top destinations for critical minerals.

Import into China →
Import VAT · 13% standard, 9% reduced, 6% services
Import into United States →
No federal VAT / GST · 0% federal
Import into Germany →
VAT (Umsatzsteuer / Einfuhrumsatzsteuer) · 19% standard, 7% reduced
Import into Japan →
Consumption Tax (JCT) · 10% standard / 8% reduced (food, newspapers)
Import into Australia →
GST · 10%
Import into India →
IGST on imports · 5% / 12% / 18% / 28%

Critical minerals landed-cost pages: every destination market

Jump straight to the critical minerals import guide for any of the destination markets we cover.

Related commodity guides

HS 2836.91Critical minerals
HS Code for Lithium Carbonate (HS 2836.91) →
HS 2825.20Critical minerals
HS Code for Lithium Hydroxide (HS 2825.20) →
HS 8105Critical minerals
HS Code for Cobalt (HS 8105) →
HS 2504Critical minerals
HS Code for Graphite (HS 2504) →

Related tools

HS Code Lookup →
Search harmonised codes across 21 sections.
Import Duty & Tax →
Landed cost with duty, VAT/GST and cess.
Landed Cost by HS & Country →
Duty + VAT/GST + Incoterm split for this HS.
CIF ↔ FOB Converter →
Convert customs value between Incoterms.

Sources & citations

Duty rates and regulations compiled from WCO HS, WTO integrated database, national customs authorities and published FTA schedules. Provided for decision-support only - confirm the 10-digit line and current preferential status with your licensed customs broker before acting.

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