China customs prohibited items for commercial chemical goods
China prohibits solid-waste imports and names chemicals in import and export catalogues. Check their scope, exceptions and later measures before shipment.
China customs prohibited items include solid waste, which Announcement 2020 No.53 prohibits from import by any means from 1 January 2021, and four chemical entries that Announcement 2023 No.63 prohibits on import and on export from 1 January 2024. Neither announcement is a complete border list, and this page does not cover passenger baggage.
Chemicals in the 2024-effective catalogues
China's Ministry of Commerce, General Administration of Customs, and Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued Announcement 2023 No.63. It published the ninth prohibited-import catalogue and the eighth prohibited-export catalogue. Both contain the same four entries, effective from 1 January 2024 (Announcement No.63).
| Catalogue entry | Identity or scope point |
|---|---|
| Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) | CAS 1163-19-5 |
| PFOS, its salts and perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF) | Remarks also cover other PFOS salts and named sulfonamides. The CAS numbers are examples only |
| Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) | Straight-chain C10 to C13, chlorine greater than 48% by weight, and at least 1% by weight in a mixture |
| Dechlorane Plus and its syn and anti isomers | CAS 13560-89-9, 135821-03-3 and 135821-74-8 |
The official tables and notes give the legal scope behind these shortened labels. Do not treat these entries as a ban on every PFAS.
Scope notes that affect a shipment
Commodity names set the goods scope
Both catalogues state that commodity names determine goods scope. Customs commodity codes are references for declarations. Codes do not decide scope. Match the goods to the names and remarks in No.63, rather than using its original codes as current declaration advice.
The 1% figure is only for SCCPs
The catalogue defines SCCPs as straight-chain chlorinated hydrocarbons with chain lengths C10 to C13 and chlorine content greater than 48% by weight, and it sets the concentration in mixtures at 1% by weight or more. Check both the substance definition and the mixture concentration (catalogue footnote).
Don't apply that 1% threshold to PFOS, decaBDE or Dechlorane Plus. Check the applicable scope for those substances separately. For finished articles, do not assume that containing a listed substance automatically means prohibition or exemption. Check the particular product against the catalogue's scope (No.63 tables and notes).
Laboratory uses have a narrow exception
These catalogue prohibition requirements do not apply to laboratory-scale research or use as reference standards. The exception concerns these catalogues, not all customs, chemical or licensing obligations. It is not a general laboratory-shipment clearance waiver (catalogue footnote).
The separate China import ban on solid waste
Announcement 2020 No.53 prohibits solid-waste imports by any means from 1 January 2021. It also prohibits bringing foreign solid waste into China for dumping, stockpiling or disposal. This is separate from the chemical catalogues above. But recycled material is not automatically solid waste. Classify the material before applying the waste-import prohibition (Announcement No.53).
Check before importing to or exporting from China
For China import and export restrictions, start with the exact goods and chemical identity. Read the applicable catalogue entry, including its remarks and footnotes. For mixtures or finished products, check the product-specific scope rather than borrowing another substance's threshold.
Check later measures and separate obligations before shipment. These dated catalogues do not establish the full current position, and checking only these four entries is not a customs-clearance determination.
RegAffairs AI has a source-linked answer on China's prohibited imports and exports.