UK Proposes Anti-Dumping Duties of up to 82.89% on Chinese Boom Lifts

United Kingdom’s Trade Remedies Authority on Oct. 5, 2026 proposed five-year anti-dumping duties of 21.01% to 82.89% on boom lifts from China, with comments due by Oct. 20, 2026.

The UK Trade Remedies Authority said on Oct. 5, 2026 that it intends to recommend five-year anti-dumping duties of 21.01% to 82.89% on boom lifts from China¹.

Boom lifts, also called cherry pickers, are machines that lift people, equipment or materials to work at height². They are used in construction, maintenance and installation work across the UK².

In short, Chinese boom lifts already pay a temporary duty at the UK border, and the authority now proposes final rates for the next five years. Shipments from most named Chinese makers would pay between 21.01% and 48.92%, while unnamed exporters would pay 82.89%¹.

What did the Trade Remedies Authority announce on boom lifts?

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the independent UK body that checks whether imports are unfairly priced or surging². It published its Statement of Essential Facts on Oct. 5, 2026¹. This document sets out the intended final determination, which is the decision the TRA plans to make, and the facts behind it.

The TRA found that boom lifts from China are being dumped in the UK¹. Anti-dumping duty is an extra import tax on goods sold abroad below their normal price, meaning the price for the same goods in the exporter’s home market². The TRA also found that this dumping has caused or is causing injury to UK producers¹.

The TRA intends to recommend an ad valorem duty, a duty charged as a share of the value of the goods, for five years¹. The final decision rests with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade².

What rates does the TRA propose for each exporter?

The proposed rates differ by company. The TRA examined two large Chinese exporters in detail and set a separate rate for each¹. Other exporters that took part in the case get an average rate, and all remaining exporters get the highest rate.

The proposed final rates are¹:

• Zhejiang Dingli Machinery Co Ltd: 21.01%
• Lingong Heavy Machinery Co Ltd: 48.92%
• Non-sampled cooperating exporters and producers: 27.67%
• All other Chinese exporters: 82.89%

The 82.89% rate is the "residual" rate. It applies to any Chinese exporter without its own rate¹. These are still proposals, and the TRA may change them after it reads new comments.

How do the proposed rates compare with the temporary duty?

The UK already charges a temporary duty on these goods. The government imposed provisional anti-dumping duties from Aug. 20, 2026, following a TRA recommendation². The provisional rates ranged from 16.25% to 71.74%³.

Under the provisional notice, Zhejiang Dingli paid 16.25%, Lingong Heavy Machinery paid 64.25%, and other cooperating producers paid 28.12%³. All other exporters paid 71.74%³.

The proposed final rates move in both directions. Zhejiang Dingli’s rate would rise from 16.25% to 21.01%, while Lingong’s would fall from 64.25% to 48.92%¹. The rate for cooperating producers would fall slightly, from 28.12% to 27.67%. The residual rate would rise from 71.74% to 82.89%.

How does the temporary guarantee work?

During the provisional period, importers do not simply pay the duty. They must give a guarantee to cover the estimated duty, in the form of a bank guarantee, a bond or cash³. The guarantee is worked out by applying the provisional rate to the customs value of the goods³.

The guaranteed amount only becomes payable if final duties are imposed³. If the final rate is lower than the provisional rate, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the UK tax and customs authority, collects only the final amount³. If the final rate is higher, HMRC collects only the amount secured under the provisional duty³.

This matters for the proposed rates. For Zhejiang Dingli and the residual group, the proposed final rate is higher than the provisional one. For past shipments under the guarantee, the notice caps collection at the provisional amount³.

If no final measure is imposed, HMRC returns bank guarantee documents or repays bonds and cash deposits through its usual channels³. The provisional duty lasts up to 6 months or until a final measure starts, whichever comes first³.

Which boom lifts and parts are covered?

The case covers boom lifts built to lift people, equipment or materials, with a maximum working height of 6 metres or more¹. It also covers pre-assembled or ready-to-assemble sections of these machines¹.

Single components shipped on their own are excluded. However, these main sections stay covered, whether shipped alone or together³:

• booms, including articulated, telescopic or straight booms, with or without jibs
• chassis
• boom turrets or turntables
• platforms or baskets

Sub-assemblies of each of these sections are covered too, assembled or not³. The provisional notice lists 15 UK Global Tariff commodity codes under headings 8427, 8428 and 8431, such as 8427 1010 10 and 8431 3900 90³. Goods under these codes that do not match the goods description are excluded and enter at 0% with additional code 8C02³.

Which Chinese companies are named in the boom lift case?

The TRA examined a sample of the largest exporters because many companies registered¹. The sampled exporters were Zhejiang Dingli Machinery Co., Ltd and Lingong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd¹. The sampled importers were their UK arms, Zhejiang Dingli Machinery UK Limited and LGMG Machinery U.K. Limited¹.

The provisional notice gave the cooperating-producer rate to 13 other Chinese makers, each with its own additional code³. They include Sunward Intelligent Equipment, Oshkosh JLG (Tianjin), Terex (Changzhou), Zoomlion Intelligent Access Machinery, Hunan Sinoboom, XCMG Group and Haulotte Access Equipment Manufacturing (Changzhou)³. The Statement of Essential Facts lists its own set of cooperating producers in an annex¹.

To get a company rate, the importer must show HMRC a valid commercial invoice with a signed declaration³. An official of the company issuing the invoice must sign it and certify who produced the goods³. Without the invoice and declaration, the residual rate applies³.

Why did the UK act on Chinese boom lifts?

The case started with a complaint from Niftylift Limited, a UK maker of boom lifts based in Milton Keynes⁴. Niftylift filed its application on Sept. 30, 2025, and the TRA opened the investigation on Dec. 19, 2025¹.

The TRA looked at import volumes, production costs, prices and injury factors². It found that Chinese boom lifts undercut UK prices by more than 25%². The period of investigation ran from Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025². The TRA studied injury to UK industry from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2025².

The TRA identified two UK producers: Niftylift and Snorkel Europe Limited¹. It also ran an Economic Interest Test, which weighs the gains and costs of a duty for the wider UK economy². It concluded that the duty is in the UK’s economic interest².

Who is affected by the proposed boom lift duties?

UK importers that buy Chinese boom lifts would pay the final duty on new shipments for five years¹. For goods from exporters on the residual rate, that means an extra charge of 82.89% of the customs value¹.

Chinese makers face different costs depending on their rate. Lingong Heavy Machinery would face a lower rate than now, while Zhejiang Dingli would face a higher one¹. UK producers such as Niftylift would face less low-priced competition from China.

Customs brokers must enter the right additional code for each producer on import declarations³. A wrong code or missing declaration means the shipment pays the residual rate³.

What happens next for the boom lift duties?

Interested parties can comment on the Statement of Essential Facts until 23:59 BST on Oct. 20, 2026¹. Registered parties file through the Trade Remedies Service online platform, and others can send comments by email¹.

The TRA may then weigh any new evidence before it makes its final recommendation to the Secretary of State². Final rates could still change. The provisional duties, which started on Aug. 20, 2026, last until a final measure starts or for at most 6 months³.

Key points on UK boom lift anti-dumping duties

The table below sums up the main facts of the case.

The next date is Oct. 20, 2026, when comments on the proposal close¹. After that, the TRA sends its final recommendation, and the provisional duties stay in place until a final measure starts³.

Sources

1. ↩ CD-01724_AD0075-Statement of essential facts (SEF).pdf https://afd-2xllir3jmyeq6-d9fkagedfdg4aabu.a02.azurefd.net/content/CD-01724_AD0075-Statement%20of%20essential%20facts%20%28SEF%29.pdf
2. ↩ TRA proposes new anti-dumping measure on boom lifts from China  – GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tra-proposes-new-anti-dumping-measure-on-boom-lifts-from-china
3. ↩ Trade remedies notice 2026/23: provisional anti-dumping duty on boom lifts originating from China – GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-remedies-notices-boom-lifts-originating-from-china–2/trade-remedies-notice-202623-provisional-anti-dumping-duty-on-boom-lifts-originating-from-china–2
4. ↩ TRA imposes anti-dumping duties on boom lifts from China – GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tra-imposes-anti-dumping-duties-on-boom-lifts-from-china