Comprehensive List of Banned Materials under National Sword
Updated 4.23.18
For materials not subject to the ban, China has instituted a new and extremely prohibitive quality standard for material limiting contaminants to one half of one percent (0.5%). This requirement applies to all materials, even those not covered under the ban.
Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):
Plastic:
- 3915100000; Waste, parings and scrap of polymers of ethylene
- 3915200000; Waste, parings and scrap of polymers of styrene
- 3915300000; Waste, parings and scrap of polymers of vinyl chloride
- 3915901000; Waste, parings and scrap of polyethylene terephthalate
- 3915909000; Waste, parings and scrap of other plastics
Vanadium slag:
- 2619000021; Scum and slag with vanadium produced by smelting the steel, containing vanadium pentoxide more than 20%(other than granulated slag produced by smelting the steel)
- 2619000029; Other scum and slag with vanadium produced by smelting the steel(other than granulated slag produced by smelting the steel)
- 2620999011; vanadium slag from iron or steel smelting containing more than 20 percent vanadium pentoxide)
- 2620999019; slag, dust or residue containing between 10–20 percent vanadium pentoxide
Paper:
- 4707900090; Unsorted waste paper
Waste textile materials:
- 5103109090; Other noil of fine animal hair
- 5103209090; Other waste of fine animal hair (including yarn waste, but other than gametted stock)
- 5103300090; Other waste of coarse animal hair (including yarn waste, but other than gametted stock)
- 5104009090; Gametted stock of fine or coarse animal hair
- 5202100000; Yarn waste (including thread waste)
- 5202910000; Gametted stock of cotton
- 5202990000; Other cotton waste
- 5505100000; Waste (including noils, yarn waste and garneted stock) of synthetic fibres
- 5505200000; Waste (including noils, yarn waste and garneted stock) of artificial fibres
- 6310100010; Sorted new or unused scrap articles of textile materials (scrap twine, cordage, rope and cables and their products)
- 6310900010; Other new or unused scrap articles of textile materials
Other:
- (HS 2619), Ash and residues (other than from the manufacture of iron or steel), containing arsenic, metals or their compounds.
- (HS 2620), Waste, parings and scrap, of plastics.
- (HS 3915), Waste of wool or of fine or coarse animal hair, including yarn waste but excluding garnetted stock.
- (HS 5103), Garnetted stock of wool or of fine or coarse animal hair.
- (HS 5104), Cotton waste (including yarn waste and garnetted stock).
- (HS 5202), Waste (including noils, yarn waste and garnetted stock) of man-made fibres.
- (HS 5505), Used or new rags, scrap twine, cordage, rope and cables and worn out articles of twine, cordage, rope or cables, of textile materials.
- (HS 6310), – Other, including unsorted waste and scrap (HS 470790).
Simple listing with common names:
- Plastic waste from living sources
- Mixed unsorted paper
- Plastics type #3-#7.
- ethylene; styrene; vinyl chloride; PET; other plastics
- Waste textile materials
- Slag, dross (other than granulated slag), scalings and other waste from the manufacture of iron or steel.
- Ash and residues (other than from the manufacture of iron or steel), containing arsenic, metals or their compounds.
- Waste, parings and scrap, of plastics.
- Waste of wool or of fine or coarse animal hair, including yarn waste but excluding garnetted stock.
- Garnetted stock of wool or of fine or coarse animal hair.
- Cotton waste (including yarn waste and garnetted stock).
- Waste (including noils, yarn waste and garnetted stock) of man-made fibers.
- Used or new rags, scrap twine, cordage, rope and cables and worn out articles of twine, cordage, rope or cables, of textile materials.
- Other, including unsorted waste and scrap
- eight types of postconsumer plastic scrap;
- 11 types of used or scrap textile materials; and
- four types of metal slag that contain vanadium.
Additional Recyclable Materials to be banned by China in 2018 & 2019:
In April 2018, the Chinese government announced additional bans of recyclable materials set to enter into effect by the end of 2018 and 2019.
The new prohibited items include the following:
- By end-2018: steel slag, post-industrial plastics, compressed auto pieces, small electric motors and insulated wires, and vessels.
- By end-2019: wood pellets, stainless steel scrap, and nonferrous scrap excluding aluminum and copper.
List of Solid Waste to be Included in the Catalog of Banned Import Solid Waste Effective as of the End of 2018:
- 2618001001 Manganese-containing granular slag generated during smelting of steel and iron, with a manganese content greater than 25% (including slag sand)
- 2619000010 Oxide scale generated during steel rolling
- 2619000030 Steel and iron residue generated during smelting of steel and iron, with an iron content greater than 80%
- 3915100000 Waste and scrap ethylene polymers and remnants / Aluminum-plastic composite membrane
- 3915200000 Waste and scrap vinyl benzene polymers and remnants
- 3915901000 Waste and scrap polyethylene terephthalate and remnants (Waste and scrap PET and remnants, and scrap PET bottles (compressed)
- 3915909000 Other waste and scrap plastics and remnants
- 7204490010 Compressed piece of scrap automobile Compressed piece of scrap automobile
- 7204490020 Metal and electrical appliance scraps mainly for the recovery of iron and steel
- 7404000010 Metal and electrical appliance scraps mainly for the recovery of copper (including waste electric motors, waste wires and cables, and metal and electrical appliance scraps)
- 7602000010 Metal and electrical appliance scraps mainly for the recovery of aluminum (including waste wires and cables, and metal and electrical appliance scraps)
- 8908000000 Vessels and other floating structures for breaking up Scrap vessels
List of Solid Waste to be Included in the Catalog of Banned Import Solid Waste Effective as of the End of 2019:
- 4401310000 Wood pellet Wood wastes
- 4401390000 Other sawdust, wood waste and scrap
- 4501901000 Cork waste Cork waste
- 7204210000 Waste and scrap of stainless steel
- 8101970000 Tungsten wastes and scraps
- 8104200000 Magnesium wastes and scraps
- 8106001092 Other unwrought bismuth wastes and scraps
- 8108300000 Titanium wastes and scraps
- 109300000 Zirconium wastes and scraps
- 8112921010 Unwrought germanium wastes and scraps
- 8112922010 Unwrought vanadium wastes and scraps
- 8112924010 Niobium wastes and scraps
- 8112929011 Unwrought hafnium wastes and scraps
- 8112929091 Unwrought gallium and rhenium wastes and scraps
- 8113001010 Granular or powdery tungsten carbide wastes and scraps Granular or powdery tungsten carbide wastes and scraps
- 8113009010 Other tungsten carbide wastes and scraps, except for granular or powdery ones
For more information please contact your local waste hauler