Electrical machinery and equipment and… (chapter 85): which countries import it

Fact sheet

Code

85

Sector

Technology and Electronics

Headings in this chapter

• Electric motors and generators (excluding generating sets)Heading 8501
• Electric generating sets and rotary convertersHeading 8502
• Electric motors and generators; parts suitable for use solely or principally with the machines of heading no. 8501 or 8502Heading 8503
• Electric transformers, static converters (e.g. rectifiers) and inductorsHeading 8504
• Electro-magnets; permanent magnets, intended permanent magnets; electro-magnetic, permanent magnet chucks, clamps, similar; electromagnetic couplings, clutches, brakes; electro-magnetic lifting headsHeading 8505
• Cells and batteries; primaryHeading 8506
• Electric accumulators, including separators therefor; whether or not rectangular (including square)Heading 8507
• Vacuum cleanersHeading 8508
• Electro-mechanical domestic appliances; with self-contained electric motor, other than vacuum cleaners of heading 85.08.Heading 8509
• Shavers, hair clippers and hair removing appliances, with self-contained electric motorHeading 8510
• Ignition or starting equipment; used for spark-ignition or compression-ignition internal combustion engines; generators and cut outs used in conjunction with such enginesHeading 8511
• Lighting or visual signalling equipment (excluding articles of heading no. 8539), windscreen wipers, defrosters and demisters; electrical, of a kind used for cycles or motor vehiclesHeading 8512
• Lamps; portable, electric, designed to function by their own source of energy (e.g. dry batteries, accumulators, magnetos), excluding lighting equipment of heading no. 8512Heading 8513
• Industrial or laboratory electric furnaces and ovens (including those functioning by induction or dielectric loss); other industrial or laboratory equipment for the heat treatment of materials by induction or dielectric lossHeading 8514
• Electric (electrically heated gas) soldering, brazing, welding machines and apparatus, capable or not of cutting, electric machines and apparatus for hot spraying of metals or sintered carbidesHeading 8515
• Electric water, space, soil heaters; electro-thermic hair-dressing apparatus; hand dryers, irons; electro-thermic appliances for domestic purposes; electro heating resistors, not of heading no. 8545Heading 8516
• Telephone sets, including smartphones and other telephones for cellular/wireless networks; other apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data (including wired/wireless networks), excluding items of 8443, 8525, 8527, or 8528Heading 8517
• Microphones and their stands; loudspeakers, mounted or not in their enclosures; headphones and earphones, combined or not with a microphone, and sets of a microphone and one or more loudspeakers; audio-frequency and electric sound amplifiers and setsHeading 8518
• Sound recording or reproducing apparatusHeading 8519
• Magnetic tape recorders and other sound recording apparatus, whether or not incorporating a sound reproducing device.Heading 8520
• Video recording or reproducing apparatusHeading 8521
• Sound or video recording apparatus; parts and accessories suitable for use solely or principally with the apparatus of heading 8519 or 8521Heading 8522
• Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, smart cards and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, excluding products of Chapter 37Heading 8523
• Flat panel display modules, whether or not incorporating touch-sensitive screensHeading 8524
• Transmission apparatus for radio-broadcasting or television, whether or not incorporating reception apparatus or sound recording or reproducing apparatus; television cameras, digital cameras and video camera recordersHeading 8525
• Radar apparatus, radio navigational aid apparatus and radio remote control apparatusHeading 8526
• Reception apparatus for radio-broadcasting, whether or not combined, in the same housing, with sound recording or reproducing apparatus or a clock.Heading 8527
• Monitors and projectors, not incorporating television reception apparatus; reception apparatus for television, whether or not incorporating radio-broadcast receivers or sound or video recording or reproducing apparatusHeading 8528
• Transmission apparatus; parts suitable for use solely or principally with the apparatus of heading no. 8524 to 8528Heading 8529
• Signalling, safety or traffic control equipment; for railways, tramways, roads, inland waterways, parking facilities, port installations, airfields, excluding those of heading no. 8608Heading 8530
• Signalling apparatus; electric sound or visual (e.g. bells, sirens, indicator panels, burglar or fire alarms), excluding those of heading no. 8512 or 8530Heading 8531
• Electrical capacitors; fixed, variable or adjustable (pre-set)Heading 8532
• Electrical resistors (including rheostats and potentiometers), excluding heating resistorsHeading 8533
• Circuits; printedHeading 8534
• Electrical apparatus for switching, protecting electrical circuits, for making connections to or in electrical circuits; for a voltage exceeding 1000 voltsHeading 8535
• Electrical apparatus for switching, protecting electrical circuits, for making connections to or in electrical circuits, for a voltage not exceeding 1000 volts; connectors for optical fibres, optical fibre bundles or cablesHeading 8536
• Boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets, bases with apparatus of heading no. 8535, 8536 for electricity control and distribution, (other than switching apparatus of heading no. 8517)Heading 8537
• Electrical apparatus; parts suitable for use solely or principally with the apparatus of heading no. 8535, 8536 and 8537Heading 8538
• Lamps; electric filament or discharge lamps, including sealed beam lamp units and ultra-violet or infra-red lamps, arc lamps, light-emitting diode (LED) light sourcesHeading 8539
• Thermionic, cold cathode or photo-cathode valves and tubes (e.g. vacuum, vapour, gas filled valves and tubes, mercury arc rectifying valves and tubes, cathode-ray and television camera tubes)Heading 8540

Trade fairs in this sector

• CES®
• embedded world Exhibition & Conference
• IFA Berlin
• Light + Building
• MWC Barcelona

What you need to know to export electrical machinery and equipment

Chapter 85 is one of the broadest in the tariff system: it spans from electric motors to LED lamps, telecommunications equipment, batteries and consumer appliances. The chapter contains 44 headings, each with multiple subheadings that determine the tariff rate, origin rules and applicable standards.

The tariff you pay depends entirely on which product you export, the specific subheading, and the destination country's trade agreements with Spain. Access2Markets, the European Commission's tool, shows the applicable duty rate for each subheading and destination in real time, including any preferential rates under bilateral or regional agreements.

Standards and certifications in this chapter are product-specific and often destination-specific. A motor exported to the EU faces different efficiency requirements than one sent to the US. Before you quote, confirm the technical standards for your exact product and destination: ask your potential buyer what certifications they require, and cross-check with the regulations of their country's electrical safety authority.

Safety testing and marking are mandatory in most markets. The CE mark is required for most Chapter 85 products sold in the EU; the US has its own testing and marking rules through bodies like UL and ETL. These are not paperwork—they require physical testing by accredited labs, which takes time and cost.

The markets importing most electrical machinery and equipment are concentrated: China, the US and Hong Kong account for nearly half of all global imports in this chapter. These three markets have very different regulatory frameworks, which means your product strategy and compliance costs will differ significantly depending on where you sell.

Common questions