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The Dutch Merchant

Frequently asked questions

On standards, property classes, duties and the practical side of importing direct from Taiwan.
Do the EU anti-dumping duties apply to Taiwan?
Not on ordinary fasteners. Regulation (EU) 2022/191 and Regulation (EU) 2025/2153 apply to China only. Taiwan pays just the normal import duty of around 3.7 per cent. Taiwan is affected by other measures, such as the 5.1 to 12.1 per cent duty on stainless steel butt-welding pipe fittings, so always check the specific CN code.
How high is the anti-dumping duty on Chinese fasteners?
Under Regulation (EU) 2022/191, individually investigated Chinese producers pay 22.1 to 48.8 per cent, cooperating non-sampled companies 39.6 per cent, and all other companies 86.5 per cent. Threaded rod and headless studs carry a separate duty of 54.7 to 72.3 per cent since 22 October 2025.
What does 8.8 on a bolt mean?
The first 8 is the tensile strength in hundreds of megapascals, so 800 MPa. The second 8 means the yield strength is eighty per cent of that, so 640 MPa. The same logic applies to 10.9 (1040 and 940 MPa) and 12.9 (1220 MPa tensile, 970 MPa proof stress).
Are DIN 931 and ISO 4014 the same?
Almost. The dimensions match except for the width across flats at four sizes: M10 is 17 mm in DIN against 16 mm in ISO, M12 is 19 against 18, M14 is 22 against 21, and at M22 ISO is larger at 34 against 32. Switching supplier at those sizes means different tooling.
Can I use a class 8 nut on a 10.9 bolt?
No. The nut number indicates the highest bolt class the nut may safely mate with, under ISO 898-2. A 10.9 bolt needs at least a class 10 nut. Too low a nut class can strip before the bolt reaches its load capacity.
What is the difference between EN 10204 2.1 and 3.1?
A 2.1 declaration confirms the product meets the order, without measured data. A 3.1 certificate contains actual test results from the delivered batch, signed by an inspection representative independent of production. For structural steelwork, ask for 3.1. A 3.2 adds independent third-party verification and is intended for aerospace, nuclear and critical offshore work.
When does a timber screw need CE marking?
In load-bearing timber connections. The screw must then be CE marked to EN 14592 or hold an ETA under EAD 130118-00-0603. Those documents supply the characteristic values the engineer designs with under Eurocode 5. For non-structural use, such as battens and joinery, it is not required.
Why does an anchor need an ETA?
For structural use in concrete a European Technical Assessment is effectively mandatory, because it supplies the qualified performance data used for design under EN 1992-4. Always ask for four things: the ETA number, the option, the seismic category and the corrosion class.
What do cracked and uncracked concrete mean?
EN 1992-4 assumes by default that concrete will crack over its service life, unless it can be shown that the anchor sits in uncracked concrete under the characteristic load combination. An anchor approved only for uncracked concrete must therefore not be used where cracking is possible.
What is the difference between A2 and A4?
A4 contains two to three per cent molybdenum and therefore resists chlorides considerably better than A2. A2 corresponds roughly to 304 or 1.4301, A4 to 316 or 1.4401. On the coast, around de-icing salt and in food processing, A4 is the minimum.
My stainless bolts are slightly magnetic. Is this the wrong material?
No. Austenitic stainless is non-magnetic when fully annealed but becomes slightly magnetic through cold working, and cold working is precisely how the A2-70 and A4-80 strength classes are achieved. Slight magnetic attraction is normal and says nothing about quality.
What is galling and how do I prevent it?
Galling is cold welding of stainless threads: the passive oxide film breaks under load and does not reform fast enough, so the thread flanks seize together. A galled bolt can usually only be removed destructively. Use lubricant or anti-seize, drive slowly without an impact driver, choose coarse over fine thread, and use rolled rather than cut threads.
Which stainless steel for an indoor swimming pool?
Only HCR grades such as 1.4529 or 1.4565. In the vapour zone above an indoor pool, 304 and 316 under tensile stress can crack from chloride stress corrosion at ordinary temperatures. Fatal collapses are documented at Uster in 1985, Steenwijk in 2001 and Tilburg in 2011. This is a safety matter.
Do I need to do anything about CBAM when importing fasteners?
CN 7318 falls within CBAM and the definitive phase began on 1 January 2026. If you import less than fifty tonnes of CBAM goods per calendar year you are fully exempt and need do nothing. Above that you must become an authorised CBAM declarant and surrender certificates, with the first surrender for 2026 due by 30 September 2027.
What is an Article 23 VAT deferment licence?
This licence shifts import VAT into your regular VAT return instead of paying it at import. You declare the amount and deduct it in the same return, so it costs you nothing in cash. Without the licence you pre-finance twenty-one per cent of the invoice value. Applications go through the Dutch tax authority.
Do I pay import duty on your commission?
No. Under Article 71 of the Union Customs Code, a genuine buying commission does not form part of the customs value, provided it really is a buying commission and is shown separately. A selling commission does count. My fee is structured as a buying commission and invoiced separately.
How long does an order from Taiwan take?
Count on several months in total: thirty to sixty days production, then roughly forty to fifty-five days sea freight from Kaohsiung to Rotterdam via the Cape of Good Hope, plus customs clearance. Repeat orders of standard stock items can be considerably faster.
How much fits in a container?
Less than you would think, by volume. Fasteners are heavy, so a twenty-foot container reaches its weight limit of around twenty-eight tonnes before it is full. At smaller volumes I consolidate several buyers into one container, so you do not have to take a full container alone.
How do I prove my shipment really comes from Taiwan?
With a certificate of origin issued by a Taiwanese chamber of commerce, supported by production documentation from the factory. That document keeps your shipment outside the Chinese anti-dumping duty. I verify at every factory that production genuinely happens on site, because paperwork without production is exactly what customs enforces against.