CHECKS
Who we will deal with
Business registration, export entitlement and sanctions screening on every producer, documented before we introduce them. A supplier who will not evidence these does not advance.
COMPLIANCE
The paperwork is the product
Rare earths sit inside an active export-control regime. A quotation that ignores it is worth nothing. Below is the position as it actually stands, and what we do about it on every enquiry.
China’s April 2025 controls
On 4 April 2025 China’s Ministry of Commerce added seven medium and heavy rare earth elements to its dual-use export control list: samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium — covering oxides, metals, alloys, compounds, mixtures and permanent magnet materials.
This is a licensing requirement, not a ban. The exporter must hold a MOFCOM licence before shipping, and approval depends on the end user, the end use and the destination. Lead times are significant and outcomes are not guaranteed. We establish licence position before quoting, never after.
DOCUMENTS
End use and end user
Chinese export licensing requires end-user and end-use documentation, and any change to either requires a fresh application. We collect it up front rather than mid-shipment.
UK LAW
Our own obligations
Terra Tec is UK-registered, so UK export control and trade sanctions law applies to us — including rules on brokering goods between third countries. Where a transaction needs an authorisation, it does not proceed without one.
Not legal advice. This page describes the regime as we understand it and how we operate within it. Export control is fact-specific and changes quickly. Buyers and suppliers should take their own qualified advice.
DOCUMENTATION & STANDARDS
What travels with the material
A shipment without its paperwork is a shipment you cannot clear, cannot audit and cannot defend. This is the package we assemble.
Certificate of Analysis
Independent laboratory analysis confirming purity, composition and conformity to the agreed specification. Issued per lot, from a recognised third-party lab rather than the producer’s own paperwork.
Safety Data Sheet
Hazard classification and handling guidance in accordance with GHS standards.
Certificate of Origin
Formal certification of country of origin, supporting customs clearance and tariff classification.
End-use declaration
Signed declaration confirming the intended end use and end user. Required for controlled or sensitive shipments, and collected before shipping rather than after.
Lot traceability records
Records linking each shipment back to the source producer, the production lot and its QC data.
Documentation on request
REACH data, supplier declarations, customs paperwork or bespoke certificates, where a buyer’s process requires them.
PRODUCER VETTING
How we assess a producer
Assessment happens before we source, and it continues afterwards. A producer who passes once does not stay approved by default.
Material quality and consistency
Independent Certificate of Analysis verification against the stated specification. Producers who deliver inconsistently are not retained.
Export-compliance capability
The producer must be able to supply origin documentation and support end-use declarations. Without that, lawful trade is not possible and we do not proceed.
Operational reliability
On-time delivery, quantities that match the contract, and a complete documentation package every time rather than most times.
Concentration risk, stated plainly
Most global separation and refining capacity sits in China, and so does most of our current sourcing. We tell buyers where material comes from rather than presenting concentration as diversification.
Environmental and labour practices
Assessed through certifications where they exist, public information, and direct dialogue with the producer.
Ongoing review
Approval is not permanent. Performance, licence position and ownership are re-checked, and a producer can fall out of use.
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
The rules we work inside
UK export controls
Terra Tec is UK-registered, so UK strategic export control legislation applies to us, administered by the Export Control Joint Unit. Transactions are assessed against the UK Strategic Export Control Lists, including the rules on brokering goods between third countries. Where a licence or authorisation is required, it is obtained before the transaction proceeds.
International trade compliance
Buyers, producers and intermediaries are screened against applicable sanctions and restricted-party measures before a transaction is agreed. Any request to alter documentation, declared values or country of origin ends the conversation.
Responsible sourcing
We ask what material is for and who will use it. Where the stated end use, end user or destination cannot be established, the enquiry is declined — regardless of the value of the order.
Not legal advice. This page describes the regime as we understand it and how we operate within it. Export control is fact-specific and changes quickly. Buyers and producers should take their own qualified advice.