How to export candles from the UK to China

Choose the route for candles and home fragrance

Candles and home fragrance fall under HS 340600 for candles and HS 330749 for room-perfuming or deodorising preparations. Have the importer confirm the product-specific approval, labelling and standards requirements before committing stock. GACC Decree 280 concerns overseas food manufacturers, so its food-manufacturer registration does not apply to these goods.

HMRC recorded £592k of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 330749, 340600 in 2025 (2024: £714k, -17%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £404k. January to July 2026: £146k against £463k in the same months of 2025 (-68.4%).

Build duty and VAT into your export price

The verified MFN rates are shown below: 33074900 covers room-fragrance preparations and 34060000 covers candles. The standard import VAT rate is 13%; its base includes customs value, customs duty and any applicable consumption tax. The importer's customs broker or adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to this product. These border taxes increase landed cost and shape the price the importer can offer.

Prepare the UK export declaration

For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, classify the goods and arrange a GB EORI number. The online export declaration needs the commodity code, value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing-list references. Give the carrier the invoice and any required export licences or certificates.

The largest UK export line to mainland China under HS 330749/340600 in 2025 was 34060000, Candles, tapers and the like £364k. Keep the candle line distinct from the room-fragrance line when preparing your product schedule.

Use cross-border retail within its limits

The retail import list includes 33074900 for room-deodorising preparations and 34060000 for candles. The candle entry excludes goods in the import/export wildlife species commodity catalogue if they cannot provide the certificate confirming a species outside that catalogue, issued by China's endangered-species import and export management office. Check that remark against the proposed candle before choosing this route.

Listed goods imported through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 retail channels are supervised as personal-use articles, without first-import licence, registration or filing requirements, subject to epidemic-area suspensions and emergency risk measures. Before ordering, consumers must accept a notice about possible differences from Chinese standards, possible absence of Chinese labels, access to Chinese electronic labels and the prohibition on resale.

The overseas retail business bears the main product-quality and safety responsibility. It must appoint a mainland-registered company to register with customs, declare truthfully and share civil liability. The limits are RMB 5,000 per transaction and RMB 26,000 per person annually; plan candle orders within those limits.

Find and check the Chinese buyer

Ask a prospective buyer whether it intends to distribute the candles or operate cross-border retail, and have it explain the proposed import arrangements. Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached your brand, our staff check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed.

We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record and, for cross-border retail, the cross-border e-commerce agent remain licensed partners in China; the brand's own filings stay the brand's. We check product requirements with those partners before preparing the work.

Use our export-to-China service to arrange importer finding or checks for your candles.