How to export Textile machinery to China
Match your machine or part to its Chinese tariff line, agree the import requirements with the buyer and prepare the UK export declaration. Duty and import VAT affect the buyer’s landed cost. Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands.
Match the machine to the buyer’s import route
For Textile machinery, start with the machine’s function and whether you are supplying equipment, auxiliary machinery or parts. Have the importer’s customs broker confirm the Chinese tariff line and entry requirements before agreeing shipment. The largest listed UK export line was auxiliary machinery, 84481900, under HS 844819: £6.2m in UK exports to mainland China.
HMRC recorded £13.1m of UK goods exports to mainland China under 37 HS6 subheadings in 2025 (2024: £12.1m, +8.3%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £143k. January to July 2026: £7.8m against £7.9m in the same months of 2025 (-0.7%). These are UK exports under HS 8444-8451 (37 subheadings).
| UK export line | 2025 UK exports to mainland China |
|---|---|
| 84481900 | £6.2m |
| 84440010 | £4.3m |
| 84518080 | £1.5m |
Price against the exact Chinese tariff line
Chinese tariff line 84481900 has an MFN rate of 8%, while 84482020 and 84482090 carry 6%. Dry-cleaning machines under 84511000 carry 10%. Provisional 2026 rates include 5% for 84452032, against 8% MFN, and 3% for 84485900, against 6% MFN. Ask the importer’s customs broker to confirm the applicable rate for each machine or part before pricing.
Import VAT is generally 13%, subject to the VAT Law’s exceptions. Its base is customs value plus customs duty plus consumption tax. The importer’s customs broker or adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to the machine or part. These border taxes add to landed cost and shape the price your buyer can offer.
Prepare the UK shipment around its actual contents
Classify each item before export: man-made textile material machines fall under HS 844400, auxiliary machinery under HS 844819, and relevant parts under separate headings such as HS 844820. For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, obtain a GB EORI and arrange the online export declaration. Keep the machine description and the chosen commodity code consistent.
Give the declarant the value, weight, packaging, destination, transport details and invoice and packing list references. The carrier needs the invoice and any required export licences or certificates. Ask the buyer to settle machine-specific import requirements before dispatch; GACC Decree 280 concerns overseas food enterprises, so its food-manufacturer registration does not apply to this machinery.
Use retail e-commerce only for the listed dryer line
The cross-border e-commerce retail import list includes Chinese code 84512100, drying machines with dry linen capacity of 10 kg or less. This is a partial listing, not a route for the whole machinery range. Listed goods entering through bonded 1210 or direct 9610 channels are supervised as personal-use articles, with the stated first-import licence, registration and filing exemptions, subject to epidemic-area and emergency-risk exceptions.
The overseas seller must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declarations and shared civil liability. Consumers must accept the risk notice before ordering, and the goods may not be resold. The limits are RMB 5,000 per transaction and RMB 26,000 annually per person. This personal-use route does not support a distributor buying machinery for resale.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Check the Chinese buyer before committing the shipment
Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If a buyer has already approached you, our staff check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed. Use our export-to-China service to support that work, and agree who will resolve the machine’s classification, import conditions and landed-cost calculation.
We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. Regulated roles stay with licensed partners in China, including the importer of record and, for the retail e-commerce route described above, the cross-border e-commerce agent. Your own filings remain yours. We check with licensed partners.
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese duty applies to textile machinery?
It depends on the Chinese tariff line. Auxiliary machinery under 84481900 has 8% MFN duty; parts under 84482020 and 84482090 have 6%. Match the exact machine or part before pricing.
Are there provisional duty rates for textile machinery parts?
Chinese tariff line 84485900 has a provisional 2026 rate of 3%, against 6% MFN. Classification matters: that rate cannot be applied across all machinery parts.
Can I sell textile machinery through cross-border retail e-commerce?
The listed match is 84512100, dryers with dry linen capacity of 10 kg or less. The route is for personal use, and goods may not be resold; it is unsuitable for distributor resale purchases.
Does my machinery factory need GACC food registration?
GACC Decree 280 covers overseas food producers, processors and storage enterprises. Its food-manufacturer registration does not apply to textile machinery.