How to export wooden furniture from the UK to China

Agree the import route before accepting an order

Wooden furniture falls under HS 940330, 940340, 940350 and 940360, covering office, kitchen, bedroom and other furniture, excluding seats. These codes are absent from the cross-border e-commerce retail import list; discuss a conventional import shipment with your buyer. For UK exports to mainland China under HS 940360, the largest line was 94036090, wooden furniture, at £1.9m. Have the importer establish the requirements for your specific designs before committing stock.

HMRC recorded £3.0m of UK goods exports to mainland China under HS 940330, 940340, 940350, 940360 in 2025 (2024: £1.7m, +74.1%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £1.0m. January to July 2026: £399k against £2.4m in the same months of 2025 (-83.1%).

Price against the Chinese tariff line and VAT

The listed Chinese tariff lines carry 0% MFN duty. The standard import VAT rate is 13%, subject to statutory exceptions. VAT uses the customs value plus customs duty plus any applicable consumption tax as its base. The importer’s customs adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to the furniture. These border taxes add to landed cost and shape the price your buyer can offer.

Resolve children's furniture standards before production

For infant and children’s designs, address GB 28007-2024, the mandatory safety technical specification for infant and children’s furniture, effective from 1 January 2026. Give the importer the intended users and product specifications so it can establish whether the standard applies and what evidence is needed. Settle that question before agreeing the production specification.

Prepare the UK export declaration

For shipments from England, Scotland or Wales, obtain a GB EORI and classify the furniture under the correct UK commodity code. The online export declaration needs the value, weight, packaging, destination, transport details, and invoice and packing list references. Give the carrier the invoice and any required export licences or certificates. Keep the product description consistent with the agreed furniture type and customs classification.

Check the Chinese buyer before sending stock

Ask a prospective buyer how it will arrange classification, establish product requirements and handle the shipment. Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached you, our staff in China check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed. Use our export-to-China service to arrange that work.

Where registration or label work is required, we prepare it with licensed partners in China. The importer of record stays with licensed partners in China, and the brand’s own filings stay the brand’s. We check the requirements with those partners before the work proceeds.