Exporting wool and tweed fabric to China: rules, checks

Choose the route and classify the fabric

For wool and tweed fabrics, start with the fibre composition and whether the wool is carded or combed, then agree the Chinese classification with the importer. These fabrics were not found in the cross-border e-commerce retail import list checked, so plan around a conventional import shipment.

HMRC publishes detailed goods-export statistics by commodity and destination. Confirm the selected codes, destination, period and data version before quoting totals or growth rates.

Build the Chinese duty and VAT into your quotation

The listed Chinese tariff lines have MFN rates of 8% or 10%. The lines within 511111 and 511119 carry 10%; the remaining listed lines carry 8%. Settle the exact line before negotiating: border taxes increase the importer’s landed cost and affect the price it can offer.

The VAT Law sets a standard import VAT rate of 13%, subject to its exceptions. Import VAT is calculated on the customs value plus customs duty plus consumption tax, multiplied by the applicable rate. The importer’s customs broker or adviser confirms whether consumption tax applies to the fabric and which VAT treatment applies.

Resolve textile safety requirements before production

GB 18401-2010, China’s national basic safety technical specification for textile products, is a current mandatory standard. Give the importer the fabric specification and agree how compliance will be assessed before committing production. GACC Decree 280 concerns overseas food manufacturers, so its food-manufacturer registration does not apply to these fabrics.

Prepare the UK export declaration

The UK export procedures described here cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales); for shipments from Northern Ireland, check the applicable requirements separately, including whether an XI EORI is needed. For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, you need a GB EORI number and the correct UK commodity code. The Chinese tariff line is a separate classification decision; do not simply substitute it for your UK export code. Have the declarant reconcile the fabric description, value, weight and packaging with the shipment.

Arrange the export declaration for shipments from Great Britain to China. You can appoint a customs agent or make the declaration yourself. To use HMRC’s online export declaration service, you must be subscribed to the Customs Declaration Service (CDS). Prepare the destination and transport details, invoice and packing list references. The carrier needs the invoice and any export licences or certificates required for the shipment; confirm those requirements before dispatch.

Find and check a Chinese fabric importer

Ask a prospective importer which fabric specifications it buys, which Chinese tariff line it proposes and how it will address GB 18401-2010. Use those answers to assess whether it can handle your range. Through our export-to-China service, Cambridge China Bridge’s own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. For buyer discussions, see our guide to working with Chinese importers.

If a Chinese importer has already approached your brand, our staff in China check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed. We work with partners in China on registration and label preparation. Confirm the importer of record, each party’s responsibilities and any required authorisations before proceeding; the brand remains responsible for its own filings.

A company in Shanghai wants samples and then a bulk order: how do we check they are genuine?

Ask for its full registered Chinese name, business licence and 18-character unified social credit code. Search the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System using the official entry identified in the sources. Compare the registration details with the licence, proposed contracting company and delivery address; investigate discrepancies before proceeding. Use our China supplier ID checker to help check the identifier, alongside the official registration search. A valid code or registration match alone does not prove that the contact represents the company or that it can pay.

Confirm the contact’s authority independently through company contact details you have verified, and request trade and bank references. UK government fraud-prevention guidance recommends checking overseas incorporation documents, references and customer credit. Treat pressure to dispatch, unexplained changes of company or payment details, and refusal to provide documents as reasons to pause and investigate.

Before dispatch, agree a written sample agreement naming both companies and recording the fabric specification, sample quantity, intended evaluation, delivery address and acceptance process. State who pays for the samples, freight, customs clearance, duty and any import taxes, and agree how any return or disposal will be handled. Ask the carrier and importer’s customs broker to confirm the sample paperwork and treatment; do not assume that describing goods as samples makes them duty-free.

State expressly that sending or approving a sample is not a promise of a bulk order, exclusive distribution, reserved production capacity or credit. Agree any bulk order separately, including the specification, tolerances, compliance evidence, delivery responsibilities and payment terms.

Settle payment security before bulk shipment. UK government payment guidance recommends advance payment for new customers and explains letters of credit. If using advance payment, confirm receipt through your bank before releasing the shipment. If using a letter of credit, have your bank check its authenticity, issuing bank, any confirmation, payment timing and documentary conditions before dispatch. A letter of credit generally pays against complying documents; arranging it before shipment is not the same as receiving payment before shipment.

Ask your bank or a UK Export Finance adviser about suitable payment security and insurance against non-payment. UKEF’s credit-terms guidance discusses confirmed letters of credit, and its export finance guidance explains insurance support. Confirm eligibility and the actual cover offered rather than assuming that a Shanghai buyer or an order qualifies.