Must UK products say Made in China?
Not automatically: check the rules for your exact non-food product before approving origin wording on goods or packaging. Imported cosmetics are an example requiring it. Keep origin separate from importer details, customs records and British-brand claims. Checks in China can be coordinated by Cambridge China Bridge.
Check the product before deciding the wording
GOV.UK explains that particular label information is not required for every kind of product, but information you include must be accurate and some products have special rules. The practical answer is therefore product-specific. Neither printing nor omitting “Made in China” should be your default instruction to the factory.
Describe the product, materials, intended use and sales destination before checking official category guidance. Record whether you will sell in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or both, and check each destination separately. Ask your retailer or marketplace for its own packaging requirements too, keeping these separate from the legal checklist.
Look for an explicit origin requirement
Imported cosmetics sold in Great Britain must specify their country of origin. This is a concrete reason why “non-food” does not settle the question. For your category, look specifically for country-of-origin wording rather than assuming that a list of manufacturer details answers it.
Ask the reviewer to record the applicable official guidance, required wording, permitted location and any relevant exceptions. Review the product, immediate container, retail packaging and accompanying documents separately. If the guidance is unclear, take the product description and proposed artwork to your local Trading Standards office before authorising printing.
Keep origin, importer details and customs separate
“Made in China” describes manufacture; an importer name and address identify a business. Do not use either as a substitute for checking the other. Our product labels and importer details guide covers the identification and placement checks, including electrical equipment and toys.
Origin on a customs declaration is a separate check from wording on a retail pack. Use our certificate of origin guide to prepare questions for your customs broker about how to declare origin and whether a separate certificate is needed for the shipment or any contract or bank condition. Keep the manufacturing explanation consistent across artwork and shipment records.
Review British-brand claims in context
Review British brand ownership, British design and British manufacture as separate statements. A consumer-facing presentation can breach unfair trading rules if it deceives the average consumer and is likely to cause a different purchasing decision. Even factually correct information can be presented deceptively.
Check flags, place names, brand stories and website descriptions alongside the pack. Where accurate, consider wording that distinguishes British design from manufacture in China, then review the whole presentation. Do not assume a small origin statement corrects a prominent British-manufacture impression. Our British-brand guide covers the broader claim question.
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Approve and inspect the complete artwork
Put the agreed origin wording and location in your product specification. Distinguish the origin of the contents from the origin of the packaging itself. For packaging bought empty, describe it as the product under review; do not reuse the labelling decision for whatever will later go inside it.
Ask for photographs of finished goods and every relevant pack surface. Compare these with the approved artwork, including stickers and retailer-added sleeves. Record any correction and inspect the corrected goods before shipment. Cambridge China Bridge’s staff in China can collect factory information and check finished printing against the agreed specification.
Frequently asked questions
Must all China-made products sold in the UK say Made in China?
Not automatically. Check the exact product category and destination. Imported cosmetics sold in Great Britain require country-of-origin labelling; do not extend that example to every non-food product.
Can my UK importer address replace Made in China?
Treat them as separate checks. An importer address identifies a business; origin wording describes manufacture. Check which details your product rules require and where each belongs.
Does a certificate of origin replace a product label?
Use the certificate for the shipment’s origin-document check. Assess retail labelling separately against the product rules; do not approve missing label information simply because a certificate exists.
Can a British brand sell products made in China?
Separate brand ownership and design from manufacture. Review the full pack and sales presentation for a misleading British-manufacture impression, even where individual statements are accurate.