Sourcing acrylic hand-knitting yarn from China

Duty on retail acrylic yarn

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 6 November 2026, heading 5511 covers yarn other than sewing thread, made from man-made staple fibres and put up for retail sale. For acrylic hand-knitting yarn, the relevant synthetic-fibre lines both carry 0% duty on goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or attached import controls.

Code 5511 10 00 00 covers retail yarn containing 85% or more synthetic staple fibres by weight; 5511 20 00 00 covers the relevant blends below 85%. The table shows ball and skein presentations under these same tariff lines. A wool-rich blend can fall outside this heading. Confirm the commodity code using the full composition and retail presentation; see the wider hand-knitting yarn guide.

Specify the yarn and ball band together

Specify the fibre blend, yarn count, ply, twist, net ball weight, metres per ball and winding format. Approve a knitted swatch for handle, stitch definition, splitting and pilling, alongside a shade sample for each colour. Agree the care method and the knitting tension used for the approved swatch.

Consumer yarn must carry fibre composition information using permitted fibre names, such as acrylic. For yarn sold by weight in constant nominal quantities, confirm the applicable packaged-goods rules with the relevant authority. Agree conditioning and weighing with the factory before printing bands. Consumer products sold in Great Britain must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use.

Agree band artwork showing weight, metres, dye lot, recommended needle and hook size, tension and care information. Treat these as purchasing specifications and verify the printed claims against the approved yarn.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 4,000 kg of acrylic hand-knitting yarn in 100 g balls under 5511 10 00 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £2,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,200. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,200, so it is £4,840. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Composition and quantity: test the blend and yarn count, condition and weigh sampled balls, and check metres against the band.

Shade and washing: compare each dye lot with the approved sample under consistent lighting, then check washing and rubbing colour fastness.

Knitting performance: knit sampled yarn to check splitting, knots, uneven thickness, handle and pilling against the approved swatch.

Bands and cartons: match dye-lot identifiers across balls and cartons, check artwork and unwind sampled balls. Repeat these checks on arrival; use the quality inspection guide to plan sampling.

What goes wrong

Shade drift between dye lots can leave customers unable to finish matching garments. Short metres, underweight balls and a heavier yarn count change the expected coverage and knitting tension. Loose twist can cause splitting, while dark shades may transfer colour during washing.

Keep retained yarn and knitted swatches from approved lots. Compare shipment samples before release and arrival samples before allocating stock. Separate different dye lots in storage, and hold batches with incorrect composition labels or quantity discrepancies for investigation.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.