Sourcing acrylic staple fibre from China

UK duty on acrylic staple fibre

Heading 5503 covers synthetic staple fibres not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning. Acrylic and modacrylic share commodity code 5503 30 00 00. This guide focuses on acrylic; the wider staple fibre guide covers other materials. The supplied tariff file contains only this relevant commodity line.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 November 2026, acrylic or modacrylic staple fibre from China carries 0% duty. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, no suspension and no attached import control for this line. Import VAT is separate from customs duty; see UK import duty and VAT.

Confirm the material and processing stage before declaring the commodity code. Carded fibre, yarn and finished fabric need a separate classification check. Give your customs broker the composition statement, product photographs and description of the manufacturing process.

Specify acrylic for your spinning process

State acrylic rather than accepting an acrylic-or-modacrylic description on the purchase specification. Agree fibre fineness, cut length and its variation, crimp, tenacity, elongation, lustre, colour and finish. For dyed fibre, retain an approved shade sample and agree how shade differences between bales will be assessed.

Ask for a trial using the proposed production fibre on your own carding and spinning equipment. Check opening, static, fibre breakage and yarn appearance before approving bulk supply. For textile products sold in Great Britain, labels must show fibre content. Request a composition statement that your downstream customer can use.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 40 tonnes of baled acrylic staple fibre under 5503 30 00 00, invoiced at £44,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £47,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £47,000, so it is £9,400. 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

Identity: check the declared polymer and any blend against the approved specification; do not accept modacrylic as a substitute merely because it shares the tariff code.

Fibre properties: sample across bales and compare fineness, cut length, crimp and strength with the agreed specification.

Shade and cleanliness: compare opened fibre with the retained sample and look for colour streaks, foreign fibres, hard lumps and odour.

Bales: check net weight, moisture, wrapping integrity and batch identification on arrival. Use the quality inspection guide to agree inspection scope before dispatch.

What goes wrong

Uneven cut length and fineness can disrupt carding and produce inconsistent yarn. A change in finish can alter static and processing behaviour even when the fibre looks unchanged. Shade differences become harder to correct once bales have been mixed, so retain samples and keep batches identifiable.

Damp bales, contaminated fibre and undocumented material substitutions can undermine an otherwise acceptable sample. Compare production samples with the approved trial material before shipment, then repeat the bale and batch checks on arrival.

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.