Sourcing artificial flowers and plants from China
Artificial flowers, foliage, fruit and plants from China pay 4% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. They fall under the general product safety requirement, and venues and retailers add their own tests: UV stability for outdoor use and fire performance for events and hospitality. Cambridge China Bridge sources artificial flowers and plants for retail, events and interiors.
Buying from China for a business? How our UK China sourcing agent service works · China sourcing agent for small orders and first imports
Duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, artificial flowers, foliage and fruit and articles made of them carried 4% duty on goods from China, both of plastics and of other materials, with no anti-dumping measure. For fruit displays, see our artificial display fruit sourcing guide.
Artificial plants are light and bulky, so freight is charged on volume and the landed price depends on how well the stems nest in the carton. Ask the factory for the carton volume per hundred stems when it quotes.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial flowers, foliage and fruit of plastics | 6702 10 00 00 | 4% | None |
| Artificial flowers, foliage and fruit of other materials | 6702 90 00 00 | 4% | None |
Safety and customer tests
Regulation 5(1) of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 requires a producer to place only safe products on the market. Artificial flowers are low risk, but decorative items with small parts sold where children can reach them should be checked against the toy safety guide if they could be treated as playthings.
Commercial buyers set their own requirements. Hotels, restaurants and event venues often ask for fire performance evidence for decorations, and outdoor planters need UV-stabilised materials so the colour holds. Ask the buyer which test they need, and get it from the factory before production rather than after. For wall greenery, see our guide to artificial green wall panels. For shaped tree displays, see our artificial topiary tree sourcing guide. For moss coverings, see our artificial moss mat sourcing guide. For aquarium use, see sourcing artificial aquarium plants.
Materials and realism
Price follows realism: polyester fabric petals, PE and PU real-touch flowers, and injection-moulded foliage are different products at different prices. Approve a physical sample of each stem, with the colour judged in daylight, and keep it as the reference for inspection. For separately purchased flower heads, see our artificial flower head sourcing guide.
Wire stems should bend and hold without the covering splitting, and glued parts should not come away in transit; test both on samples.
Worked duty example
Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 50,000 real-touch artificial flower stems under 6702 10 00 00. At £25,000 free on board and £3,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £28,000. Plastic artificial flowers at 4% pay £1,120 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £29,120, giving £5,824. Of the £6,944 paid at import, only the £1,120 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.
Inspection checklist
Colour and finish: petals and foliage tested for colour fastness to artificial light by ISO 105-B02 against a retained sample, rubbing fastness by ISO 105-X12 on dark and flocked parts, and outdoor ranges checked for UV-stabilised material on the supplier's declaration and a weathering sample. For wall greenery, see our artificial green wall panel sourcing guide.
Materials and fire: PVC foliage tested for the phthalates restricted by UK REACH Annex XVII entry 51, odour checked after warm storage, and ranges for venues and events supplied with flame retardancy evidence by the method the venue names, such as BS 5438, with the treatment batch recorded.
Build and packing: stem wires bent and checked for splitting and capped ends, glued petals and berries pull-tested, stem counts, heights and colours checked against the approved sample, and cartons checked for crush strength and stem nesting against the quoted carton volume.
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What goes wrong
Artificial flowers fail on colour, finish and fire. Colours fade quickly under shop lights or sunlight, dyes rub off onto hands and walls, glitter and flock shed, and real-touch coatings go sticky in warm stores. Stem wires poke through the ends, small berries and decorations come loose where children can reach them, PVC foliage smells strongly, and venues reject displays without evidence of flame retardancy.
Expose samples to light and compare against a retained sample, rub-test petals and foliage for colour transfer, check that stem wire ends are capped and small parts are secure, check odour after storage in a warm carton, ask for flame-retardant treatment and test evidence where venues or events require it, and check carton strength so stems do not crush.
Minimums and seasons
Minimums are set per stem design and colour, and the busy seasons are weddings and Christmas, so order early for both. The Christmas decorations guide covers festive ranges. For wedding orders, see our artificial wedding bouquet sourcing guide. For wearable wedding flowers, see our artificial corsage sourcing guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources artificial flowers, foliage and plants for retail, events and interiors, with samples approved, customer tests arranged and cartons planned for freight. See how our sourcing service works. For garlands, see our artificial floral garland sourcing guide. For wreaths, see our artificial floral wreath sourcing guide.
Related guides: Sourcing preserved moss and foliage from China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on artificial flowers from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, artificial flowers, foliage and fruit carried 4% duty from China, of plastics or other materials, with no anti-dumping duty.
Do artificial flowers need fire testing?
No product-specific UK law requires it, but hotels, restaurants and event venues often ask for fire performance evidence, so agree the test with the buyer before production.
Which artificial flowers work outdoors?
Those made from UV-stabilised materials, which hold their colour in sunlight. Ask the factory for the material and a UV test.
How is freight on artificial plants charged?
By volume, because they are light and bulky, so ask for the carton volume per hundred stems with the quote.