Sourcing artificial wedding bouquets from China

UK duty and bouquet materials

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 6702 covers artificial flowers, foliage and fruit, their parts and articles made from them. The supplied lines both carry 4% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measures and no suspensions. The table shows bouquet variants sharing the available material codes.

The other-material code carries CITES import and export controls. Identify any natural additions and ask your customs broker whether the shipment from China contains a controlled specimen. Specimens include plant or animal parts and items made from them. Where CITES applies, obtain the applicable permits, including the corresponding permit from the exporting country, use a designated port and present the documents to customs at the Great Britain border.

Confirm the commodity code against the complete bouquet's materials and construction before ordering. For the wider heading, see artificial floral garlands.

Flower mix, colour and wrapped handles

Specify petal and foliage materials, flower varieties, bloom sizes, stem counts, bouquet shape and finished dimensions. Record the colour references for flowers, foliage and ribbon. Approve the bridal and bridesmaid samples together under daylight and the intended venue lighting, checking that ivory tones and muted colours match across the range. For hanging venue decorations, see our guide to artificial flower hanging baskets.

Agree handle length, grip thickness, stem covering, ribbon overlap and how the ribbon ends are secured. Consumer products must be safe. Check that wire ends remain covered when the bouquet is gripped or bent, and that beads, flower heads and other decorations stay attached. Retain a finished sample for quality inspection.

Specify carton supports that protect the bouquet silhouette without flattening petals or marking the ribbon. Where the venue requests fire performance evidence, agree its test method before production and check that the report describes the supplied materials and treatment.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative wholesale consignment of plastic artificial wedding bouquets, not a quote under 6702 10 00 00, invoiced at £25,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £28,000. Duty at 4% is £1,120. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £29,120, so it is £5,824. Import taxes total £6,944; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,120 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Colour and arrangement: compare unpacked bouquets with the retained sample; check flower mix, ivory shades, foliage placement and the outline from different angles.

Handle and attachments: grip and bend the bouquet; check concealed wire ends, secure ribbon wrapping, loose heads, beads and visible glue.

Petals and ribbon: rub dark components with a pale cloth; check colour transfer, fraying, shedding, sticky coatings and marks on the handle wrap.

Packing and recovery: unpack arrival samples and check whether petals recover their shape; compare crushed areas, carton contents and style labels with the order.

What goes wrong

A photograph can hide sparse flower coverage, a bulky handle or glue visible beneath the ribbon. Production may use different ivory petals or foliage from the approved sample, leaving bridal and bridesmaid bouquets mismatched. Record the agreed materials and arrangement, then compare finished production bouquets together.

Tight packing can crease petals and distort cascading shapes. Dark ribbon can transfer colour onto a pale dress, while unsecured wire ends can catch fabric. Check unpacked bouquets after handling, and agree how packing damage or material substitutions will be resolved before shipment.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For own-brand ranges, see sourcing for brands.