Sourcing Artists' Fabric Paints from China

0% duty on sets and separate packs

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 3213 covers artists', students' and signboard painters' colours, modifying tints and amusement colours in tubes, jars, bottles and similar packings. For artists' fabric paints classified here, both sets and other packs carry 0% duty from China. The supplied tariff data shows no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions. Import VAT is normally 20%.

The tariff attaches import and export waste controls to both codes. For a shipment from China to England that is waste subject to notification controls, the exporter must apply to the competent authority in China for consent and follow its procedures. Ask your customs broker to confirm whether the waste control applies to the consignment and what documentation is required.

Confirm the commodity code using the formulation, intended artistic use and packing. The table shows product variants under the same tariff lines, rather than separate codes for each container type. See the artists' acrylic paints guide for the wider heading.

Specify the fabric and fixing method

Tell the factory which fabrics the paint must work on, including fibre composition, stretch and whether the fabric is light or dark. Specify opacity, colour, brush or nozzle application, dried flexibility and the finish you want. Approve painted swatches on your actual fabric, rather than judging colour from liquid paint in a bottle.

Agree whether heat setting is needed and obtain the factory's drying, fixing and washing instructions. Test those instructions using the equipment your customers will have. Define acceptable colour loss, rubbing transfer and cracking after washing and stretching.

For Great Britain sales, classify and label the mixture under the chemical classification rules and ensure correct packaging before placing it on the market. Confirm with HSE the UK REACH registration position for constituent substances, including any coverage by the manufacturer's appointed representative. Request the formulation and an English safety data sheet where required.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of bottled artists' fabric paint under 3213 90 00 00, invoiced at £25,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £27,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £27,000, so it is £5,400. 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

Fabric performance: apply production samples to the agreed fabrics, follow the fixing instructions, then wash, rub and stretch the swatches against approved samples.

Colour and consistency: compare dried shades, opacity and flow across the supplied colours; check for lumps, separation, skin formation and blocked nozzles.

Containers: check seals, caps, leaks and sampled fill quantities against the purchase specification; inspect cartons for paint stains.

Documents and instructions: match the batch and formulation to the safety data sheet and labels; check that drying, heat-setting and washing instructions match the tested method. Arrange testing and certification support where needed.

What goes wrong

Paint can look correct when wet but dry patchy on dark fabric, leave a stiff surface or crack when stretched. Colour may wash out because the binder is unsuitable or the fixing instructions do not work on the customer's fabric. Test the complete application and wash process before approving production.

Poor seals allow paint to dry around the nozzle or leak into cartons. A factory may change pigment, binder or preservative without updating the supporting documents. Agree formulation change approval and retain production samples so repeat orders can be compared.

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.