Bookbinding cloth and artist canvas from China

6% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, textile fabrics coated with gum or amylaceous substances of a kind used for the outer covers of books, tracing cloth, prepared painting canvas, buckram and similar stiffened textile fabrics for hat foundations, heading 5901, carried 6% on goods from China on both lines, with no anti-dumping measure.

Fabrics coated with plastics are classified under heading 5903, and stretched canvases on frames may be classified as painting supports or articles, so confirm the commodity code from the coating and whether the canvas is made up. Painting sets are covered in our pencils and paint sets guide.

Safety and labelling

Canvas and craft fabrics sold to consumers must be safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, and primers and sizes should be free of restricted substances, so ask for a supplier statement on substances of very high concern under UK REACH. Products sold to consumers as textiles need fibre composition information.

Specifying coated fabrics

Specify base fabric (cotton, linen, polyester, blend) and weight, coating type and weight, number of primer coats for canvas, surface texture, stiffness, colour and shade tolerance, roll width and length, and core and packing to prevent creasing.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 20,000 metres of primed cotton artist canvas, commodity code 5901 90 00 00, bought for £38,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance, so £40,500 is the value customs works from. Duty at the 6% rate for primed canvas is £2,430. VAT at 20% applies to £42,930, so £8,586. A VAT-registered buyer usually recovers the VAT, so the border adds £2,430 to the landed cost. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

Inspection checklist

Coating: check coating weight and evenness, adhesion by folding and flexing samples, and for canvas that the primer does not crack or let paint soak through.

Colour and surface: compare colour and texture with the approved sample in daylight, check for streaks, pinholes and creases, and check width and roll length.

Packing: check rolls are on rigid cores, wrapped against moisture, and labelled with lot and colour codes.

What goes wrong

Coated fabrics fail on coating, shade and handling. Bookbinding cloth cracks at the spine fold, primer on canvas is too thin or cracks, colour varies between lots, and rolls arrive creased or damp.

Test flex and adhesion on samples, approve lot colours, and check roll packing. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources bookbinding cloth, artist canvas and buckram for UK binders, art supply brands and milliners, and has no minimum order of its own; the mill's minimum per colour applies. See small orders.