Sourcing bras and lingerie from China
Bras, bra-and-brief sets, girdles, corselettes and similar corsetry from China pay 6% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. Corsetry has its own fibre labelling rule: a bra can state the composition of the whole product or of the outside and inside fabric of the cups and back. The band and cup size grid drives the minimum order. Cambridge China Bridge sources own-label lingerie.
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6% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, brassières, including sets made up for retail sale with a pair of briefs, girdles and panty girdles, corselettes and other corsetry carried 6% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
That is half the 12% on most knitted underwear and nightwear, so classification matters for a mixed lingerie range; confirm the commodity code for each item. For suspender belts, see our suspender belt sourcing guide. For adhesive styles, see our adhesive backless bra sourcing guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brassières in a retail set with a pair of briefs | 6212 10 10 00 | 6% | None |
| Other brassières | 6212 10 90 00 | 6% | None |
| Girdles and panty girdles | 6212 20 00 00 | 6% | None |
| Other corsetry | 6212 90 00 00 | 6% | None |
The corsetry labelling rule
Annex IV of Regulation 1007/2011, as it applies in Great Britain, sets how corsetry shows its fibre composition. For a brassière, the label may state the composition of the whole product or, together or separately, that of the outside and the inside fabric of the surface of the cups and back; for corsets and girdles, the front, rear and side panels; and for corselettes, the cups, the front and rear stiffening panels and the side panels.
Decide which form the label uses before the artwork is made, because the factory needs the fabric composition of each component, and check it against the fabric tests at inspection.
Fit and the size grid
A bra range is a grid of band and cup sizes, and every size needs its own pattern, cup mould and grading. Agree the grid, the quantity in each size, and UK sizing on a UK fit model before the factory quotes, because the minimum order applies across that grid.
Underwires, hooks and straps are the components that fail: ask for wire-penetration and strap-elasticity tests, and check the hook-and-eye tape and the wire channels on production pieces.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 20,000 underwired bras, entered under 6212 10 90 00: £50,000 free on board plus £2,500 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £52,500. The 6% duty on brassières comes to £3,150, and import VAT is 20% of £55,650, which is £11,130. If you are VAT-registered you normally reclaim the £11,130, leaving £3,150 as the real cost at the border. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
Inspection checklist
Fibre composition: test the fabrics of each component by the BS EN ISO 1833 series of quantitative chemical analysis methods, and check the result against the composition label in the form chosen under the corsetry rule, whole product or cups and back.
Colour fastness: test to washing by BS EN ISO 105-C06, to perspiration by BS EN ISO 105-E04 and to rubbing by BS EN ISO 105-X12, with particular attention to dark lace sewn next to light fabric, and compare the grey-scale grades with those agreed in the order.
Metal parts and fit: underwires, hooks and sliders that touch the skin fall under the nickel restriction in entry 27 of Annex XVII of UK REACH, tested by BS EN 1811, so ask for results on the actual components. On production pieces in each size, measure band length relaxed and extended and cup depth against the size specification, and pull-test hooks and strap joints.
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What goes wrong
Bras fail on fit, wires and elastic. Cup and band grading drifts across the size grid so some sizes fit and others do not, underwires work through the channelling after a few washes, and band elastic loses its recovery so the bra rides up. Hook-and-eye tapes and sliders break or corrode, dark lace bleeds onto lighter fabric, and metal parts touching the skin can release nickel.
Fit-test samples in several sizes on UK fit models, run wash-and-wear cycles and then check for wire poke-through, elastic recovery and shape, test colour fastness to washing, pull-test hooks, straps and sliders, ask for nickel release results for metal components, and check the fibre composition label against the corsetry rule. For sports styles, see our sports bra sourcing guide. For mastectomy styles, see our mastectomy bra sourcing guide. For pumping styles, see our hands-free pumping bra sourcing guide.
Materials and comfort
Lace, microfibre and spacer foam are sourced from specialist mills, so the fabric minimum per colour often sets the order size. Approve colour and hand on physical samples, and ask for colourfastness and skin-contact chemical testing for items worn against the skin.
Cambridge China Bridge sources own-label bras and lingerie, with the size grid, fit samples, labels and component tests agreed before production. See how our sourcing service works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on bras from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, brassières, girdles, corselettes and other corsetry carried 6% duty from China, with no anti-dumping duty.
How must a bra's fibre composition be labelled?
Under Annex IV of Regulation 1007/2011 as it applies in Great Britain: the whole product, or the outside and inside fabric of the cups and back, together or separately.
Why is the minimum order for bras so high?
Every band and cup size needs its own pattern and cup mould, so the minimum applies across the whole size grid.
Which bra components need testing?
Underwires for penetration, straps for elasticity, and the hook-and-eye tape and wire channels on production pieces.