Sourcing business card cases from China

UK duty on business card cases

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 4202 includes containers normally carried in a pocket or handbag. The selected business card case lines pay 2% for leather, composition leather or textile outer surfaces and 8% for plastic sheeting. The supplied data records no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions on these lines.

The tariff attaches CITES controls to the selected leather and textile lines, and cat and dog fur and seal-product controls to leather lines. For protected-species materials from China, check the applicable CITES documents with the customs broker before ordering. Cat and dog fur products cannot be imported. Seal products face a ban with limited exceptions; qualifying traditional-hunt products need a seal catch attestation from a recognised body.

Confirm the actual outer surface and whether the hand-made subdivision applies using the commodity code guide. Do not apply the plastic-sheeting line automatically to a bare metal case. For the wider product family, see leather wallets.

Specify card fit, covering and closure

Give the factory actual business cards to test, including the thickest stock you intend to use. Specify usable internal dimensions, capacity with those cards, pocket openings and whether cards should slide out individually. Record the outer covering, leather species where relevant, lining, backing, stitching, edge finish and closure.

Approve a sample with the intended logo method and position. Check that a filled case closes without bending cards and opens without catching their corners. Consumer cases sold in Great Britain must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use; inspect exposed edges and closure parts as part of your safety assessment.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2,000 leather business card cases under 4202 31 00 90, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £700 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £9,700. Duty at 2% is £194. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £9,894, so it is £1,978.80. Import taxes total £2,172.80; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £194 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: load the agreed cards into bulk samples and check removal, closure and corner clearance.

Materials: compare the outer covering, lining, colour and thickness with the approved sample; match animal-material declarations to the goods.

Finish: check stitching, edge paint, exposed metal edges, hinge alignment and logo position; rub the print and flex the covering.

Arrival: check for crushed cases, scratches, damp packaging and colour transfer onto cards; record defects against the batch.

What goes wrong

A case can fit thin sample cards but jam with the buyer's thicker stock. Tight linings catch corners, closures press dents into cards, edge paint cracks at folds and adhesive allows the covering to lift. Packing cases together without protection can scratch polished surfaces.

Keep an approved filled sample and inspect bulk goods before shipment against it. Repeat the fit and finish checks on arrival. The quality inspection guide explains how to organise the checks.

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.