Sourcing church candles from China

Church candle classification and duty

Heading 3406 covers candles, tapers and the like. Altar candles, votive candles, Paschal candles and handheld service candles share code 3406 00 00 00. The table shows church candle varieties under the same tariff line, rather than separate commodity classifications.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, the supplied record shows 0% duty for goods from China, no anti-dumping or countervailing measure, no suspension and no attached import controls.

Confirm the finished product and its commodity code before shipment. For the wider candle family, see taper candles.

Specify wax, holder fit and service use

Specify the wax blend and any agreed beeswax content, colour, scent, diameter, length, base shape and wick. Supply a holder sample or drawing so the factory can check the seating. Distinguish freestanding altar candles, votives used in holders and handheld candles supplied with drip guards.

Agree the claimed burn time and test conditions, including the intended holder. For decorated Paschal candles, approve the position and attachment of the artwork and test the decorated sample. Request burn reports for each wax, wick and size combination. For consumer candles, the general safety requirement applies; unsafe products must not be sold. For emergency candles, see our emergency candle sourcing guide.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative mixed order of boxed altar and votive candles for a church supplies business under 3406 00 00 00, invoiced at £2,200 free on board, with £1,168 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £3,368. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £3,368, so it is £673.60. 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

Dimensions: check diameter, straightness, base shape and seating in the agreed holder. Check handheld candles fit their drip guards.

Burn behaviour: burn production samples in the intended holder and compare flame, soot, dripping and remaining wax with the approved sample.

Finish: check wick centring, cracks, colour consistency and decoration attachment. Compare the supplied wax specification with the order.

Packing and warnings: check protective separation, carton condition and agreed safety warnings. Repeat these checks on arrival; use the inspection guide to plan sampling.

What goes wrong

A candle can look correct but sit loosely or lean in the church's holder. A changed wick or wax blend can alter the flame, soot and dripping. Treat a request for dripless candles as a performance brief to test in the intended holder, rather than accepting an unsupported description.

Long candles can arrive bent or broken, and decorations can detach during handling. Agree protective packing and compare arrival samples with retained production samples before distributing the stock.

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.