Sourcing cleaned pheasant feathers from China

Zero duty, with animal-product controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, heading 0505 covers feathers and feather parts not further worked than cleaned, disinfected or treated for preservation, including trimmed edges. The table shows decorative pheasant feather forms under 0505 90 00 00, rather than separate tariff lines. Confirm the actual use and processing through finding your commodity code.

All supplied lines carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension recorded. The decorative-feather line carries veterinary, CITES and waste import controls, plus CITES and waste export controls. Ask your customs broker to confirm the common health entry document and supporting documents applicable to the consignment.

Treated feathers may come from any trading partner, including China, but the producing establishment must be approved to export to Great Britain. Untreated feathers cannot be imported under the treated-feather route. Cleaning alone does not establish compliant treatment. For related products within the heading, see cleaned turkey feathers.

Specify species, feather position and treatment

Specify the pheasant species by scientific name, origin and intended use. Separate tail, wing and body feathers. Agree length grading, shaft straightness, tip condition, natural markings, colour consistency and packing against a retained sample. State whether feathers are whole or trimmed, and identify any additional processing before confirming classification.

For commercial imports, obtain the processor's approval details, treatment records and exporter-signed commercial document. Confirm with APHA the applicable treatment methods, pre-notification requirements, commercial-document signing deadline and required premises approval, treatment and bird-health declarations before dispatch. Check the processor through factory verification.

For a CITES-listed species, confirm the applicable import and export permits with the relevant authorities before ordering. The tariff also attaches waste controls: ask the broker to confirm whether the shipment is goods or waste. Waste entering England under notification controls cannot ship until the authorities of dispatch, destination and transit have consented.

If sold as consumer craft supplies in Great Britain, the feathers must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. Assess sharp quills, loose fragments and treatment residues for the intended application; agree suitable handling information and packaging.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative small-business batch of cleaned and appropriately treated pheasant tail feathers for hat making; values illustrate the calculation and are not a quotation under 0505 90 00 00, invoiced at £1,500 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,400. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,400, so it is £480. 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

Identity: compare species records, feather position and natural markings with the approved sample; investigate mixed species or substituted grades.

Grading: check length distribution, intact tips, straight shafts and complete vanes across packs; look for short feathers hidden inside bundles.

Condition: inspect for damp, mould, grease, dust, attached tissue and persistent odour; compare appearance and cleanliness with the agreed specification.

Traceability: match processor details, treatment records, batch marks and commercial documents to the shipment. Arrange checks before dispatch using the inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A sample may show long, intact tail feathers while the shipment contains bent shafts, broken tips or mixed body feathers. Tight packing can crush the vanes, and damp cartons can leave feathers musty. Agree packing that protects the shafts and inspect representative packs on arrival.

An invoice saying 'cleaned feathers' leaves the treatment and species unresolved. Settle processor approval, treatment evidence, veterinary paperwork and any CITES or waste requirements before shipping. Appearance checks cannot replace those records.

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.