Sourcing cleaned turkey feathers from China

Zero duty, with animal-product controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 23 November 2026, heading 0505 covers feathers and feather parts not further worked than cleaned, disinfected or treated for preservation. Cleaned turkey feathers of a kind used for stuffing fall within 0505 10 90 00; other cleaned feathers fall within 0505 90 00 00. Both carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure or suspension recorded. The table separates product forms sharing these codes.

The tariff attaches veterinary and waste import and export controls to these lines, plus CITES import and export controls to 0505 90 00 00. Confirm the veterinary entry document with your customs broker. For feathers classified as waste entering England under notification controls, authorities of dispatch, destination and transit must consent before shipment. Confirm waste status and the applicable route with your broker. If the species is CITES-listed, confirm the applicable import and export documents before ordering.

Confirm the species, intended use and processing through the commodity-code guide. Further processing may change classification. Our feathers and down guide covers the wider heading. Allow for import VAT at 20% and use the duty and VAT guide when checking the landed cost.

Specify turkey feather type and treatment

State turkey species, body, wing or tail feathers, whole feathers or feather parts, and intended use. Agree length grading, colour, shaft condition, softness, residual grease, dust, moisture and odour against a retained sample. Describe cleaning and treatment separately. This guide concerns loose cleaned feathers; identify any dyeing, coating or assembly when asking your broker to confirm classification.

The treated-feather guidance permits imports from any trading partner, including China, but production must be at an establishment approved to export to Great Britain. Ask APHA to confirm the permitted route for feathers that have not received qualifying treatment before dispatch. Confirm the recognised treatment method and whether steam treatment for 30 minutes is sufficient for the proposed process. Ask APHA or your customs broker to confirm pre-notification and commercial-document requirements, including exporter signature, completion within 2 weeks before dispatch, processor approval number, treatment details and any bird-health declarations. Check the processor through factory verification.

If you sell the feathers as consumer craft supplies, demonstrate compliance with applicable product safety requirements before sale. Agree checks for sharp or broken shafts, loose fragments and treatment residues against the intended use.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative small-business batch of cleaned turkey feathers for stuffing under 0505 10 90 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 turkey species, feather type and declared processing with supplier records and the retained sample; investigate mixed species or substituted feather types.

Grading: check length distribution, colour consistency, intact vanes and shaft condition across the batch; compare whole feathers and fragments with the agreed specification.

Cleanliness: inspect for dust, grease, attached tissue, damp, mould and odour; check that packaging protects the dry feathers during transport and storage.

Traceability: match batch marks, processor identity and treatment records to the commercial documents. Repeat condition checks on arrival and use the inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

A supplier describes feathers as cleaned but cannot explain the treatment or identify the approved processor. Resolve those gaps before dispatch. A satisfactory appearance does not establish that the animal-product import conditions have been met.

Poor grading leaves short fragments among whole feathers, bent shafts or inconsistent colours. Residual grease and damp can cause odour, while tight packing can damage vanes. Keep a retained sample and record arrival defects before mixing the shipment into existing 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.