Sourcing combed alpaca tops from China

Zero duty on combed alpaca tops

Heading 5105 covers carded or combed wool and animal hair. Combed alpaca tops fall within other carded or combed fine animal hair, code 5105 39 00 00. The table includes related cashmere and wool lines for comparison; these are different fibres, not alternative codes for pure alpaca tops.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, the alpaca line carried 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension recorded. It attaches CITES import and export controls. Confirm the species with the supplier and the applicable permit or declaration with your customs broker. Where a CITES-listed species is involved, confirm the relevant permit with APHA before shipment.

Confirm the commodity code using fibre composition and processing stage, especially for blends. The combed cashmere tops guide provides related heading coverage. Zero duty does not remove import VAT; see UK import duty and VAT.

Specify alpaca fibre and treatment

Specify alpaca content, mean fibre diameter and its variation, fibre length, short-fibre content, coarse hair, vegetable matter and residual grease. Agree natural colour or dyed shade, top weight per unit length, packing and a retained sample. Request a lot-specific test report rather than a certificate covering unrelated production.

Confirm the actual washing or treatment process. Treated wool and hair meeting the official conditions can come from any country, including China. Confirm with APHA whether the consignment needs a health certificate or veterinary checks, and what accompanying commercial document is required. Ask specifically about consignor, consignee, origin, quantity, species and treatment details. Combing alone should not be your basis for assuming the treated-hair conditions are met.

Textile labels must show fibre content. Keep the fibre identity report with the order and make sure the sales description matches the supplied material.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 180 kg of combed alpaca tops under 5105 39 00 00, invoiced at £5,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,500, so it is £1,300. 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: sample across bales and check alpaca content and coarse hair against the agreed specification.

Spinning behaviour: compare diameter, length, short fibres, neps and top evenness with the approved sample; run a spinning trial.

Colour and cleanliness: compare shades across bales and inspect for vegetable matter, foreign fibres, grease and unusual odour.

Packing and records: check bale moisture, net weight and batch marks against the packing list, test report and treatment document.

What goes wrong

Coarse hair can make yarn feel prickly despite an acceptable average diameter. Short fibres and neps increase spinning waste; uneven tops affect feeding. Natural shades can vary across bales, while damp packing can leave yellowing or odour. Compare delivered material with the retained sample before releasing it to production.

A certificate may describe a different lot, or the paperwork may say only animal hair without identifying alpaca and its treatment. Resolve these gaps before loading. Use testing and certification support to agree fibre identity testing and lot sampling.

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.