Sourcing combed angora rabbit tops from China

Zero duty on combed rabbit fibre tops

Heading 5105 covers carded or combed wool and animal hair. Combed angora rabbit fibre tops fall within the other fine animal hair line, 5105 39 00 00. The table shows buying forms under this same line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions. For the wider heading, see our combed cashmere tops guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, this line carries 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension recorded. CITES import and export controls are attached. For listed species, permits are required; ask your customs broker to confirm the requirement for the declared rabbit species and any other animal fibre present.

Confirm the processing stage and actual fibre composition before choosing the commodity code. Uncarded rabbit hair and spun yarn need a separate classification check. Give your broker the specification, composition report and processing description.

Specify rabbit fibre, length and top consistency

Specify angora rabbit fibre explicitly. Agree fibre composition, mean diameter and its variation, fibre length, short-fibre and guard-hair content, residual grease, colour and moisture. Describe the top's weight per length, continuity and packing. Approve a retained sample and run a spinning trial using your intended blend and equipment.

Ask for treatment records rather than relying on the word 'combed'. Treated hair meeting the official conditions can come from China without a health certificate or veterinary checks. Confirm with the animal health authority whether a commercial document must accompany it and which consignor, consignee, origin, quantity, species and treatment details are needed. If treatment status is unclear, confirm the applicable import route with the animal health authority before shipping.

When selling the tops as a textile product, the label must show fibre content. Match the declared composition to the laboratory report and keep batch identity consistent across labels, invoices and packing records.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 200 kg of combed angora rabbit fibre tops; illustrative order under 5105 39 00 00, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,500, so it is £1,500. 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

Fibre identity: test samples from different packages for rabbit fibre and undeclared wool or synthetic fibres.

Length and guard hair: compare diameter, length distribution, short fibres and coarse guard hairs with the agreed specification.

Top performance: check continuity, uneven sections, neps and drafting behaviour against the retained sample and spinning trial.

Condition and records: check moisture, odour, staining, contamination and net weight; match package identities to treatment and commercial records. Arrange quality inspection against the agreed checks.

What goes wrong

A soft hand sample can hide short fibres, coarse guard hairs or an undeclared blend. The delivered top may draft unevenly, shed excessively or contain tangled sections that increase spinning waste. Test the delivered lot and compare its spinning behaviour with the approved sample.

Damp packing can leave odour, staining and compacted fibre. Another failure is receiving a fibre test report for a different batch, or treatment records that do not identify the shipment. Resolve these discrepancies before accepting the lot.

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.