Sourcing combed camel hair tops from China

Duty and species checks

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, heading 5105 covers carded or combed wool and animal hair. Combed fine camel hair tops fall within 5105 39 00 00, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension is listed. The table shows product variants sharing this commodity line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions.

The line attaches CITES import and export controls. Confirm the animal species with the supplier and ask your customs broker and APHA to establish the applicable documents. Fibre from species listed in Annex A or B requires CITES permits. Qualifying treated hair can enter Great Britain from any country without a health certificate or veterinary checks. Confirm with APHA whether a commercial document is required and what it must contain; gather records of the parties, origin, quantity, species and treatment.

Ask for evidence of washing or other qualifying treatment; combing alone does not establish the treatment history. Confirm the commodity code using fibre identity and processing stage. For other tops within this heading, see our combed cashmere tops guide.

Specify fine camel fibre and guard hair

Describe the goods as combed camel hair tops and state whether they are pure camel fibre or a blend. Specify mean fibre diameter and variation, fibre length, short-fibre content, residual guard hair, vegetable matter, neps and residual grease. Agree the test method and acceptance limits with the mill before approving the sample.

For undyed tops, agree the natural shade against a retained sample and whether blending between lots is acceptable. For dyed tops, agree the shade and test colour transfer during your intended process. Specify top consistency, net bale weight, packing and lot identification. Labels must show fibre content; confirm applicable requirements for fibre names and proportions on resale labels and invoices with Trading Standards.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of combed fine camel hair tops under 5105 39 00 00, invoiced at £50,000 free on board, with £1,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £51,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £51,800, so it is £10,360. 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: test fibre composition against the supplier's declaration and check that species and lot details agree across the documents.

Fineness: sample across bales and compare diameter, length and residual guard hair with the agreed specification and lot report.

Processing: inspect neps, vegetable matter and top consistency, then run a spinning or felting trial with the intended equipment.

Packing: check net weight, dampness, musty odour, staining and shade variation; retain samples linked to bale and lot records.

What goes wrong

A soft hand sample can hide excessive coarse guard hair or short fibres in the delivered lot. Undeclared wool changes fibre composition, while neps and vegetable matter increase processing waste. Natural shade variation can become visible after spinning, and damp packing can leave stained or musty fibre.

Compare arrival samples with the approved tops before mixing bales into production. Investigate discrepancies in composition, species or treatment documents before accepting the lot. Use quality inspection guidance to agree sampling and reporting with the inspector.

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.