Sourcing combed cashmere tops from China

Zero duty on combed cashmere tops

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 9 November 2026, heading 5105 covers carded or combed wool and animal hair. Combed cashmere tops fall within 5105 31 00 00, covering hair of cashmere goats. The table shows colour variants within this same commodity line. Goods from China carry 0% duty, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or import controls on that line.

For Great Britain, qualifying treated hair can come from any country, including China, without a health certificate or veterinary checks. Ask the Animal and Plant Health Agency to confirm whether the factory's washing process qualifies as a recognised treatment and what commercial-document requirements apply. Ask the supplier to provide consignor, consignee, origin, quantity, species and treatment or processing details, and document the actual treatment before shipping.

Confirm fibre identity and whether the goods are combed tops, uncarded hair or spun yarn before choosing the commodity code. The wool tops and carded wool guide covers the wider heading.

Specify fibre identity and guard hair

Describe the goods as combed cashmere tops for the intended spinning process. Agree fibre composition, mean fibre diameter and its variation, mean length, short-fibre content, guard hair, vegetable matter, residual grease and colour. State the test methods and acceptance criteria in the purchase specification, and obtain a report tied to the production lot.

Approve a retained sample and run a spinning trial before accepting the bulk lot. Agree top weight, package weight and protection against moisture and loose packing fibres. Resale labels must show fibre content; confirm the applicable fibre-name and invoice requirements with Trading Standards and check the wording against the fibre report.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 kg of combed cashmere tops for a spinning trial under 5105 31 00 00, invoiced at £1,800 free on board, with £180 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £1,980. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £1,980, so it is £396. 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 packages and test for cashmere identity, added wool and guard hair against the agreed composition.

Spinning performance: compare fibre diameter, length, short fibres and neps with the lot report and approved trial sample.

Condition: check colour consistency, vegetable matter, residual grease, dampness, yellowing and contamination from packing.

Traceability: match package identifiers and net weights to the packing list, lot report and treatment document; retain representative samples.

What goes wrong

A soft hand alone does not establish cashmere identity. Added fine wool can escape a visual check, while excess guard hair gives a prickly yarn. Short fibres and neps increase spinning waste. Test the delivered lot rather than relying only on the approval sample or a report for a different batch.

Damp packing can leave tops yellowed or musty, and mixed lots can change shade or spinning behaviour. Separate suspect packages before production and compare them with retained samples. If treatment details are missing, obtain them and ask the Animal and Plant Health Agency to confirm the commercial documentation applicable to qualifying treated hair.

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.