Sourcing combed llama fibre tops from China

Zero 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 llama fibre tops fall within other carded or combed fine animal hair, 5105 39 00 00, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff data records no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this line. The table shows product variants sharing this single tariff line.

The tariff attaches CITES import and export controls to this line. Confirm whether they apply to the actual species and any blend with your customs broker. If CITES-listed material is involved, establish the applicable permits before shipping. Treated hair can enter Great Britain from any country without a health certificate or veterinary checks, but a commercial document must accompany it, identifying the parties, origin, quantity, species and treatment.

Ask the supplier for the actual washing or treatment record rather than relying on the word combed. Untreated hair has separate import conditions. Confirm the commodity code against the fibre identity and processing stage. For the wider fine-hair category, see combed alpaca tops.

Specify llama fibre and guard hair

Specify llama fibre explicitly rather than accepting a generic camelid description. State whether the tops are dehaired, their fibre composition, mean diameter and variation, fibre length, short-fibre content, residual grease and vegetable matter. Agree an acceptance basis for coarse guard hairs, which can make spun yarn feel prickly despite a soft sample.

Define natural or dyed colour, shade tolerance, top continuity, packing and net weight. Keep an approved sample and request a lot-specific test report. Trial the tops through your intended spinning or felting process. For textile resale, fibre labels must show the fibre content; check that the description agrees with the tested material.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 180 kg of undyed combed llama fibre tops, illustrative only 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: compare the fibre report, invoice and bale labels with the agreed llama composition and treatment record.

Guard hair and length: sample across bales, check coarse hairs and short fibres, and compare diameter and length with the approved lot specification.

Cleanliness and colour: inspect for vegetable matter, neps, packaging fibres, greasy odour and shade differences; check dyed tops for colour transfer.

Packing: check moisture, mould, compressed or felted patches, net weight and bale identification; retain arrival samples.

What goes wrong

A sample may contain less guard hair than the shipment. Short fibres and neps can increase spinning waste, while uneven dehairing gives an inconsistent handle. Natural-colour lots may vary between bales, and dyed tops can transfer colour. Agree measurable acceptance criteria and inspect the shipment against a retained sample.

Damp packing can leave tops musty or partly felted. A generic animal-hair invoice also makes species and treatment checks harder. Obtain matching lot documents before dispatch, and resolve the tariff's CITES flag with your broker before booking shipment.

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.