Sourcing cotton hotel pillowcases from China

A flat 12% for cotton pillowcases

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 6302 covers bed linen, table linen, toilet linen and kitchen linen. Cotton hotel pillowcases sit within its bed-linen lines. Woven pillowcases without printing are covered by 6302 31 00 00; printed, knitted and handloom-made versions have separate lines. For hand towels, see our cotton hand towel sourcing guide.

The relevant cotton pillowcase lines carry 12% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or attached import controls for these lines. This tariff position does not replace the product labelling and safety checks.

Confirm the fabric construction, fibre composition and printing method before choosing the commodity code. For the wider bed-linen heading, see fitted bed sheets. Allow separately for import VAT using UK import duty and VAT.

Specify fit after hotel laundering

Specify cotton composition, percale or sateen weave, fabric weight, thread count, finished dimensions and measurement tolerances. Define the envelope depth, opening position, hem construction and any decorative border. Approve the white shade or colour against a retained sample, including the appearance of woven stripes.

Agree the hotel's washing, drying and finishing process before approving samples. Measure fit on the intended pillow after laundering and agree acceptable shrinkage, pilling and colour change. Check thread count independently rather than accepting the factory's description.

Fibre content must appear on the label. For supply in Great Britain, general product safety rules require consumer products to be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. Agree care information with the laundry and retain fabric, label and test evidence for the supplied construction.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 600 woven cotton hotel pillowcases, not printed; illustrative order and values under 6302 31 00 00, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,800. Duty at 12% is £816. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,616, so it is £1,523.20. Import taxes total £2,339.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £816 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure finished length, width and envelope depth before and after the agreed laundry process; check that the intended pillow stays covered.

Fabric: compare weave, weight, thread count and shade with the approved sample; examine pilling, colour transfer and surface feel after washing.

Make-up: check seam security, skipped stitches, open corners, loose threads and exposed raw edges; examine decorative borders for distortion.

Labels and arrival: check fibre labels against composition evidence, verify quantities and carton identification, and examine incoming cartons for dampness, staining and musty odours. Use quality inspection to record findings.

What goes wrong

A sample fits before washing but the bulk shrinks until the envelope no longer covers the pillow. White shades vary between cartons, seams twist after finishing, and fabric loses its smooth feel or pills. A woven stripe can also be mistaken for printing when the shipping description is prepared.

Approve a laundered sample as well as an unwashed sample. Tie acceptance to the hotel's laundry process and compare production fabric with the retained approval. Record failures by carton and batch so replacements can be checked against the same specification.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For own-brand ranges, see sourcing for brands.