Sourcing dressed mink furskins from China

Duty depends on whether mink skins are assembled

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, heading 4302 covers tanned or dressed furskins, including unassembled pieces and skins assembled without other materials. Whole unassembled mink skins fall under 4302 11 00 00. Loose mink pieces, dropped skins and other assembled mink panels use the broader lines shown in the table. Finished fur garments are outside this heading.

For goods from China, whole unassembled mink skins and unassembled pieces carry 0% duty; dropped skins and other assembled mink skins carry 2%. The selected lines show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The whole-mink line lists no import controls. The broader pieces and assembled lines attach CITES, seal-product and entry restrictions; pieces and dropped skins also attach cat-and-dog-fur controls, and unassembled pieces attach waste controls.

These broader controls need checking against the actual goods. Confirm any prohibitions or exceptions concerning cat and dog fur or seal products with your customs broker or the relevant authority. Confirm species-specific import and export requirements with your customs broker, including the attached entry restriction. Confirm the commodity code from species, dressing and assembly, rather than the supplier's description alone. For the wider heading, see our dressed rabbit furskins guide.

Specify mink species, dressing and matched panels

Specify the Latin species name, farming origin, natural or dyed colour, skin size and grade, hair length and density, leather softness and acceptable bald patches, cuts or repairs. For dropped skins and assembled panels, agree the finished shape, hair direction, seam construction and colour matching. Retain an approved sample showing both the fur and leather sides.

Ask APHA to confirm that the supplier's processing fits its treated-fur route. Under that route, imports are permitted from any country, no health certificate is required and the products are not subject to veterinary checks. A commercial document must accompany the consignment, recording consignor, consignee, origin, quantity, treatment or processing method and species.

Confirm the actual species and its CITES status with the relevant management authority rather than relying on the word mink or our published fur guide alone. If the goods contain a CITES-listed species, the importer must apply for the relevant permit and contact the exporting country's management authority for corresponding documentation. If the mink will become trim on a textile product, confirm any animal-origin labelling requirements for that finished textile with the relevant authority.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 300 whole dressed mink skins under 4302 11 00 00, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £9,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £9,500, so it is £1,900. 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

Species and traceability: match the sample identification, supplier records and shipment documents; commission independent species testing if identity is uncertain.

Hair and colour: check shedding by pulling and brushing samples, inspect bald areas and compare colour, lustre and hair direction with the approved sample.

Leather and dressing: flex the leather side, inspect tears and repairs, check softness and odour, and rub dyed areas against a clean cloth to assess colour transfer.

Assembly and packing: check panel dimensions, seam strength and matching across adjoining skins; inspect packing for dampness and keep whole skins, cuttings and panels separately identified. See quality inspection explained.

What goes wrong

A matched mink order can arrive with mixed grades, inconsistent dyeing, brittle leather or excessive shedding. Panels can conceal repaired skins or weak seams. Inspect the leather side as well as the visible fur, compare production samples with the retained sample and agree how defective skins or panels will be handled before shipment.

Loose cuttings create a separate customs question if they are discarded material. Waste shipment controls apply only where the material is waste. For imports into England under notification controls, the exporter starts the application in the dispatch country and shipment must await the required consents. Ask your broker and the Environment Agency to confirm the route before ordering cuttings described as waste.

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.