Sourcing envelopes from China
Paper envelopes, letter cards, plain postcards and boxed stationery sets from China pay 0% UK duty with no anti-dumping duty. Plastic mailing bags are classified as plastics at 6%. The work is in paper weight, ISO 269 sizes, seal adhesive, window film and any FSC claim, which needs certified supply. Cambridge China Bridge sources envelopes.
Paper envelopes, correspondence cards and stationery wallets from China pay 0% UK duty. Sizes, adhesives, FSC claims, postal formats and a worked example.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, envelopes, letter cards, plain postcards and correspondence cards, and boxes, pouches and wallets of paper containing stationery carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Mailing bags made of polyethylene are plastic articles, not paper envelopes, and carried 6%, so a paper-to-plastic switch changes the duty as well as the packaging taxes; confirm the commodity code for padded and mixed-material mailers.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Envelopes of paper or paperboard | 4817 10 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Letter cards, plain postcards and correspondence cards | 4817 20 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Boxes, pouches and wallets of paper containing stationery | 4817 30 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Sacks and bags of polymers of ethylene, such as poly mailers | 3923 21 00 00 | 6% | None |
Sizes, paper and claims
Envelope sizes follow ISO 269, so C4 holds an unfolded A4 sheet, C5 an A4 sheet folded once and DL an A4 sheet folded in three. Specify the size, paper weight in grams per square metre, opacity for confidential mail, flap shape and seal type: gummed, self-seal or peel and seal. Printed envelopes also need the print position and colour, and any business reply or postage indicia artwork agreed with the carrier, because Royal Mail prices letters and large letters by size, thickness and weight.
An FSC or PEFC logo on envelopes may only be used by a supplier holding chain-of-custody certification, so ask for the certificate code and check it on the public database before printing the claim. Window film affects recycling: paper or glassine windows keep the envelope paper-only, while plastic film has to be separated. See the packaging guide and UK packaging EPR for mailers you fill and send.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 2 million DL window envelopes, entered under 4817 10 00 00: £24,000 free on board plus £2,500 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £26,500. Envelopes carry no duty, so import VAT of 20% on £26,500, £5,300, is the only tax. A VAT-registered importer normally reclaims it, so the border adds no lasting cost. Envelopes are heavy for their value, so freight is about a tenth of the customs value here. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
What goes wrong
Envelopes fail on seals, sizes and machine runs. Peel and seal adhesive loses tack after months in a warm warehouse or seals shut in humid transit, gummed flaps do not stick in franking machines, and envelopes cut a few millimetres out of size jam inserting machines. Paper arrives lighter than ordered, so contents show through, windows sit in the wrong place for the address, and cartons are counted short.
Check size, window position and flap dimensions against ISO 269 and your letter template, weigh paper against the ordered grams per square metre, test seal adhesion on samples aged in warm and humid conditions, run a sample batch through your inserting or franking machine before bulk production, check opacity with a printed test sheet, and count sample cartons.
Cambridge China Bridge sources plain and printed envelopes, correspondence cards and stationery sets, with machine trials and certified paper claims checked before shipment. See our envelope sourcing service.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on envelopes from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, paper envelopes of heading 4817 carried 0% duty from China.
Are plastic mailing bags also 0%?
No. Polyethylene mailing bags are plastic articles and carried 6% duty.
Can a factory print the FSC logo on my envelopes?
Only if it holds FSC chain-of-custody certification. Check the certificate code on the public database.
What fails most often?
Seal adhesive that fails with age or heat, envelopes out of size that jam machines, and paper lighter than ordered.