Sourcing felt ball rugs from China

A flat 8% duty, with construction checked

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 5705 covers other carpets and textile floor coverings, whether or not made up. For felt ball rugs, obtain photographs of the underside and details of the ball material and joining method before confirming the commodity code. See the wider wet-felted wool rugs guide when comparing constructions.

All supplied commodity lines carry 8% duty for goods from China. The record shows no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The table distinguishes hand-made and other manufacture, and wool or other natural textiles from man-made materials; it does not establish classification from the product name alone.

The other-textile lines attach CITES import and export controls and cat and dog fur import and export controls. Commercial imports containing cat or dog fur are prohibited. Confirm species-related CITES documents and restrictions with your customs broker. The record also attaches a cultural-goods export licence entry, with a waiver for recently manufactured goods. This concerns outward trade; confirm any applicable export requirements before re-exporting.

Specify the balls and how they are joined

Specify wool or synthetic fibre content, ball diameter, firmness, colour layout, finished dimensions, weight and joining thread. Ask whether balls are solid felt or have a different core. Approve an underside sample showing thread routes, knots and edge finishing, together with a complete rug that lies flat.

Consumer rugs sold in Great Britain must be safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. Assess slipping, raised edges and detached balls in the intended setting. Fibre composition must be labelled; confirm with Trading Standards which parts of the floor covering the composition declaration should cover. Agree cleaning instructions from testing of the actual rug, rather than copying instructions from a different construction.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 50 hand-made wool felt ball rugs under 5705 00 80 91, invoiced at £4,000 free on board, with £1,960 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £5,960. Duty at 8% is £476.80. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,436.80, so it is £1,287.36. Import taxes total £1,764.16; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £476.80 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Balls and stitching: compare ball size and firmness with the approved sample, inspect thread paths and knots, and agree a pull check for loose balls and opening joins.

Shape and footing: measure finished dimensions, check circularity or squareness, and lay rugs on the intended flooring to assess rocking, sliding and raised edges.

Colour and care: rub contrasting colours with dry and damp cloths, trial the proposed cleaning method, and check for bleeding, shrinkage and distortion after drying.

Labels and packing: compare fibre test results with the use-surface label, check colourway identification, and open arrival cartons for dampness, odour and crushed balls.

What goes wrong

Loose stitching allows balls to detach or gaps to open when the rug is lifted. Uneven ball firmness makes the surface lumpy, while tight joining thread can pull the rug into a bowl. Inspect the underside as well as the decorative face.

Dark balls can transfer dye to pale neighbours during cleaning. Dense packing can flatten the surface, and damp packing can leave odour or mould. Compare arrival samples with the approved rug before releasing stock, and agree the inspection scope before production.

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.