Sourcing felt hat bodies and hoods from China
Felt hat forms, hat bodies, hoods, cones, plateaux and manchons from China, unblocked and without made brims, used by milliners and hat makers, pay 0% UK duty under the single code 6501 00 00 00, with no anti-dumping duty. The tariff attaches a CITES check, relevant to fur felts. Buyers check fibre content, weight, stiffening, colour and size.
0% duty and the CITES check
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, heading 6501 covers hat-forms, hat bodies and hoods of felt, neither blocked to shape nor with made brims, and plateaux and manchons of felt, including slit manchons. It is a single code carrying 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. The code carries a CITES import control: fur felts from protected species need a CITES certificate, and others clear on a declaration.
Finished hats are covered in our caps and hats guide, and hat trims in our hat bands and linings guide; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hat-forms, hat bodies and hoods of felt, plateaux and manchons | 6501 00 00 00 | 0% | None |
Specifying hat bodies
Specify fibre (wool or fur and the animal), weight, cone or capeline shape and size, stiffening level, finish (smooth, velour or peachbloom), colour against the card and fastness. Finished hats sold to consumers need fibre composition labels, so the fibre content must be known.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 1,000 wool felt hat hoods for a UK milliner under 6501 00 00 00, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £400 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,400. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,400, so it is £1,280. 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
Fibre and weight: check weight and fibre content on samples.
Blocking: block a sample to check the felt stretches without thinning or tearing.
Colour: compare against the colour card and check evenness. See our quality inspection guide.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
What goes wrong
Hat body orders fail on weight, stiffening and colour. Felt is thin in places and tears on blocking, stiffening differs between pieces, and colours vary across a batch.
Cambridge China Bridge sources millinery materials for UK hat makers from small lots; see small orders.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on felt hat bodies from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, felt hat bodies and hoods under 6501 00 00 00 carried 0% from China.
Why is there a CITES check on hat bodies?
The code carries a CITES control, relevant to fur felts; others clear on a declaration.
Are finished felt hats in heading 6501?
No. Heading 6501 is for unblocked bodies without made brims; finished hats are other headings.
What should I test on hat hoods?
Weight, fibre content, how well the felt blocks, and colour evenness.