Filter cloth and technical textiles from China
Technical textiles of heading 5911 from China pay 4% or 6% UK duty with no anti-dumping duty: bolting cloth such as screen printing mesh, and paper machine clothing, 4%; filter and straining cloth and other technical articles 6%; and some listed items are suspended to 0%. Buyers specify permeability, mesh and strength. Cambridge China Bridge sources filter cloth and mesh.
Filter cloth, screen printing mesh, press felts and other technical textiles from China pay 4% to 6% UK duty. Permeability and mesh checks, and an example.
4% or 6%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, heading 5911 covers textile products and articles for technical uses. Coated or laminated fabrics for card clothing and similar technical purposes, bolting cloth, and paper machine fabrics and felts carried 4% on goods from China; straining and filter cloth, and other technical textile articles, carried 6%. No line had an anti-dumping measure.
Self-adhesive circular polishing pads for semiconductor wafers (5911 90 91 00) are 0%, and three listed products are suspended to 0% until 31 December 2028: parts of reverse osmosis water purification equipment (5911 90 99 30), multi-layered polyurethane-impregnated polyester polishing pads (5911 90 99 40) and a listed loudspeaker vibration damper (5911 90 99 50).
Heading 5911 takes fabrics in the piece, cut to length or cut to rectangles, of the kinds named in note 8 to chapter 59, and articles for technical use. Plain woven synthetic fabric sold without a technical make-up may instead be classed by its fibre, nonwovens are in our nonwoven fabrics guide, and made-up filter bags and sleeves need checking case by case, so confirm the commodity code with the product description and drawing.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coated or laminated fabrics for card clothing and similar technical uses | 5911 10 00 00 | 4% | None |
| Bolting cloth, not of silk (including screen printing mesh) | 5911 20 00 90 | 4% | None |
| Paper machine fabrics with a needled batt, 650 g/m² or more, of man-made fibres | 5911 32 11 00 | 4% | None |
| Straining and filter cloth, other than listed PET spunbond media | 5911 40 00 90 | 6% | None |
| Listed reverse osmosis parts, polishing pads, loudspeaker dampers | 5911 90 99 30 / 40 / 50 | 0% to 31 Dec 2028 (standard 6%) | None |
| Other textile articles for technical uses | 5911 90 99 90 | 6% | None |
End use sets the evidence
Filter cloth used in food, drink or pharmaceutical processing touches the product, so it is a food contact material under [Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/1935/contents) as it applies in Great Britain; ask for a declaration of compliance covering the fibre, finish and any coating.
For every technical textile, ask for a UK REACH statement on finishes, coatings and membranes, and for filters in dust collection get the filtration test report on the media you are buying, not a brochure figure for a similar grade.
Specifying technical fabrics
Filter cloth is specified by fibre (polypropylene, polyester, nylon, PTFE or aramid), weave or felt construction, mass per square metre, air permeability at a stated pressure, finish such as calendering, singeing or a membrane, and the maximum working temperature. Screen printing mesh is specified by threads per centimetre and thread diameter, with a note of colour and whether it is for tensioned frames.
Send the drawing for made-up items such as filter bags, belts or sleeves, with seam type, cuff and ring details, because the fit on the customer's equipment matters as much as the fabric.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical order of 8,000 m² of woven polypropylene filter cloth in rolls, entered under 5911 40 00 90: £14,000 free on board plus £1,200 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £15,200. The 6% duty on filter cloth comes to £912, and import VAT is 20% of £16,112, which is £3,222.40. If you are VAT-registered you normally reclaim the £3,222.40, leaving £912 as the real cost at the border. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
Inspection checklist
Permeability: measure air permeability to ISO 9237 at the agreed pressure at several points across the width and along each roll, because uneven calendering or felt density gives areas that blind or leak.
Strength and mass: test breaking strength and elongation in warp and weft by the strip method of ISO 13934-1 and weigh samples against the specification; for dust filter media ask for filtration results to ISO 11057 on the same grade.
Mesh and make-up: count threads per centimetre and measure thread diameter on screen mesh with a counting glass and micrometer, look for weaving faults against a light table, and measure made-up bags and sleeves against the drawing, including seams and rings.
What goes wrong
Technical textiles fail on consistency. Permeability varies across the roll, felt thickness drifts, fibre blends are swapped for a cheaper polymer that softens at working temperature, screen mesh arrives with the wrong thread count or tension creep, and made-up bags do not fit the cage or cell plate.
Test each lot against a signed sample, keep a length for comparison, and check dimensions of made-up parts before loading. See our guide to verifying factory capability.
Cambridge China Bridge sources filter cloth, bags and screen printing mesh for equipment makers, printers and maintenance buyers, and checks the mill's test equipment before an order. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on filter cloth from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, straining and filter cloth of 5911 40 carried 6% from China, with no anti-dumping duty.
What code is screen printing mesh?
Bolting cloth of heading 5911 20, which carried 4% from China; confirm with your fabric description.
How do I compare filter cloth samples from different factories?
Test air permeability, mass and strength on each sample by the same method and pressure, not from the datasheets.
Can I buy a trial roll first?
Usually; many mills sell a roll or cut length from stock grades, while special finishes need a minimum run.