Sourcing finished camel leather from China

Duty and import controls for camel leather

Heading 4113 covers leather further prepared after tanning or crusting, without wool or hair, whether split or unsplit, excluding leather of heading 4114. Finished camel leather falls within the supplied “Other” line, 4113 90 00 00. The table shows product descriptions sharing that line, rather than separate tariff classifications. See the wider speciality leather guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, the supplied camel leather line carries 2% duty for goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension. The tariff attaches CITES, cat and dog fur, and seal-product import controls. Ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable requirements and declaration documents for the identified camel species.

CITES permits are required for species listed in the relevant protected annexes. APHA guidance exempts its specified treated hides from veterinary checks; ask your broker to confirm that the documented tanning process meets that exemption. Send the species declaration, processing description and finish details to your broker when confirming the commodity code.

Specify camel species, cutting area and finish

Name the camel species and request records linking it to the supplied hides. Specify grain or split leather, tanning method, thickness tolerance, colour, softness and surface finish. Describe the intended use, such as bag panels or footwear uppers, and approve a retained sample before bulk production.

Agree how the factory measures area and marks unusable zones. Distinguish total hide area from usable cutting area around scars, holes and loose edges. Supply cutting templates where panel yield matters, and agree which natural marks are acceptable.

REACH restrictions can limit, ban or set conditions on substances. Ask a laboratory to review the leather's intended use and propose chemical checks, including chromium and dye testing where appropriate. Match reports to the supplied colour, finish and batch through testing and certification support.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: An illustrative trial batch of finished camel hides for a small bag maker under 4113 90 00 00, invoiced at £4,113 free on board, with £1,523 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £5,636. Duty at 2% is £112.72. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £5,748.72, so it is £1,149.74. Import taxes total £1,262.46; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £112.72 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the supplier's species and tanning records to the invoice, batch markings and approved sample.

Yield: check measured area, thickness across the hide, scars, holes and usable panel area against the agreed cutting templates.

Finish: compare colour and gloss between hides; check dry and damp rubbing, flexing, coating adhesion and loose grain against the approved sample.

Arrival condition: inspect for mould, damp wrapping, odour, creases and surface sticking; keep affected hides separate and photograph their batch markings.

What goes wrong

A hide can meet the ordered total area yet produce too few usable panels because defects fall across the cutting pattern. Approval based only on a small swatch can also miss thickness variation, loose grain and colour differences across whole hides.

Heavy coating can conceal surface defects while changing the leather's feel and behaviour during folding or stitching. Damp packing can leave mould or sticking between hides. Record defects before cutting or mixing batches, and agree the remedy against the written specification.

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.