Sourcing Flipchart Easel Boards from China

UK duty on flipchart easel boards

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 9610 covers slates and boards with writing or drawing surfaces, whether or not framed. This guide covers flipchart easel boards with reusable writing surfaces. The table shows product variants sharing the supplied commodity code, rather than separate tariff lines.

The supplied line carries 2% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control is shown. These findings describe the supplied tariff snapshot; confirm the measures for the shipment before ordering.

Confirm the commodity code using the board surface, stand construction and supplied accessories. Ask your customs broker to check separately supplied stands and paper pads. See the whiteboard sourcing guide for the wider heading.

Specify the board, pad fittings and easel

Specify the writing surface, magnetic performance, usable board dimensions, frame material and marker tray. Agree pad dimensions, hanging-hole spacing, hook adjustment and clamp opening using the paper pads your customers buy. State whether the stand folds or has wheels, its height adjustment range, and how the board and legs lock.

Approve an assembled sample with the intended pad fitted. Check page turning, access to adjustment knobs and movement around the tray. For Great Britain, the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 apply to products intended or reasonably likely to be used by consumers; consumer boards must be safe. Include tipping, sharp edges and finger trapping in the sample review.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative small batch of magnetic flipchart easel boards under 9610 00 00 00, invoiced at £2,500 free on board, with £590 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £3,090. Duty at 2% is £61.80. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £3,151.80, so it is £630.36. Import taxes total £692.16; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £61.80 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Writing surface: use the intended markers, leave writing for the agreed interval, then erase and check staining, scratches and flatness. Check magnetic performance where specified.

Pad fittings: fit the intended paper pad, turn pages and check that hooks, clamps and any extension arms hold securely without tearing the paper.

Stand and locks: assemble the easel, adjust its height and check for slipping, wobble and tipping during writing. Check folding joints, exposed edges and wheel brakes where fitted.

Arrival and packing: check board corners, frame joints and stand tubes for damage. Confirm trays, knobs, feet and instructions are present, then assemble samples. Agree these checks through the quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A pad fits the supplier's sample but misses your customer's hole spacing. Height locks creep down under writing pressure, folding legs do not stay open, or a wheeled base moves while pages are turned. Test the assembled board with the intended pad rather than approving photographs alone.

Surface substitutions cause ghosting or weak magnetic performance. Unprotected corners arrive dented, loose stand parts rub against the writing face, and missing knobs prevent assembly. Keep an approved material specification and packing sample, and check incoming goods against them.

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.