Sourcing Floating Candles from China

Floating candle classification and duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 3406 covers candles, tapers and the like. Floating wax candles fall within commodity code 3406 00 00 00. The table shows product variants sharing this code, rather than separate tariff lines.

The supplied tariff data records 0% duty for goods from China, no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, no suspension and no attached import controls. General product safety obligations still apply when selling in Great Britain.

Confirm the construction and intended use before declaring the commodity code. For the wider candle heading, see the tealight candle guide. For pillar candles, see our pillar candle sourcing guide.

Specify how the candle floats and burns

Agree the wax composition, shape, diameter, height, weight, colour, wick and scented or unscented formulation. Define the intended bowl, water depth, spacing and claimed burn time. Approve samples that float level before lighting and remain stable as the wax burns away.

For Great Britain, the general safety requirement means products must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. Ask for burn reports covering the shipped size, wax and wick combination. Agree warning artwork and water-bowl instructions before production. For scented versions, obtain the fragrance supplier’s safety data sheet before settling hazard labelling.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: A carton-packed wholesale order of floating candles, illustrative only under 3406 00 00 00, invoiced at £6,440 free on board, with £2,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £8,640. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £8,640, so it is £1,728. 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

Floating stability: check production samples in the intended bowl for listing, sinking, drifting together and contact with the bowl edge.

Burn performance: check wick centring, flame behaviour, soot, extinguishing and the claimed burn time while floating.

Finish and packing: check cracks, distorted bases, colour transfer, chipped edges and separation between candles inside cartons.

Documents and labels: match reports and approved artwork to the shipped formulation and size. Include these checks in the inspection brief.

What goes wrong

A candle may float level when unlit but tilt as its wax melts. An uneven base or off-centre wick can leave the flame close to the water or bowl edge. Test through the full intended burn rather than accepting a photograph of an unlit sample.

Heat during transport can flatten the base or make candles stick together. Colour can rub onto neighbouring candles, and a substituted wick can change the burn. Retain an approved sample and compare arrival samples for shape, floating stability and burn performance.

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.