Sourcing flocked textile yarn from China

4% duty on qualifying flocked yarn

Heading 5604 covers textile-covered rubber thread and cord, and textile yarn and strip impregnated, coated, covered or sheathed with rubber or plastics. This guide concerns flocked textile yarn with a rubber or plastic binder or coating. The table gives possible yarn classifications, subject to the exact construction; it does not describe loose flock.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, all supplied lines carried 4% duty for goods from China. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, no suspension and no attached import controls. The duty rate is therefore the same across the listed yarn options.

Give your customs broker the core fibre, flock fibre, binder composition, yarn construction and packaging details, alongside a sample. Confirm the commodity code before ordering. See the plastic-coated textile yarn guide for the wider heading.

Specify the core, flock and binder

Specify core fibre and yarn count, flock fibre and cut length, pile density, finished diameter, shade and binder type. Agree whether the yarn must tolerate knitting, weaving, washing or dry cleaning. Approve a wound sample and a swatch made using your intended process, then retain them for comparison with production.

For retail textile sales in Great Britain, the label must show fibre content. Ask the factory for separate core and flock composition details rather than accepting a description such as velvet yarn. UK REACH generally covers chemical substances in articles; ask for binder and dye information so a testing adviser can assess the relevant chemical checks.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of flocked textile yarn on cones under 5604 90 90 90, invoiced at £16,000 free on board, with £1,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £17,200. Duty at 4% is £688. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £17,888, so it is £3,577.60. Import taxes total £4,265.60; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £688 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Pile adhesion: rub and flex yarn from sampled cones using an agreed method; compare shedding and exposed core with the approved sample.

Surface and shade: check for bald patches, clumped flock, uneven pile and shade changes between cones under consistent lighting.

Processing: unwind sampled cones and make a trial swatch; check snagging, breaks, loose flock and deposits on yarn guides.

Put-up and identification: check net yarn weight, cone condition, winding tension, joins and batch identification against the order; compare composition labels with the supplier's material declaration.

What goes wrong

Weak flock adhesion leaves a bare core after processing or washing. Excess binder can make yarn stiff, while uneven flock produces streaks in the finished fabric. A hand sample may look acceptable but shed heavily when pulled through machine guides. Test the yarn in your own process before approving bulk production.

Mixed dye lots and inconsistent winding can turn an acceptable sample into unusable cones. Compare material from different cartons, retain labelled batch samples and record defects before using the delivery. Include these checks in your inspection brief.

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.