Sourcing fresh cut roses from China

8% base duty and a listed suspension

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0603 covers cut flowers and flower buds for bouquets or ornamental use, fresh or otherwise prepared. Fresh roses are listed under 0603 11 00 00. The table includes companion flowers for comparison; their codes are separate from the rose code.

The supplied rose line records 8% third-country duty and a 0.00% autonomous tariff suspension. Its footnote excludes mixtures, preparations or products made up of different components containing these products. No anti-dumping or countervailing measure is recorded. The UK Trade Tariff also attaches an organic-products import control; confirm its application and certificate requirements with your customs broker before ordering roses described as organic.

Confirm the suspension against the actual goods, particularly a mixed bouquet, and check the commodity code before dispatch. For other fresh flowers within this heading, see the fresh cut chrysanthemums guide.

Specify stems, bud stage and cold handling

Specify the rose variety, colour reference, standard or spray form, stem length and straightness, bud opening stage, head size, foliage condition and thorn removal. Agree bunch contents, sleeves, carton layout and protection against crushed heads. Use photographs and an approved sample to define acceptable variation.

Agree the cooling, hydration and transport arrangements with the grower and packing site. Ask for harvest and packing records, temperature records and a vase-life trial using your normal receiving procedure. Check the grower and packing operation through factory verification.

Confirm the current plant health risk category for Chinese cut roses before dispatch. Ask the plant health authority to confirm importer registration, an exporter-provided phytosanitary certificate, pre-notification, checks and fees for high risk and medium risk A goods, and certificate requirements for medium risk B goods. Confirm whether any wood packaging must meet ISPM 15. For organic imports, your company must be based and certified in the UK; ask your broker to confirm the flower-specific import documents.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 2,000 fresh rose stems under 0603 11 00 00, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,900. Duty at 8% is £552. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,452, so it is £1,490.40. Import taxes total £2,042.40; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £552 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity and grade: check variety, colour, stem length, bud stage and bunch contents against the approved specification.

Flower condition: check petal bruising, browning, mould, bent necks, broken stems and wilted foliage.

Packing and handling: check crushed cartons, wet sleeves, head protection and temperature records before recording arrival condition.

Documents and samples: match shipment records to the supplied flowers and retain photographs and vase-life samples. See quality inspection.

What goes wrong

Roses can arrive with acceptable-looking buds but develop bent necks or poor opening after conditioning. Bruising may become visible later, while trapped moisture can encourage mould. A dispatch photograph alone cannot establish saleable condition on arrival; agree how to assess flowers after hydration.

Mixed varieties, inconsistent stem grades and substitution of bud stages can disrupt florist orders. Keep the receiving specification and claim evidence agreed before dispatch. Separately confirm the suspension and plant health paperwork, rather than treating the base tariff rate as the whole import plan.

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.