Sourcing hessian and jute fabric from China

0% on every line of heading 5310

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 28 September 2026, heading 5310 covers woven fabrics of jute or of other textile bast fibres. All four lines carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure, split by whether the fabric is unbleached and by width.

Sacks and bags made from jute are classified as made-up articles, and jute yarn as yarn; confirm the commodity code for the form you are buying.

Labels and food contact

Hessian sold to consumers by the metre or in packs is a textile product, so it needs fibre composition information under the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012.

Jute is softened with batching oil when it is spun. If the fabric or sacks will touch food, such as coffee, cocoa or nut sacks, ask for a food-grade batching oil and a declaration for the food contact use under retained Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, because mineral oil residues can migrate into food.

Specifying hessian

Specify the weight in grams per square metre, the construction (threads per inch or per 10 cm in warp and weft), the width and roll length, unbleached, bleached or dyed and the colour reference, any lamination or backing, the batching oil, moisture, and packing in bales or rolls.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 30,000 metres of unbleached hessian, 100 cm wide, under 5310 10 10 00, at £15,000 free on board with £1,500 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £16,500. There is no duty; import VAT at 20% is £3,300, which a VAT-registered buyer normally reclaims. Hessian is bought by weight per square metre as much as by length, so a roll that is lighter than the sample is effectively a price rise; weigh it at inspection. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

Inspection checklist

Weight and weave: weigh cut samples from several rolls against the specified grams per square metre, count threads in warp and weft, and check width and roll length.

Condition: check for holes, slubs, knots, uneven weave, damp and mildew, and for a strong oil smell that suggests the wrong batching oil.

Packing: check bales or rolls are dry and wrapped against damp for the voyage. See our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

Hessian fails on weight, damp and smell. Rolls arrive lighter than the sample, bales packed damp develop mildew in the container, the weave is uneven or holed, and fabric spun with a cheap batching oil smells and is unsuitable for food sacks.

Cambridge China Bridge sources hessian and jute fabric for UK garden, upholstery, craft and packaging buyers, with weight, oil and moisture agreed before production. See small orders.