Sourcing hoodies and sweatshirts from China
Cotton and polyester hoodies and sweatshirts from China fall under heading 6110 and pay 12% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty; only heavy wool pullovers of 600 g or more pay 10%. Every garment needs a fibre composition label, children's hoods need their cords checked, and fabric weight, fleece, shrinkage and per-colour minimums decide the order.
Cotton and polyester hoodies and sweatshirts from China pay 12% UK duty under 6110. Fibre labels, children's cords, fabric weight and per-colour minimums.
12% on almost every line
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 6110 covers jerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar knitted articles, which is where hoodies and sweatshirts, zipped or pullover, are classified. 19 of its 20 lines carried 12% on goods from China; the exception is 6110 11 10 00, jerseys and pullovers of at least 50% wool weighing 600 g or more, at 10%. None carried an anti-dumping measure or a registration requirement.
The table lists the cotton and man-made fibre lines where most hoodies fall. Knitted jackets and tracksuit tops made to be worn over other clothing can fall elsewhere, so confirm the commodity code from the garment, and see our knitted suits and trousers guide for the matching joggers.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton, men's or boys' (hoodies, sweatshirts) | 6110 20 91 00 | 12% | None |
| Cotton, women's or girls' | 6110 20 99 00 | 12% | None |
| Cotton, lightweight fine knit roll, polo or turtleneck | 6110 20 10 00 | 12% | None |
| Man-made fibres (polyester), men's or boys' | 6110 30 91 00 | 12% | None |
| Man-made fibres, women's or girls' | 6110 30 99 00 | 12% | None |
| Man-made fibres, lightweight fine knit roll, polo or turtleneck | 6110 30 10 00 | 12% | None |
Labels and children's cords
Every hoodie sold in the UK needs a fibre composition label under the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012 and retained Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, with the fibres named in full and their percentages. Put the label wording in the specification, because a factory's default label often uses trade names or leaves out the minor fibre.
For children's sizes, hoods are where cords cause harm, so check any cords and drawstrings against BS EN 14682, the standard for cords and drawstrings on children's clothing, and keep the garment safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. Many brands simply leave the drawcord out of children's hoods.
Specifying a hoodie
Specify the fabric and its weight in grams per square metre: a brushed fleece back or a looped French terry, the cotton and polyester split, and whether the fabric is pre-shrunk. Then the rib for cuffs and hem, whether the hood is lined, the zip type and pull, the drawcord and its end tips, the graded size chart with tolerances, and the print or embroidery method and its placement.
Colour is where minimums come from. Fabric is dyed in batches, so a factory usually sets a minimum per colour rather than per style; ask for it before you choose how many colours to launch, and approve a lab dip for each colour before bulk dyeing.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: a UK clothing brand orders 500 cotton-rich fleece hoodies in each of four colours, 2,000 in all, under 6110 20 91 00, at £18,000 free on board with £1,200 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £19,200. Duty at 12% is £2,304, and import VAT at 20% of £21,504 is £4,300.80, which a VAT-registered brand normally reclaims. The duty works out at about £1.15 a hoodie; at 12%, unlike the 0% to 4% most hard goods pay, it belongs in the retail price calculation from the start. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.
Inspection checklist
Fabric and fit: weigh the fabric against the GSM in the specification, measure sampled garments against the graded size chart, and wash-test shrinkage and twisting on each colour.
Colour and print: check colour fastness to washing to ISO 105-C06 and to rubbing to ISO 105-X12, compare each colour with its approved lab dip, and check print and embroidery placement, cracking after washing and loose threads.
Trims and labels: check zips run smoothly, drawcord tips are secure and children's sizes meet BS EN 14682, and every garment carries the fibre composition and care labels in the approved wording. See our quality inspection guide.
What goes wrong
Hoodie orders fail on fabric weight, shrinkage and colour. The fleece arrives lighter than the approved sample, garments shrink or twist after the first wash, one colour of the range comes out a shade off, and prints crack. Size charts drift between colours made in different batches.
Approve a pre-production sample in each colour, write the GSM, shrinkage limit and size tolerances into the order, and inspect before the balance is paid. Cambridge China Bridge sources own-brand hoodies and sweatshirts from a first run of a few hundred per colour; see small orders and, for online brands, our service for online sellers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on hoodies from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, cotton and polyester hoodies and sweatshirts under heading 6110 carried 12% from China, with no anti-dumping duty.
Is a zip hoodie classified differently from a pullover hoodie?
Both are normally knitted articles of heading 6110 at 12%; a knitted jacket made to be worn over other clothing can fall elsewhere, so confirm the code from the garment.
Why do factories set a minimum per colour?
Because fabric is dyed in batches, so the minimum usually attaches to each colour rather than to the style.
Can children's hoodies have drawstrings?
Check any cords and drawstrings against BS EN 14682, the standard for cords on children's clothing; many brands leave the drawcord out of children's hoods.