Sourcing knitted baby swaddle suits from China

UK duty on knitted baby swaddle suits

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 6111 covers babies' garments and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted. The garment lines relevant to knitted baby swaddle suits all carry 12% duty on goods from China. The supplied records show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions. For the wider garment family, see knitted baby rompers.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur import and export controls and seal-product import controls. Cat and dog fur and products made from it are banned from import and export. For seal products intended for sale in Great Britain, confirm import eligibility and any applicable exemption with your customs broker; seal products brought in for trade must have a seal catch certificate. Wool and some other textile lines also attach CITES import and export controls; confirm the species and applicable permits with your customs broker before ordering animal-derived materials from China.

Confirm the commodity code using the actual fibre composition, knitted construction and finished garment design. Give your broker photographs and a sample description that distinguishes a wearable swaddle suit from a flat wrap or blanket. Do not select a garment code solely because the supplier calls the product a swaddle.

Specify the swaddle shape and closures

Define whether the suit encloses the arms, has separate sleeves or uses overlapping wrap panels. Specify the neck opening, chest fit, body length, lower-body room and closure position against a graded measurement chart. Agree fabric composition, weight, stretch recovery, seam construction and tolerances. Approve the zip guard, popper reinforcement or hook-and-loop placement on a finished sample.

Confirm the applicable general product safety requirements with Trading Standards. For these suits, assess detachable fastenings, loose threads, cords and fabric that can move towards the face. Agree washing, shrinkage and closure tests before production. A soft fabric sample alone does not establish the suitability of the finished design.

For sale in Great Britain, fibre composition must be labelled. Confirm with Trading Standards which nightwear labelling and flammability requirements apply to baby swaddle suits, including any exemption for babies' garments. Settle the label wording before production and arrange relevant fabric, print and trim checks through testing and certification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 cotton knitted baby swaddle suits; FOB value and freight are illustrative. under 6111 20 90 00, invoiced at £7,000 free on board, with £700 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,700. Duty at 12% is £924. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £8,624, so it is £1,724.80. Import taxes total £2,648.80; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £924 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Clothing designed for babies and young children is zero-rated under HMRC's VAT Notice 714, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product.

Inspection checklist

Fit and shape: measure neck opening, chest, body length and lower-body room against the approved size chart; compare wrap overlap and sleeve openings with the sealed sample.

Fastenings: operate zips, poppers and wrap closures repeatedly; check attachment strength, reinforcement, zip guards and exposed hook surfaces before and after washing.

Fabric and washing: check composition evidence, stretch recovery, seam twisting, shrinkage and colour transfer using production samples from different colours and cartons.

Finish and labels: inspect internal seams and enclosed ends for loose threads, rough edges and detachable trims; compare fibre and nightwear labels with approved artwork. Repeat the agreed checks on arrival using the inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A factory can reproduce the outline while changing the jersey blend or stretch. The suit then fits differently, wrap panels no longer overlap as approved, or the neck opening changes after washing. Poppers can pull through thin fabric, zip tape can distort the front, and exposed hook surfaces can snag the knit.

Keep sealed finished samples and record measurements before and after washing. Require approval for fabric or closure substitutions, and compare bulk garments with the approved construction before shipment. Generic babywear labels can also miss the agreed nightwear wording; check the actual sewn labels rather than relying on a packaging photograph.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For own-brand ranges, see sourcing for brands.