Sourcing knitted catering aprons from China

A flat 12% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 6114 covers other knitted or crocheted garments. Its listed cotton, man-made fibre, wool or fine animal hair and other textile material lines all carry 12% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing measure or suspension is recorded.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur import and export controls and a seal-product import control. Cat and dog fur and products made from it are banned from import and export. Seal products imported into Great Britain for trade must have a seal catch certificate; confirm exemption eligibility with your customs broker. The other-material lines also attach CITES import and export controls; confirm the requirements for any listed-species material with your broker before ordering.

Confirm the knit construction and fibre composition when finding your commodity code. Cotton and man-made fibre options are the main starting points for catering orders; the remaining rows cover less usual materials. See the wider knitted garments guide for the broader heading.

Specify the knit, coverage and washing

Specify a bib or waist apron, fibre composition, knit structure, fabric weight, finished dimensions and neck adjustment. Give separate dimensions for waist ties and pockets, and identify reinforcement at tie attachments and pocket corners. Approve the embroidery or print on the actual knitted fabric, including its backing.

Agree the intended laundry process and acceptable shrinkage, twisting, colour transfer and pilling before approving the sample. Test the apron with the buyer's intended washing and drying process. Confirm acceptable fibre names for the labels with Trading Standards; include the applicable indication of non-textile parts of animal origin. Settle care instructions and size information in the label artwork.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2,000 embroidered man-made fibre knitted catering aprons under 6114 30 00 00, 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 12% is £2,064. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £19,264, so it is £3,852.80. Import taxes total £5,916.80; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,064 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fabric and labels: compare bulk fibre test results with the composition label, and check fabric weight, shade and surface appearance against the approved sample.

Coverage and adjustment: measure bib width, apron length, waist coverage and ties; check that neck adjustment holds and the apron remains comfortable when bending.

Seams and pockets: pull-check tie attachments and pocket corners, inspect reinforcement and check that seam stitching stretches with the knit.

Laundry and branding: wash and dry samples using the agreed process; check shrinkage, twisting, colour transfer, pilling and logo distortion. Include these checks in the inspection brief.

What goes wrong

Knitted apron ties can stretch and lose their shape, while unreinforced pocket corners tear under repeated loading. Dense embroidery can pucker a stretchy bib. A sample that looks square before washing may twist afterwards, leaving the hem uneven and the pockets tilted.

Approve a washed, decorated sample before bulk production. Record measurements before and after laundering, inspect the reverse of the logo and compare tie reinforcement with the approved construction. Hold back packing approval when bulk fabric or stitching differs from the sample.

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.