Sourcing leather gloves, belts and jackets

Rates by article

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, articles of apparel of leather or composition leather carried 4% duty on goods from China, gloves specially designed for sports 8%, protective gloves for all trades 8%, other gloves and mittens 6%, and belts, bandoliers and other clothing accessories 4%, with no anti-dumping measure. Garments of fur skin or with leather only as trimming classify elsewhere, so confirm the commodity code.

Chemicals and PPE rules

Entry 47 of UK REACH Annex XVII prohibits leather articles and articles with leather parts that come into contact with the skin if they contain chromium VI at 3 mg/kg or more of the dry leather, and entry 43 restricts azo dyes that release listed amines. Metal buckles and studs that touch the skin for long periods must meet the nickel release limits of entry 27.

Leather work gloves sold to protect against mechanical risks are personal protective equipment under the retained PPE regulation, tested to BS EN 388 for abrasion, cut, tear and puncture and to the general glove requirements, with UKCA or CE marking and a declaration of conformity; gloves against more than minimal risks need an approved body. The work gloves guide covers knitted and coated gloves.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 20,000 pairs of leather rigger gloves, commodity code 4203 29 10 00, bought for £30,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance, so £32,000 is the value customs works from. Duty at the 8% rate for protective leather gloves is £2,560. VAT at 20% applies to £34,560, so £6,912. A VAT-registered buyer usually recovers the VAT, so the border adds £2,560 to the landed cost. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

What goes wrong

Leather goods fail on the hide, the tannage and the finish. Split leather is sold as full grain, pieces from different hides are mismatched in colour and thickness, chrome-tanned leather tests over the chromium VI limit, and finishes crack or rub off onto clothing. Gloves are cut small, seams split at the thumb, and work gloves carry EN 388 performance levels that the leather does not reach; jackets arrive smelling of solvent or mouldy after a humid voyage.

Specify the leather type, thickness and tannage, test each leather lot in a UK laboratory for chromium VI and azo dyes, ask for EN 388 test reports for the exact glove model, check sizes against the size chart, check seams, colour matching and rub fastness on samples, and pack with ventilation and desiccant to avoid mould.

Cambridge China Bridge sources leather jackets, gloves, belts and accessories, with chromium testing and PPE evidence agreed before production. See how we source leather goods.