Sourcing Medical Crepe Bandages from China

Duty and classification for crepe bandages

Heading 3005 covers bandages impregnated or coated with pharmaceutical substances, or put up in forms or retail packings for medical, surgical, dental or veterinary purposes. Textile crepe bandages meeting that description generally fall under 3005 90 50 00. The table shows product variants under the same code, rather than separate tariff lines.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, all supplied lines carry 0% duty for goods from China. The file lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duties, suspensions or attached import controls. These tariff findings do not replace medical-device checks before sale.

Confirm the commodity code using the material, coating, intended purpose and packaging. Do not assume an unpackaged textile roll belongs here merely because it can be cut into bandages. The wider bandages and dressings guide covers related products.

Specify the weave, stretch and intended use

Agree fibre composition, latex content, weave, relaxed width and length, stretched length, edge finish and roll firmness. State whether the bandage holds a dressing or provides support, and agree the fastening method. Keep an approved sample and a written stretch-and-recovery test method; appearance alone does not establish performance.

For medical devices sold in Great Britain, manufacturers must meet the relevant marking and conformity assessment requirements. An overseas manufacturer must appoint a UK responsible person, and the device must be registered before sale. Match the declaration of conformity and supporting documents to the actual bandage. For sterile products, obtain validated sterilisation evidence as described in the published dressings guide.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative small-business wholesale order of individually packed crepe bandage rolls under 3005 90 50 00, invoiced at £40,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £42,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £42,000, so it is £8,400. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Dimensions: measure relaxed width and length against the agreed specification, and check roll count and winding consistency.

Stretch: compare extension and recovery with the approved sample using the agreed method; check permanent elongation, uneven tension and edge curling.

Textile finish: check loose threads, fraying, lint, stains and fastening security; match fibre and latex declarations to the agreed composition.

Packs and records: check batch identification, agreed expiry information and device documents against the shipment. For sterile variants, check intact seals and matching sterilisation batch records.

What goes wrong

A substituted yarn or changed weave can produce a bandage that looks correct but stretches unevenly or stays elongated after use. Short rolls, fraying edges and loose winding can escape a visual carton check. Compare production samples with the retained sample and repeat the agreed measurements during quality inspection.

A general factory certificate does not establish conformity for the bandage supplied. Resolve mismatched product descriptions, unsupported sterile claims and batch records that do not match the packs before shipment. Keep support claims separate from any claimed compression performance, and require evidence for the claims you intend to sell.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.