Sourcing men's knitted shorts from China

A flat 12% duty on knitted shorts

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 20 October 2026, heading 6103 covers men's or boys' knitted or crocheted garments including shorts other than swimwear. This guide focuses on men's shorts. The selected cotton, synthetic, artificial-fibre, wool and other textile lines all carry 12% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is recorded.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur and seal-product import controls, plus CITES on some lines. Imports containing cat or dog fur are banned. Under the indigenous-hunt exemption, seal products require a seal catch attestation certificate; confirm eligibility and other documents with your customs broker before ordering from China. CITES specimens require an import permit; ask your broker to check any animal-derived material against the attached control.

Confirm the commodity code from the garment's construction and fibre composition, rather than the supplier's description alone. The wider knitted suits and trousers guide covers the rest of the heading. Allow separately for import VAT and clearance costs using the import duty and VAT guide.

Specify the waistband, fabric and short length

State whether the fabric is jersey, loopback or brushed fleece, its fibre blend and weight, and the agreed shrinkage, pilling and colour fastness limits. Approve the handle and opacity of the bulk fabric, especially for pale colours. Set measurements and tolerances for relaxed and stretched waist, hip, rise, inside leg and leg opening.

Specify elastic width and recovery, drawcord construction, pocket depth, pocket attachment, hem finish and print placement. Approve finished samples across the size range, including after washing. Confirm with Trading Standards the applicable fibre-composition labelling requirements and permitted fibre names. Include the agreed care instructions and size wording in the label artwork.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2,000 pairs of men's knitted cotton shorts under 6103 42 00 00, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £1,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £19,200. Duty at 12% is £2,304. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £21,504, so it is £4,300.80. Import taxes total £6,604.80; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,304 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure the relaxed and stretched waistband, rise, inside leg and leg openings against the approved size chart; compare sizes and colours.

Fabric: check weight and shading against the approved sample, then wash finished shorts to assess shrinkage, twisting, pilling and colour transfer.

Waistband and seams: stretch the waistband and check recovery, elastic twisting, broken stitches, crotch seams and pocket attachment.

Labels and packing: compare fibre labels with the fabric evidence and approved artwork, check size labels and carton contents, and record defects at inspection.

What goes wrong

Waistbands can remain stretched or roll inside the casing, while pocket openings gape and crotch seams split when stitches do not accommodate the knit. Washing can shorten the legs or twist side seams. Different dye batches can produce uneven shading, and prints can crack when stretched.

Keep an approved finished sample and agree acceptance limits before cutting. Check washed samples as well as unwashed garments, compare fabric and elastic from the production batch, and require the factory to resolve defects before shipment.

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.