Sourcing men's woven capes from China

Duty, garment weight and fur controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 6201 covers men's or boys' outerwear including capes and cloaks. This guide covers men's woven capes. The listed cape lines all carry 12% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions recorded. Cotton and man-made fibre lines split at 1 kg per garment; weigh a finished production sample.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur import and export controls and seal-product import controls. Cat and dog fur, including products containing it, is banned from import and export. Seal products for sale in Great Britain must qualify under the Inuit and other indigenous communities exemption and have a seal catch attestation certificate. For any proposed seal trim on a China-sourced cape, have your customs broker confirm eligibility and documentation before ordering.

Confirm the commodity code using the outer fabric composition, garment construction and finished weight. Do not assume that a knitted cape uses the woven code; see the men's knitted capes guide. Use the duty and VAT guide when preparing your landed-cost calculation.

Specify the cape's drape, shoulders and trims

Agree the shell weave, fibre composition, fabric weight, lining, front and back lengths, shoulder shape, neck opening and hem sweep. Specify arm openings, hood construction and fastening positions where fitted. Approve the cape worn over the intended clothing, checking that it hangs evenly and allows the wearer to reach forward without pulling at the neck.

For sale in Great Britain, provide a fibre composition label. Confirm with Trading Standards the required label durability and legibility and whether leather tabs and real fur trims require the additional animal-origin statement, "Contains non-textile parts of animal origin". Agree care instructions and trim materials before approving artwork. Consumer products must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use; inspect fastening edges and neck closures with that use in mind.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 men's woven polyester capes, each not exceeding 1 kg under 6201 40 10 19, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,800. Duty at 12% is £816. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,616, so it is £1,523.20. Import taxes total £2,339.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £816 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Shape and fit: measure production capes against the agreed size chart, compare shoulder placement and hem balance, and try the arm openings over the intended clothing.

Fabric and lining: compare weave, shade and handle with the approved sample; check colour transfer, shrinkage and distortion after the agreed cleaning method.

Fastenings and seams: operate clasps, buttons and snaps, check attachment strength, and inspect arm-opening reinforcement, lining seams and hem stitching.

Labels and packing: match fibre labels and animal-origin wording to the actual materials, verify fur-trim identity, weigh finished garments and check for dampness or crushed folds on arrival. Arrange these checks through quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A cape can match its flat measurements yet pull at the throat when the wearer raises their arms. Uneven cutting makes the hem hang crookedly, a tight lining restricts movement, and weak clasp stitching tears away from the shell. Compare worn production samples with the approved cape rather than relying on photographs.

Fabric substitutions change drape and can make the fibre label inaccurate. Dark shells may stain pale linings, wool fabrics may distort after cleaning, and damp packing can leave odour or mould. Reject unexplained material changes and check cleaning performance on production samples. If the cape is sold as waterproof, check the finished seams as well as the fabric.

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.