Sourcing men's woven chef jackets from China

A flat 12% on the listed jacket lines

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 6203 covers men's or boys' suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, trousers, overalls, breeches and shorts other than swimwear. This guide selects jacket lines for men's woven chef jackets. The occupational lines distinguish cotton, synthetic fibres and artificial fibres; the other cotton jacket line is included for classification comparison.

The selected lines carry 12% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure or suspension recorded. The tariff attaches cat and dog fur and seal-product import controls. Imports of cat and dog fur products are banned. Seal products cannot enter Great Britain unless an exemption applies. Specify textile-only trims and ask your customs broker to confirm the control declarations for the actual jacket.

Confirm the commodity code using the finished sample, fabric construction, fibre composition and garment design. Do not choose a code from the supplier's description alone. For the wider clothing family, see branded and embroidered workwear.

Specify kitchen fit and wash performance

Agree the fabric weave, weight, fibre split, colour and opacity. Define chest ease, shoulder movement, sleeve length, collar shape, front overlap and pocket positions. Choose removable buttons, fixed buttons or press studs explicitly, and approve the fastening arrangement on a sample worn while reaching and bending. For the trousers in a chef uniform, see our men's woven chef trousers guide.

The fibre label must show the fibre content. Approve that label alongside the size chart and care instructions. Trial the jacket with your intended laundry process, checking shrinkage, seam twisting, colour transfer and fastening condition. Specify embroidery position and backing so the logo does not pucker or rub against the wearer.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 500 men's cotton woven chef jackets under 6203 32 10 00, invoiced at £5,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £5,800. Duty at 12% is £696. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,496, so it is £1,299.20. Import taxes total £1,995.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £696 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure garments across the ordered sizes against the approved chart, then check reach, sleeve clearance and front overlap.

Fabric and washing: compare weave, shade and opacity with the approved sample; repeat the intended wash process and record dimensional changes.

Fastenings and seams: check button attachment, press-stud operation, pocket reinforcement, loose threads and exposed sharp edges.

Labels and embroidery: match fibre labels to the agreed composition, check size markings and logo placement, and inspect puckering and backing. Use the quality inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

A jacket can fit before washing but become tight across the shoulders afterwards. White fabric may be too transparent, contrast piping can bleed, and front overlap can gape during movement. Approve washed samples as well as new samples, and retain them for comparison with production.

Embroidery can distort the chest panel, fastenings can loosen and size assortments can arrive incorrectly packed. Put the agreed laundry process, fastening checks and size breakdown into the purchase specification, then compare arrival stock with the approved sample before issuing it to staff.

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.