Sourcing men's woven dress shirts from China

A flat 12% duty on woven dress shirts

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 21 October 2026, heading 6205 covers men's or boys' shirts. This guide focuses on men's woven dress shirts for business and formal wear. Cotton, man-made fibres, flax or ramie and other textile materials have separate commodity lines, all carrying 12% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff records show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no duty suspensions.

The tariff attaches CITES import and export controls to 6205 90 80 10 and 6205 90 80 90. For a shirt containing a CITES-controlled specimen, importing into Great Britain requires a permit. For goods from China under these lines, ask your customs broker to confirm the species-specific requirement before ordering.

Confirm the commodity code using the fabric construction and fibre composition rather than the description 'dress shirt'. See the wider men's woven shirts guide for the broader product family.

Specify the collar, cuffs and finished fit

Specify the fibre split, poplin or twill construction, fabric weight, opacity and colour reference. Agree collar shape and stiffness, collar stays, button cuffs or cuffs for cufflinks, placket construction and pocket placement. Record collar, chest, shoulder, sleeve and body measurements with tolerances for each size. Check sleeve movement and whether the shirt stays tucked in on the approved fit sample.

Confirm permitted fibre names with the relevant authority; the label must show fibre content, including fur and other animal parts. Agree care instructions and size labelling as part of the artwork. For non-iron finishes, request a restricted substances statement and wash-test the finished shirt against the agreed appearance. Use testing and certification support to define the checks.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5,000 men's cotton poplin dress shirts under 6205 20 00 90, invoiced at £32,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £34,000. Duty at 12% is £4,080. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £38,080, so it is £7,616. Import taxes total £11,696; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £4,080 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure collar, chest, shoulders, sleeves and body across the size range against the approved chart, both before and after the agreed wash.

Collars and cuffs: check symmetry, stiffness, collar-stay pockets, cuff openings and interlining adhesion; look for bubbling or curling after washing.

Fabric and seams: compare shade and opacity with the approved sample, check stripe matching at the placket and pocket, and examine seam puckering and loose threads.

Buttons and labels: check attachment strength, buttonhole operation, fibre labels, care artwork and size labels against the approved specification. Apply the agreed sampling plan through quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A shirt can match the chest measurement yet feel tight at the collar or pull across the shoulders. Shrinkage can leave sleeves short, while unsuitable fusible interlining makes collars bubble. Pale fabric may be more transparent than the sample, and non-iron performance may deteriorate after washing.

Approve a fit sample and a size set before cutting. Wash finished samples made with bulk fabric and interlining, then compare measurements and appearance with the agreed limits. At arrival, compare shirts from different cartons for shade, collar shape and size consistency before releasing stock.

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.