Sourcing men's woven padded gilets from China

Duty, garment weight and animal materials

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 6201 covers men's or boys' outerwear and similar articles. This guide focuses on men's woven padded gilets. All supplied lines carry 12% duty for goods from China, so the duty range is a single rate. No anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension is listed.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur import and export controls and a seal-products import control. Imports and exports of cat and dog fur, including products made from it, are banned. Seal products brought into Great Britain for sale must qualify under the Inuit and other indigenous communities' exemption. For any seal material in a China shipment, ask your customs broker to confirm eligibility and the required attesting documents before ordering.

The cotton and man-made fibre lines divide at 1 kg per garment. Weigh a finished production sample and confirm the shell composition and construction with your broker using finding your commodity code. The table gives candidate lines for the specified gilets. For related outerwear, see women's woven padded gilets.

Specify the shell, padding and sleeveless fit

Specify the woven shell and lining separately, including fibre composition, fabric weight, colour and finish. Define synthetic padding or down and feather fill, its composition and fill weight by size, quilting layout and pocket construction. Set chest, back length, shoulder width, armhole and hem measurements with tolerances. Approve the fit over the clothing your customers will wear underneath.

Build fibre composition labelling into the artwork. Confirm with Trading Standards the animal-origin wording needed for down, feather fill and leather trims before approving the label. Agree care instructions supported by wash trials. Consumer products supplied in Great Britain must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use, so inspect fastenings, sharp edges and loose components.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 men's woven padded gilets with man-made fibre shells under 6201 40 10 90, 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

Fit: measure production garments across the ordered sizes against the approved chart. Check armhole binding, shoulder balance, collar height and room to move with the front zipped.

Padding: open agreed inspection samples to compare fill composition and weight with the specification. Check empty quilting channels, uneven loft, fibre leakage and clumping after washing.

Shell and closures: check colour transfer between shell and lining, seam strength, pocket attachment and zip operation. Compare any water-repellent claim with agreed tests before and after washing.

Labels and arrival: compare fibre labels and animal-origin wording with the actual materials. Check size assortments, carton markings, dampness and compressed padding on arrival. Use a written quality inspection brief.

What goes wrong

A sample can look evenly padded while production has thin side panels or empty channels. Fill substitutions change warmth and washing behaviour; weak shell fabric lets fibres escape. Narrow armholes restrict movement, binding rubs, and a zip catches the lining. Compare production pieces with the approved sample and repeat wash checks before accepting the batch.

Embroidery can pucker the shell or flatten padding around the logo. Dark lining can stain a pale shell, and damp cartons can leave odour or mould. Photograph arrival defects before repacking and keep affected stock separate while the supplier investigates.

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.