Sourcing men's woven raincoats from China

Duty and classification for men's raincoats

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 6201 covers men's or boys' overcoats, raincoats and related outerwear. This guide focuses on men's woven raincoats. All supplied commodity lines carry 12% duty for goods from China, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no listed suspension. Cotton and man-made fibre raincoat lines divide at 1 kg per garment. For cape styles, see our men's woven cape sourcing guide.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur import and export controls and a seal-product import control. Cat and dog fur, including products made from 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 certificate. For a China shipment containing seal material, ask your customs broker to confirm eligibility and documentation before ordering.

Give your broker the shell composition, fabric construction, coating details and finished garment weight to confirm the commodity code. Have coated or laminated styles checked individually before assuming they belong here. Compare the women's woven raincoats guide when sourcing a women's range, and use UK import duty and VAT for the calculation method.

Specify the shell, seams and men's fit

Specify shell fibre composition, woven construction, coating or membrane, lining, colour, garment length and the size chart with measurement tolerances. Include room for clothing underneath, sleeve movement, hood adjustment, storm flaps, pocket closures and cuffs. Approve the zip and any press studs on a finished sample rather than choosing them from photographs.

Agree whether the raincoat is water-repellent or waterproof. For waterproof styles, request hydrostatic head results for the shell and leakage checks on finished seams, pockets and closures, before and after washing according to the proposed care instructions. Specify seam tape coverage and adhesion. Request breathability results if you intend to describe the garment as breathable.

Fibre content must appear on the label. Where components have different fibre contents, their contents must be shown separately. For non-textile animal parts such as leather tabs, confirm any required animal-origin wording with Trading Standards. Consumer raincoats supplied in Great Britain must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. Include producer contact and product or batch identification on the garment or packaging where reasonable.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 500 men's woven man-made fibre raincoats, each not exceeding 1 kg; FOB value and freight are illustrative, not a quotation under 6201 40 10 19, 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

Shell and seams: check fabric against the approved sample, inspect tape at seam intersections and pocket attachments, and repeat agreed leakage and wash checks on production garments.

Fit and closures: measure garments across the size range, check sleeve movement over clothing, operate zips and press studs, and inspect hood, cuff and storm-flap adjustment.

Labels and traceability: compare fibre information with the shell and lining records, check any animal-origin statement, and verify producer details and product or batch references.

Arrival condition: inspect for damp cartons, mould, coating tackiness, colour transfer and crushed closures. Record affected sizes and batches, and compare findings with the quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A shell can pass a fabric test while the finished raincoat leaks through untaped seams, pocket stitching or the front fastening. Seam tape may lift after washing, and a water-repellent finish may be sold as waterproof. Keep the approved construction sample and require the factory to demonstrate the agreed performance on production garments.

Fit problems often show up when the coat is worn over a jumper: shoulders bind, sleeves pull back and the front closure strains. Labels may describe the approved sample while production uses a different lining or shell. Check measurements, material records and finished garment weight before shipment, then repeat targeted checks on arrival.

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.