Sourcing men's woven shirts from China
Men's and boys' woven shirts from China, including cotton, non-iron, linen and flannel shirts, pay 12% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. Fibre composition must be labelled with permitted names, and fit, collar construction and shrinkage decide whether shirts sell. Cambridge China Bridge sources men's shirts.
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A flat 12%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, men's or boys' woven shirts of cotton, of man-made fibres, of wool and of other textile materials of heading 6205, including hand-printed batik shirts, carried 12% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Knitted shirts and polo shirts are in heading 6105, covered in the polo shirts guide, and women's blouses in 6206, covered in the blouses guide; confirm the commodity code from the fabric construction. For nightshirts, see our men's woven nightwear guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton shirts, other than batik | 6205 20 00 90 | 12% | None |
| Shirts of man-made fibres | 6205 30 00 00 | 12% | None |
| Flax or ramie shirts, other than batik | 6205 90 10 90 | 12% | None |
| Shirts of wool or fine animal hair | 6205 90 80 10 | 12% | None |
| Shirts of other textiles | 6205 90 80 90 | 12% | None |
Labels and fabric
The Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012 require the fibre composition to be shown with permitted fibre names, so a cotton-rich shirt with polyester or elastane must say so. Add care symbols, size and the UK address on the label artwork, and test the bulk fabric because blends and thread counts are often misdescribed.
Non-iron finishes rely on resin treatments; ask the mill for a restricted substances statement and a wash durability test so the easy-care claim holds after washing.
Worked duty example
Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 5,000 men's cotton poplin shirts under 6205 20 00 90. At £32,000 free on board and £2,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £34,000. Men's cotton shirts at 12% pay £4,080 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £38,080, giving £7,616. Of the £11,696 paid at import, only the £4,080 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.
Inspection checklist
Fabric and finish: dimensional change after the care-label wash to ISO 6330 and ISO 5077, colour fastness to washing to ISO 105-C06, and for non-iron or easy-care shirts free formaldehyde to ISO 14184-1 plus smoothness after washing to ISO 7768, each against limits agreed before bulk.
Make-up: seam appearance after washing graded to ISO 7770 on collars, yokes and side seams, stitch density counted against the tech pack, stripe and check matching checked at pocket, yoke and placket, and button attachment pull-tested at an agreed load.
Fit and inspection: collar, chest, body length and sleeve measured on every size and colour against the size chart, labels checked for fibre composition, care symbols and UK address, and a final random inspection sampled to ISO 2859-1 at the agreed quality level.
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What goes wrong
Shirts fail at the collar, the seams and in the wash. Collars with the wrong interlining bubble or curl after washing, seams pucker because the thread tension or stitch density is wrong, and cotton shrinks so sleeves and body end up short. Stripes and checks that are not matched at the pocket and yoke look cheap, buttons come off, and shade varies between bundles.
Approve a fit sample and a size set, test shrinkage and colour fastness on bulk fabric, wash-test finished shirts to check collars and seam puckering, check pattern matching, stitch density and button pull strength, and measure a sample from every size at inspection.
Cambridge China Bridge sources men's cotton, linen and easy-care shirts, with fit, fabric testing and labels agreed before the order. See how we source menswear. For shorts, see our men's woven chino shorts sourcing guide. For kitchen uniform ranges, see our men's woven chef jackets guide. For menswear outerwear ranges, see our men's woven pea coat sourcing guide. For waistcoats, see our men's woven waistcoat sourcing guide.
Related guides: Sourcing linen fabric from China. For women's ranges, see our women's blouses and shirts sourcing guide. For the reverse trade route, see exporting suits and shirts to China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on men's shirts from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, men's and boys' woven shirts of heading 6205 carried 12% duty from China.
Where do knitted polo shirts go?
Knitted shirts and polo shirts are in heading 6105, not 6205.
Why do shirt collars bubble after washing?
Usually the fusible interlining does not suit the fabric or was fused at the wrong temperature.
What must a shirt label show?
The fibre composition using permitted names, plus care, size and a UK address in practice.