Sourcing men's woven suits from China

A flat 12% on woven suits

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, the suit lines within heading 6203 cover wool or fine animal hair, synthetic fibres, cotton, artificial fibres and other textile materials. All carry 12% duty on goods from China. The supplied tariff record shows no anti-dumping or countervailing measures and no suspensions for these suit lines.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur and seal-product import controls, with CITES controls also attached to the wool or fine animal hair and other-textile suit lines. Imports containing cat or dog fur are banned. Seal products face an import ban with limited exceptions; confirm any proposed seal material and its documentation with your customs broker. For CITES materials, confirm the species-specific import and export requirements before ordering.

Confirm the commodity code using the fabric composition, construction and garments supplied together. Describe separate jackets and trousers accurately rather than assuming every matching outfit belongs in a suit line. For the wider comparison with knitted garments, see men's knitted suits and trousers.

Specify the jacket, trousers and construction

Specify shell and lining composition, fabric weight, weave, colour and finish. Agree jacket chest, shoulder, sleeve and back measurements, plus trouser waist, rise, thigh and inside leg measurements with tolerances. State the size breakdown, lapel shape, vents, pocket layout, waistband construction and whether trouser hems arrive finished or ready for alteration.

Choose fused or canvassed fronts and approve how the lapels roll and the jacket hangs. Require jacket and trousers to match the approved fabric shade. Garments need fibre composition labels; approve durable, legible label artwork against the actual materials. Agree care instructions and test the intended cleaning method on production fabric.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 500 men's synthetic-fibre woven suits, illustrative only under 6203 12 00 00, invoiced at £22,000 free on board, with £1,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £23,800. Duty at 12% is £2,856. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £26,656, so it is £5,331.20. Import taxes total £8,187.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,856 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure jacket and trousers from each ordered size against the approved chart; check shoulder balance, sleeve pitch, collar gap and trouser rise.

Fabric: compare jacket and trouser shade under consistent lighting, check stripe or check alignment, and test seam slippage and colour transfer.

Construction: check fused fronts for bubbling after the agreed cleaning trial, lining movement, pocket strength, button security and zip operation.

Labels and packing: compare fibre labels with material records, check size labels and paired garments, and inspect arriving cartons for damp, crushing and creases. Use the quality inspection guide to plan checks before shipment.

What goes wrong

A sample jacket can fit while the production size range does not. Shoulder shape, sleeve pitch and trouser rise need separate checks rather than relying on a familiar size label. Fabric from different dye lots can leave the jacket and trousers visibly mismatched.

Fused fronts may bubble after cleaning, tight linings can pull the jacket out of shape, and weak seams can open at the trouser seat. Approve a complete suit, retain the reference sample and test production materials before accepting the shipment.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification.