Sourcing men's woven thermal underpants from China

A flat 12% on woven thermal underpants

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 6207 covers men's or boys' woven underwear, nightwear, robes and similar articles. This guide covers men's woven thermal underpants only. Cotton underpants use 6207 11 00 00; other textile materials use 6207 19 00 00. The table shows product variants sharing these commodity lines.

Both underpants lines carry 12% duty for goods from China, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control. Elsewhere in this heading, 6207 99 90 91 and 6207 99 90 99 attach CITES controls. Listed species can require permits; if either alternative code is proposed, ask your customs broker to confirm the requirement for the Chinese goods before shipment.

Confirm the commodity code using the garment's construction, fibre composition and intended use. Knitted thermal underpants belong outside this woven heading. For the wider underwear family, see men's woven briefs.

Specify woven fabric, warmth and movement

Ask for a fabric swatch showing the woven construction, fibre composition, fabric weight and any brushed inner surface. Agree the garment length, waistband construction, fly, crotch shape and ankle finish. Record finished measurements and tolerances for each size, including waist, seat, rise, thigh and inside leg.

Assess warmth and comfort on the approved sample rather than accepting the word 'thermal' as a performance specification. Try the garment beneath trousers while sitting and bending. Agree wash care, acceptable shrinkage, colour transfer and waistband recovery. Textile labels must show fibre content; permitted fibre names are covered in the site's existing textile guidance. Products supplied in Great Britain must be safe.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 1,000 pairs of men's cotton woven thermal underpants, illustrative order under 6207 11 00 00, 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

Fabric: compare bulk swatches with the approved woven fabric, including weight, brushing, softness and any lining. Check for substitution with knitted fabric.

Fit: measure each ordered size against the agreed chart, then repeat key measurements after washing according to the proposed care instructions. Check crotch room and restricted movement.

Seams and elastic: inspect inside seams for rough edges and loose stitching, check fly attachments, and stretch the waistband to assess recovery and seam damage.

Labels and packing: check fibre labels against composition evidence, size and care information against the approved artwork, and carton contents against the size breakdown. See quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A soft sample can conceal a restrictive woven cut. Wash shrinkage can shorten the legs or tighten the seat, while weak waistband elastic loses recovery. Uneven brushing, shedding and rough crotch seams also deserve attention before approving bulk goods.

A supplier may offer knitted thermals against a woven brief, or change the fibre composition between sample and production. Keep the approved fabric and garment as comparison samples, and resolve mismatches before shipment. Check the composition label against the actual bulk fabric.

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.