Sourcing men's woven wool overcoats from China

Duty on men's woven wool overcoats

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 6201 covers men's or boys' overcoats and other outerwear. The wool or fine animal hair overcoat line, excluding hand-made ponchos, is 6201 20 00 19. It carries 12% duty for goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The table shows style examples sharing that line.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur import and export controls, and a seal-product import control. Imports and exports of cat and dog fur, including products containing it, are banned. Seal products brought into Great Britain for trade must have a seal catch certificate. For any proposed seal trim on China-sourced coats, confirm eligibility and documents with your customs broker before ordering.

Give your broker the shell composition, woven construction, garment photographs and trim details to confirm the commodity code, especially for blends. The men's woven pea coats guide covers related outerwear within the heading. For anoraks, see our men's woven anorak sourcing guide. For raincoats, see our men's woven raincoat sourcing guide. For cape styles, see our men's woven cape sourcing guide.

Specify the wool shell, fit and internal construction

Agree the shell's fibre composition, fabric weight, weave, surface finish and colour against an approved sample. Specify garment measurements and tolerances, shoulder shape, sleeve pitch, lapel roll, overlap and vent construction. Check fit over the clothing the customer will wear underneath.

Specify lining composition, interlining, pocket bags, button attachment and pressing. Fibre content must appear on the label. For leather tabs or fur trims, confirm with the relevant authority whether the label needs the statement "Contains non-textile parts of animal origin". In Great Britain, consumer products must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use; include checks for sharp trims and broken needles in your inspection brief.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 men's woven wool overcoats; FOB and freight values are illustrative under 6201 20 00 19, invoiced at £33,000 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £36,000. Duty at 12% is £4,320. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £40,320, so it is £8,064. Import taxes total £12,384; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £4,320 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Shell: compare bulk fabric with the approved sample, verify wool content through testing, and check shade variation, pilling and colour transfer.

Fit: measure each sampled size, try coats over a jacket, and check shoulder balance, sleeve movement, front overlap and vent opening.

Construction: check lapel symmetry, interlining bubbling, lining ease, pocket security, buttonholes and button attachment.

Arrival: inspect for damp, mould, crushing and pressing marks; match labels and cartons to the approved specification. Agree the sampling scope through quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A soft showroom sample can hide a different bulk fabric. Lower wool content, uneven brushing or a looser weave changes the handle and appearance. Other defects include twisted sleeves, puckered seams, tight lining, bubbling fronts and lapels flattened by pressing.

Keep a sealed approval sample and compare production garments after the agreed care treatment. Record defects by style, colour and size before accepting the shipment. Ask for material identification where a trim described as imitation fur appears to be real.

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.