Sourcing moulded plastic-tooth zips from China

UK duty on moulded plastic-tooth zips

Heading 9607 covers slide fasteners and their parts. Complete moulded plastic-tooth zips fall within the other slide fasteners line, 9607 19 00 00. Separately supplied parts have their own lines. The table includes metal-tooth zips for comparison; see the metal-tooth zip guide for the wider heading.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, all listed lines carried 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied snapshot records no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or attached import controls. Import VAT is normally 20%; see import duty and VAT.

Confirm whether the shipment contains complete zips, continuous chain or separately supplied parts, and record the tooth and component materials. Use the commodity code guide to check the declaration against the actual goods.

Specify teeth, sliders and separating ends

Specify tooth resin, chain width, finished length and its measurement points, tape material and colour, and whether the zip is closed-ended or separating. Agree slider locking action, puller shape, opening direction and the pin-and-box arrangement. Keep an approved assembled sample rather than approving teeth and sliders separately.

For consumer sales, importers are responsible for ensuring product safety. Assess detached teeth, broken pullers and sharp moulding against the intended use. For metal parts in direct and prolonged skin contact, confirm applicable UK REACH nickel-release restrictions with the relevant authority, using the published metal trims guide as a starting point. Agree relevant material and finish testing through testing and certification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 60,000 moulded plastic-tooth zips under 9607 19 00 00, invoiced at £27,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £29,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £29,500, so it is £5,900. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Teeth and tape: check for missing teeth, moulding flash, uneven spacing and loose attachment. Compare tooth and tape colours with the approved sample under consistent lighting.

Slider and ends: operate the zip along its full length, check locking action and stops, and confirm that separating pins enter the box cleanly without forcing.

Garment trial: sew samples into the intended fabric, check for puckering and snagging, and assess crosswise loading and tooth retention against agreed acceptance criteria.

Arrival and care: check carton contents, lengths and batch identification, then wash or clean samples using the intended garment care process. Check shrinkage, colour transfer and operation afterwards. See quality inspection.

What goes wrong

A slider can run smoothly on a loose sample yet jam after sewing because the tape distorts or the stitching sits too close to the teeth. Poorly moulded teeth can split or detach under crosswise loading. Separating zips also fail when the pin and box are misaligned or the tape reinforcement loosens.

Do not accept a replacement slider solely because it looks similar. Check it on the production chain and repeat the garment trial after any component change. Keep agreed defect examples so the factory and receiving team judge sticking, loose teeth and colour differences consistently.

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.