Sourcing nonwoven fabrics from China
Nonwoven fabrics from China, including spunbond, meltblown, spunlace and needle-punched nonwovens of man-made filaments or other fibres, coated or not, in every weight band, pay 4% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. The end use drives the rules: nonwovens for medical products, food contact, hygiene or construction each bring their own evidence. Cambridge China Bridge sources them.
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A flat 4%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, nonwovens of man-made filaments and other nonwovens of heading 5603, weighing up to 25 g/m², 25 to 70 g/m², 70 to 150 g/m² or more than 150 g/m², coated, covered or not, carried 4% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Narrow suspensions give 0% to named products on some of these lines, such as protective garments for surgical or medical use made up of nonwovens, Nomex 410 insulating paper and certain specified polyester and elastomer laminate nonwovens, to 31 December 2028; ordinary rolls pay the 4%.
Finished products made from nonwoven, such as bags, masks and wipes, have their own codes; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man-made filament, up to 25 g/m², other | 5603 11 90 90 | 4% | None |
| Man-made filament, 25 to 70 g/m², coated, other | 5603 12 10 90 | 4% | None |
| Man-made filament, 70 to 150 g/m², coated, other | 5603 13 10 90 | 4% | None |
| Man-made filament, over 150 g/m², coated | 5603 14 10 00 | 4% | None |
| Other nonwovens, 25 to 70 g/m², other | 5603 92 90 90 | 4% | None |
| Other nonwovens, 70 to 150 g/m², other | 5603 93 90 90 | 4% | None |
| Other nonwovens, over 150 g/m², other | 5603 94 80 90 | 4% | None |
End use sets the evidence
Nonwovens for masks, gowns and drapes need the evidence the finished medical or PPE product must meet; those in contact with food need food contact evidence; and geotextiles and roofing underlays may be construction products. Ask for a UK REACH statement on binders, finishes and flame retardants in every case.
Specification
Specify process (spunbond, meltblown, spunlace, needle-punched or SMS), polymer, weight per square metre and tolerance, width, roll length, tensile strength, colour, and any hydrophilic, antistatic or UV treatment. For the reverse trade, see our guide to exporting technical textiles and nonwovens to China. For garment interlining, see our nonwoven fusible interlining sourcing guide.
Worked duty example
Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 40 tonnes of 40 g/m2 polypropylene spunbond under 5603 12 90 90. At £52,000 free on board and £4,500 to ship and insure, the customs value is £56,500. Spunbond nonwoven at 4% pay £2,260 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £58,760, giving £11,752. Of the £14,012 paid at import, only the £2,260 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
Weight and strength: mass per unit area measured to ISO 9073-1 on test pieces cut across the full width, tensile strength and elongation in both directions to ISO 9073-3, and thickness measured where it matters, each compared with the specification and the roll test report.
End-use performance: SMS and barrier grades tested for water resistance by hydrostatic head to ISO 811, meltblown filtration layers tested by the method in the finished product's standard, such as BS EN 149 for filtering half masks, hydrophilic finishes checked by strike-through after ageing, and UV-stabilised grades checked by artificial weathering to ISO 4892-2. For rubber-coated fabrics, see our rubberised fabrics sourcing guide.
Rolls and contamination: rolls inspected for holes, thin spots, specks and gels on an inspection table or light box, roll width, length and core diameter measured, cores checked for crush, and rolls wrapped and palletised against moisture and dirt, with rolls sampled to ISO 2859-1.
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What goes wrong
Nonwovens fail on weight and evenness. Rolls sold at a stated weight per square metre run light across the width or at the edges, meltblown layers vary in filtration performance from roll to roll, and fabric made with recycled polymer shows specks, holes and low tensile strength. Hydrophilic finishes wash out or age, UV-stabilised grades are not stabilised, and cores crush so rolls cannot be mounted on converting lines.
Cut test pieces across the full width and weigh them, test tensile strength in both directions, check filtration or hydrostatic head where the end use needs it, look for holes and contamination on a light table, and check roll length, width, joins per roll and core strength. Match the lot number on each roll to its test report.
Inspection
At inspection, weigh test cuts across the width, check for holes, thin spots and contamination, and measure roll dimensions.
Cambridge China Bridge sources spunbond, meltblown, spunlace and needle-punched nonwovens, with specification and end-use evidence settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.
For own-brand Tyvek and coated technical-fabric bags, see Private-label Tyvek and coated-fabric bags from China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on nonwoven fabric from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, nonwovens of heading 5603 carried 4% duty from China in every weight band.
Does the weight band change the duty?
No. It changes the commodity code, but every line carried 4% on 25 September 2026.
Which rules apply to nonwovens?
Those of the end use: medical, PPE, food contact or construction, plus UK REACH on binders and finishes.
Are nonwoven bags classified here?
No. Finished articles such as bags, masks and wipes have their own codes.