Sourcing packing tape and adhesive tapes

Duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, self-adhesive plastic tape in rolls of a width not exceeding 20 cm with a coating of unvulcanised natural or synthetic rubber, of PVC or polyethylene, of polypropylene or of other plastics, carried 6% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Paper tape and wider film classify differently, so confirm the commodity code by material and width. For the reverse trade route, see exporting plastic tapes to China.

Specifying tape

Tape is defined by the backing film and its thickness in microns, the adhesive, acrylic, hot melt or natural rubber, the width and the roll length. Each adhesive suits different conditions: acrylic for long-term and cold storage, hot melt for fast grab on cartons, rubber for difficult surfaces. Put all of these in the product specification.

Printed tape adds the print colours and the repeat; approve a printed roll before production.

Length and thickness

Short rolls and thin film are the commonest ways tape is cheapened. Measure the metres on sample rolls and the film thickness with a micrometer at inspection, and test adhesion and unwind on the cartons your customers use.

Plastic packaging tape counts towards packaging obligations when supplied in the UK; see packaging EPR and the plastic packaging tax.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 3,000 cartons of 48 mm polypropylene packing tape under 3919 10 15 00. At £27,000 free on board and £3,000 to ship and insure, the customs value is £30,000. Polypropylene packing tape at 6% pays £1,800 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £31,800, giving £6,360. Of the £8,160 paid at import, only the £1,800 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

Roll and film: every sampled roll unwound and measured for length, width checked with a rule, total thickness measured by the method of BS EN 1942, and tensile strength and elongation of the tape tested by BS EN 1941 against the approved sample, so thin film and short rolls are caught before the container is loaded.

Adhesive: peel adhesion measured by BS EN 1939 and holding power by the static shear method of BS EN 1943, with the same tests repeated on the buyer's recycled cartons at a warm and a cold temperature, and unwind force and noise compared with the approved roll.

Winding and print: rolls checked for telescoping, crushed cores, edge nicks and adhesive oozing at the edges, printed tape checked for colour against the approved roll, print repeat and ghosting through the layers, and cartons checked for roll count and labelled length.

What goes wrong

Packing tape fails on length, film and adhesive. Rolls marked 66 m often measure less, film thinner than the order stretches and splits in the dispenser, and adhesive coat weight cut to save cost loses grip on recycled cartons. Hot melt adhesive softens and oozes in hot containers, acrylic grabs slowly in cold warehouses, rolls telescope when wound unevenly, and printed tape smudges or ghosts through the layers.

Unroll and measure sample rolls, check film thickness with a micrometer, test adhesion and holding on the actual cartons at warm and cold temperatures, check unwind noise and force, look for telescoped or crushed rolls in cartons, and approve printed rolls for colour and repeat before the run.

Storage and freight

Tape is heavy for its volume, so the container weight limit matters, and adhesive can suffer in heat, so avoid long storage in hot containers.

Cambridge China Bridge sources plain and printed packing tape and speciality tapes, with film, adhesive and roll length specified and measured before shipment. See how our sourcing service works.