Sourcing plasters, bandages and dressings from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, adhesive dressings and other articles with an adhesive layer, wadding and articles of wadding, gauze and articles of gauze, and other dressings impregnated or coated or put up for retail or medical use carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. For dental cotton rolls, see our dental cotton roll sourcing guide.

First-aid kits combine several products, so confirm the commodity code for the kit as presented.

Dressings are medical devices

Regulation 2 of the Medical Devices Regulations 2002 defines a medical device by its intended purpose, including the treatment or alleviation of an injury. Plasters and wound dressings are sold for exactly that, so they are medical devices: the conformity assessment for their class, a UK responsible person where the manufacturer is outside the UK, and registration with the MHRA come before they are placed on the market. For the opposite trade direction, see exporting medical dressings to China.

Sterile products need their sterilisation validated, which brings in a UK approved body for that aspect under the UKCA route, or an EU-recognised notified body under an accepted CE route, so plan the timescale; the medical and PPE guide covers the route with a Chinese manufacturer.

Materials and skin contact

Adhesives and pads touch skin and wounds, so ask for biocompatibility evidence and state latex content on the label for users with allergies. Specify adhesion, breathability, waterproofing claims and pad absorbency, and test them on samples at inspection. For alginate products, see our guide to sourcing alginate wound dressings.

Shelf life and batch coding matter for any medical product; agree the expiry date format and lot numbering on every box.

Worked duty example

Take a hypothetical order of 2 million fabric plasters in retail boxes, entered under 3005 10 00 00: £40,000 free on board plus £2,000 of freight and insurance gives a customs value of £42,000. Adhesive dressings carry no duty, so import VAT of 20% on £42,000, £8,400, is the only tax. A VAT-registered importer normally reclaims it, so the border adds no lasting cost. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.

Inspection checklist

Performance: absorbency, fluid handling and waterproofness of dressings tested by the methods of the BS EN 13726 series, plaster adhesion and removal checked on samples from each lot, pads checked for sticking to a moist surface, and dimensions and pad position measured against the drawing.

Sterility: sterile products backed by validation to BS EN ISO 11135 for ethylene oxide or BS EN ISO 11137 for radiation, ethylene oxide residues reported under BS EN ISO 10993-7, pouch seals checked against the packaging validation to BS EN ISO 11607-1, and batch sterilisation records matched to the lot numbers shipped.

Maker and labels: the factory's quality system certified to BS EN ISO 13485 for the products made, the technical file, declaration of conformity and MHRA registration matched to each product, and every carton and unit pack checked for lot, expiry, sterile symbol where claimed, latex statement and the UK responsible person.

What goes wrong

Dressings fail on adhesion, sterility and labelling. Plasters peel off in water or tear skin on removal, pads stick to wounds, and absorbent dressings leak. Products sold as sterile lack validated sterilisation or have sealed pouches that open, ethylene oxide residues are not controlled, and natural rubber latex in the adhesive is not declared. Boxes arrive without lot numbers, expiry dates or the UK responsible person on the label.

Ask for the technical documentation, declaration of conformity and UK responsible person details for each device, biocompatibility evidence to the ISO 10993 series, and sterilisation validation and residue results for sterile products, test adhesion and peel on samples, check pouch seals, and check lot, expiry, latex and marking information on every carton before shipment.

Kits and packaging

First-aid kits for workplaces and vehicles are often sold against contents lists that customers expect; agree the contents and the box with the buyer. Cambridge China Bridge sources plasters, dressings and first-aid kits, with the device class, registration route, labelling and batch control settled before production. See how our sourcing service works.

Related guides: Walking sticks and seat-sticks from China.

For medical, surgical and dental instruments, see Medical instruments and devices from China.