Sourcing Playing Cards from China

UK duty on playing cards

Heading 9504 includes table and parlour games, billiards, consoles and payment-operated games. Playing cards have their own line, 9504 40 00 00. The table shows playing-card variants sharing this code, rather than separate tariff subdivisions. For the wider heading, see the board games guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 21 November 2026, playing cards of Chinese origin carried 2% duty. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, no suspensions and no import controls for this line. It does attach a cultural-goods export licence measure; ask your customs broker to confirm its relevance if you later export the cards.

Confirm the commodity code against the finished product, especially where cards form part of a larger game set. Send the broker photographs, the card list, materials and details of everything packed together.

Specify stock, opacity and shuffle feel

State whether the cards are paper or plastic, then specify dimensions, thickness, paper weight where relevant, core construction, surface finish and corner shape. Agree opacity against a physical sample: faces should not be identifiable through the backs. Define the required shuffle, dealing and fanning feel using a retained finished deck.

Provide the complete face list, suits, ranks, jokers, index layout and approved back artwork. Specify colour references, print alignment, tuck-box construction and packing. Approve a printed proof and assembled deck, and prohibit material substitutions without approval.

Consumer playing cards supplied in Great Britain must be safe in normal and reasonably foreseeable use. For decks designed or intended for play by children under 14, confirm with Trading Standards whether toy rules apply. If they do, the manufacturer must follow the applicable conformity assessment procedure. Plan testing and warnings before printing through testing and certification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 boxed playing-card decks under 9504 40 00 00, invoiced at £1,000 free on board, with £500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £1,500. Duty at 2% is £30. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £1,530, so it is £306. Import taxes total £336; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £30 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Completeness: open packed decks and compare every face with the approved list; check missing cards, duplicates, jokers and mixed artwork versions.

Print and edges: compare faces and backs with the signed proof; check colour drift, uneven borders, blurred indices, rough cuts and inconsistent corners.

Handling: shuffle, deal and fan production decks; check sticking, excessive slipping, curling, coating transfer and faces showing through the backs.

Packing and arrival: check tuck-box fit, crushed corners, dampness, mould and ink transfer after unpacking; record affected cartons using the quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A deck can look acceptable in its box but fail during play. Uneven back borders can make cards distinguishable, thin stock can reveal faces, and inconsistent coating can make cards stick. Compare production decks with the retained sample and agree how affected stock will be identified and replaced.

Reprints can introduce a different card core, altered colours or an old face file. Keep version-controlled artwork and a signed card list with the purchase order. Check complete production decks before shipment and compare arrival samples with the shipment inspection record.

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.