Sourcing printed wall planners from China

Duty on printed wall planners

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 4910 covers calendars of any kind, printed, including calendar blocks. Calendar-format printed wall planners carry 0% duty from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is listed in the supplied tariff facts. The planner formats in the table share the same commodity line.

The tariff attaches a DCMS Export Licence control. Official cultural-goods guidance states that there are no licensing requirements for importing objects of cultural interest into Great Britain. Ask your customs broker to confirm how the attached measure should be handled for your shipment of newly printed wall planners.

Printed calendars are standard-rated, with import VAT at 20%. Confirm the commodity code using the finished planner, particularly if it has no calendar grid or includes other goods. See the wider printed calendars guide and the import duty and VAT guide.

Calendar grid, paper and writing surface

Specify the calendar year or academic period, week-start day, month layout, writing space and holiday region. Supply a checked date file and approve a proof at the finished size. State paper weight, dimensions, orientation, print colours, trimming, hanging arrangement and whether the planner should arrive flat or rolled.

Choose ordinary writable paper or a wipe-clean finish. For wipe-clean planners, approve a sample with the intended pen and cleaning method, checking staining, smearing and whether wiping removes the printed grid. Consumer versions sold in Great Britain must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use; check any supplied hanging fittings for sharp edges.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order only: 20,000 printed annual wall planners under 4910 00 00 00, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,800. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,800, so it is £1,360. 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

Dates and layout: compare the final printed grid with the approved date file, including weekdays, month boundaries, holiday region and space for writing.

Paper and finish: compare stock and colour with the signed sample; test writing and, where specified, wiping on production samples.

Trim and hanging: check finished dimensions, square edges, readable margins and the position and strength of any hanging holes or fittings.

Packing and arrival: open sampled cartons to check counts, crushed tubes, creases, curled sheets, dampness and lifted laminate. Use the quality inspection guide to agree the inspection brief.

What goes wrong

An old template can put weekdays against the wrong dates or leave the wrong year in a heading. A proof viewed only on screen can hide cramped writing boxes and small holiday text. Approve the actual-size layout and lock the checked artwork before the print run.

Gloss coatings can reject ordinary pens, while a claimed wipe-clean surface may retain marks. Tight rolling can leave the planner curled, and weak tubes or damp cartons can damage saleable stock. Agree the pen test and packing sample, then repeat those checks on the production goods.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.