Sourcing raw silk from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, heading 5002 covers raw silk, not thrown. It is a single code carrying 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Thrown silk yarn is covered in our silk yarn guide, and silk waste in our silk waste and noil guide; confirm the commodity code.

Specifying raw silk

Specify denier range, grade, evenness, cleanness and neatness results, tenacity and elongation, winding, and skein or book packing with lot marks. Ask for the grading certificate per lot. Products made from the silk and sold to consumers need fibre composition labels under the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 200 kg of 20/22 denier raw silk under 5002 00 00 00, invoiced at £12,000 free on board, with £200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £12,200. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £12,200, so it is £2,440. 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

Grade: check denier and evenness against the grade certificate.

Appearance: check for slubs, loops and knots.

Packing: check skeins, books and moisture. See our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

Raw silk orders fail on grade and denier. Denier varies more than the grade allows, lower grades are mixed in, and damp packing marks the silk.

Cambridge China Bridge sources materials for UK mills and manufacturers with documents agreed before shipment; see small orders.