Sourcing reflective fabric and canvas from China
Retroreflective glass-bead fabric from China is 0% UK duty under a suspension to 31 December 2028, while primed artists' canvas, scenery canvas and other fabrics coated with materials other than plastics or rubber pay 4%, with no anti-dumping duty. Hi-vis reflective fabric is judged under EN ISO 20471. Cambridge China Bridge sources coated and reflective fabrics.
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A flat 4%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, textile fabrics coated with adhesive in which spheres of up to 150 µm are embedded, the construction of retroreflective fabric, and other textile fabrics otherwise impregnated, coated or covered, including painted canvas for theatrical scenery and studio backcloths, of heading 5907 carried 4% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. A suspension gives 0% to the embedded-sphere line, which covers retroreflective fabric, until 31 December 2028.
Fabrics coated with plastics such as PVC or PU are in heading 5903, covered in the coated fabrics guide, and rubberised fabrics in 5906; confirm the commodity code from the coating.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabric with embedded spheres up to 150 µm, such as retroreflective fabric | 5907 00 00 10 | 4%; 0% to 31 Dec 2028 | None |
| Other coated or impregnated fabrics, such as primed canvas | 5907 00 00 90 | 4% | None |
Performance for the end use
High-visibility garments sold as PPE must undergo the applicable conformity assessment; EN ISO 20471 is a voluntary standard commonly used to demonstrate compliance. It sets the minimum retroreflective performance of the reflective material, including after washing, so the fabric supplier should provide test data for the grade and the wash cycles claimed. Garment makers will also ask for colour and adhesion data after abrasion.
Artists' canvas is judged on priming, weight and archival quality, so specify the ground, number of coats and whether it is acid-free. Scenery cloths used in theatres are usually specified with a flame retardant finish and a test certificate, because venues ask for fire evidence.
Worked duty example
For a made-up shipment of 20,000 metres of retroreflective fabric under 5907 00 00 10, add the £1,800 of freight and insurance to the £26,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £27,800. Duty on retroreflective fabric is zero, leaving import VAT of £5,560, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. The same value of primed canvas under 5907 00 00 90 would pay 4%, £1,112 of duty. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.
Inspection checklist
Retroreflection: the coefficient of retroreflection measured on samples from the lot at the angles EN ISO 20471 sets for the class claimed, then remeasured after the conditioning that standard requires, such as abrasion, flexing, folding at cold temperature, wetting and the number of washes to ISO 6330 declared on the label.
Fluorescent background and tape: chromaticity and luminance factor of the fluorescent base measured with a spectrophotometer against the EN ISO 20471 colour areas before and after xenon light exposure to ISO 105-B02, heat-applied tape peel-tested after washing, and sew-on tape checked for bead loss after abrasion.
Canvas and scenery cloth: mass per unit area to ISO 3801 before and after priming, priming coats checked for evenness and pinholes, samples rolled and unrolled in the cold to check for cracking, flame retardant scenery cloth tested on the bulk to the standard the venue asks for, such as BS 5867-2, and rolls shipped on wide cores inside moisture-proof wrapping.
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What goes wrong
Reflective and coated fabrics fail on performance and durability. Reflective fabric that meets its rating when new can lose much of it after a few washes if the bead layer or binder is weak, and colour-matched fluorescent bases fade in sunlight. Primed canvas cracks when rolled tightly or in cold transit, priming is uneven or too thin, and flame retardant finishes wash out or are missing from part of a roll.
Test retroreflection new and after the claimed wash cycles, check bead adhesion by abrasion, roll and unroll canvas samples in the cold to check for cracking, check priming weight and evenness, and ask for flame retardancy tests on the bulk. Ship canvas rolled on wide cores and reflective fabric protected from abrasion.
Cambridge China Bridge sources retroreflective fabric, primed canvas and coated technical textiles, with performance testing and packing agreed before the order. Read how we source technical textiles.
Related guides: Bookbinding cloth and artist canvas from China.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on reflective fabric from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, retroreflective fabric with embedded spheres was 0% from China under a suspension to 31 December 2028, and other coated fabrics of heading 5907 4%.
Which standard covers hi-vis reflective performance?
EN ISO 20471 sets minimum retroreflective performance for high-visibility garments, including after washing.
Where do PVC-coated fabrics go?
Fabrics coated with plastics such as PVC or PU are in heading 5903, not 5907.
Why does primed canvas crack?
Tight rolling, cold transit or too thin a ground; ship on wide cores and test samples in the cold.