Sourcing rubber floor protectors from China

2% duty on relevant rubber lines

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 October 2026, heading 4016 covers articles of vulcanised rubber other than hard rubber. For furniture protectors, distinguish solid rubber caps and cups, cellular pads, rubber-to-metal bonded parts and protective floor mats. The table lists candidate lines for these constructions, rather than interchangeable codes.

The selected lines carry 2% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measures or attached import controls recorded in the supplied data. The suspension at 4016 99 97 90 is restricted to disposable boot covers or overshoes; it does not cover ordinary furniture protectors. The other selected lines have no suspension.

Give your customs broker the material declaration, section drawing, photographs and intended use to confirm the commodity code. A protector containing felt, plastic or metal needs its actual construction considered. Our rubber door stops guide covers the wider heading.

Specify leg fit and floor contact

Specify whether the product is a push-on cap, furniture cup, adhesive pad or protective mat. Record leg shape, internal dimensions, insertion depth, base thickness, rubber compound, hardness, colour and permitted dimensional variation. For adhesive pads, agree the backing, adhesive and surfaces on which they will be used.

Approve samples on the intended furniture and flooring. Check retention when chairs are lifted, stability under load, compression recovery and movement across the floor. Agree a practical test for colour transfer, residue and indentation on the actual floor finish; a pale rubber compound still needs checking.

Consumer protectors supplied in Great Britain must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. Assess whether a loose cap could make furniture unstable. Where reasonable, the product or packaging must identify the producer by name and address and include a product reference or applicable batch identification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 3,000 rubber furniture leg caps, illustrative order under 4016 99 97 90, invoiced at £1,200 free on board, with £350 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £1,550. Duty at 2% is £31. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £1,581, so it is £316.20. Import taxes total £347.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £31 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure the opening and base, then try samples on the agreed leg shapes; check that caps stay attached when furniture is lifted.

Floor contact: inspect for moulding flash, exposed metal and embedded grit; test for marking and residue on the agreed floor finish.

Load and adhesion: check flattening, splitting and recovery under the agreed load; check adhesive pads for peeling and sideways creep.

Packing: check size separation, quantities, product references and traceability details against the approved artwork. Use the inspection guide to agree the checks before dispatch.

What goes wrong

A cap can match the stated outside size yet have the wrong internal shape. Loose caps fall off when chairs move, thin bases split over sharp leg ends, and soft cups flatten unevenly. Rubber can leave coloured marks or residue on a floor, while adhesive pads can slide out from beneath loaded furniture.

Check production samples against the approved furniture and flooring before shipment, then repeat the practical checks on arrival. Keep samples from the delivered batch to investigate complaints. Specify the surfaces covered by any non-marking claim instead of accepting a general statement from the factory.

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.