Sourcing conveyor belt carcass fabric from China

Carcass fabric duty and classification

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 5906 covers rubberised textile fabrics other than those of heading 5902. This guide concerns fabric supplied for making conveyor belt carcasses. Other woven rubberised fabric carries 4% duty from China, knitted or crocheted fabric 6%, and parallel-yarn fabric described in chapter note 5(c) 8%. No anti-dumping or countervailing measures are recorded. The polyester and polyamide woven variants in the table share a commodity code.

The 0.00 % suspension under 5906 99 90 90 applies only to the precisely listed fabric with polyamide-6.6 warp and specified mixed weft constituents. Polyamide fabric alone does not establish eligibility. The separate vehicle-roof fabric under 5906 99 90 20 has an authorised-use suspension and a Supplementary unit import control attached; ask your customs broker to confirm that requirement if importing that listed product. It is not a general carcass-fabric relief. The carcass-fabric entries shown have no attached import controls.

Send the broker the yarn composition, construction, rubber coating details, mass and intended use to confirm the commodity code. Check finished conveyor belting separately rather than assuming its fabric code applies. For wider heading context, see our rubberised diaphragm fabric guide.

Specify the carcass and its bonding surface

Specify the warp and weft fibres separately, yarn construction, weave, fabric mass, usable width and roll length. Agree tensile strength and elongation in each direction, rubber compound, coating mass, thickness and whether the fabric arrives cured or uncured. Identify the belt maker's bonding and curing process so samples can be assessed under the intended production conditions.

UK REACH applies to chemical substances in articles, and restrictions can limit or prohibit their placing on the market or use. Ask the mill for composition information and a UK REACH statement covering the rubber compound and textile finish, then check the restrictions relevant to those constituents. Treat this document check separately from mechanical acceptance.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 6,000 m of woven rubberised polyester carcass fabric in rolls under 5906 99 90 90, invoiced at £12,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £13,500. Duty at 4% is £540. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £14,040, so it is £2,808. Import taxes total £3,348; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £540 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Construction: compare warp and weft composition and weave with the approved sample; inspect for missing yarns, skew, damaged edges and undocumented joins.

Dimensions: measure usable width, roll length, thickness and fabric mass against the agreed specification; check consistency across the width and along the roll.

Strength and bonding: test tensile strength and elongation in both directions, then assess rubber-to-fabric adhesion and bonding after the belt maker's intended curing process.

Arrival condition: check for moisture, contamination, coating cracks, blocking between layers and distorted rolls; match roll identification to batch records and retain samples. See our inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A sample can bond well while bulk fabric separates after curing because the compound, textile finish or coating mass has changed. Excessive warp elongation, uneven weft tension and fabric skew can also make belt construction difficult. Require batch results for the supplied grade and compare bulk material with the approved sample.

Rolls can arrive damp, creased or stuck together, making unwinding and lay-up difficult. Agree protective wrapping, supported winding and a way to identify joins before shipment. Test a production sample in the belt maker's actual process before accepting the bulk fabric.

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.