Sourcing hovercraft skirt fabric from China

UK duty on rubberised skirt fabric

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 5906 covers rubberised textile fabrics. Ordinary woven hovercraft skirt fabric generally falls under 5906 99 90 90 at 4% duty from China. Knitted or crocheted fabric carries 6%, and the rubber-bonded parallel-yarn fabric described in chapter note 5(c) carries 8%. Rubberised repair tape up to 20 cm wide carries 4%. The table includes alternative constructions and repair material.

The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duties or attached import controls for these table rows. A specifically listed polyamide fabric under 5906 99 90 90 has a 0% suspension. Confirm whether the actual material matches that description before using the suspended rate. The separate authorised-use suspension for motor-vehicle roof fabric is outside this guide's skirt-fabric scope.

Confirm the commodity code using the base cloth, rubber compound, coating structure and supplied form. PVC and polyurethane coated fabrics are covered by heading 5903 rather than this rubberised-fabric heading. For the wider fabric family, see rubberised inflatable boat fabric.

Specify fabric for repeated skirt flexing

State the base fibre and weave, rubber compound, coated faces, total mass, thickness, usable width and roll length. Describe the skirt design and operating surfaces, including expected water exposure, abrasion, sunlight and cold. Agree tear strength, flexibility and coating adhesion against a signed sample, with test conditions and acceptance criteria written into the order.

Send the intended seam, adhesive and attachment details. Trial the fabric with your actual bonding process and check the joint after repeated flexing. Ask for evidence covering applicable UK REACH restrictions on the rubber and coating chemicals: restrictions can limit, ban or set conditions on placing substances on the market or using them.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative trial order of woven hovercraft skirt fabric rolls under 5906 99 90 90, invoiced at £1,200 free on board, with £540 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £1,740. Duty at 4% is £69.60. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £1,809.60, so it is £361.92. Import taxes total £431.52; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £69.60 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Roll identity: match each roll to the approved material and batch record; measure width, length, thickness and mass, and retain a labelled sample.

Coating: inspect for pinholes, bare patches, blisters and delamination; check coating adhesion before and after the agreed flexing and ageing tests.

Skirt performance: test tear resistance in both fabric directions, abrasion and air leakage against the agreed specification; examine folded areas for cracking.

Joining: make trial joints using the intended adhesive and preparation method; inspect bond failure and tearing around attachment holes. Use the inspection guide to agree sampling.

What goes wrong

A sample can feel flexible while production rolls have a different compound or coating mass. Repeated folding then causes cracking or peeling, abrasion exposes the base cloth, and small cuts spread into tears. A water-resistant sample alone does not establish suitability for a working hovercraft skirt.

Bonding can fail when the production coating differs from the trial material or the surface preparation changes. Test production samples with the intended adhesive and skirt attachments before cutting the full batch. Record the failure mode as well as whether the sample passed.

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.