Sourcing rugs and bath mats from China
Carpets and textile floor coverings from China that are not knotted, woven, tufted or felt, including printed polyester rugs, bath mats and pedestal sets, braided and rag rugs, sisal and jute floor coverings and needle-punched mats, pay 8% UK duty, with no anti-dumping duty. The anti-slip backing and fibre label are where most problems start. Cambridge China Bridge sources rugs and mats.
Printed rugs, bath mats, braided, rag and flatweave floor coverings pay 8% UK duty from China. Anti-slip backings, labels and a worked example.
A flat 8%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, other carpets and textile floor coverings of heading 5705, of man-made textile materials, of sisal, agave or Manila hemp, and of other textiles, hand-made or not, carried 8% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Tufted carpets and rugs are in heading 5703, covered in the carpets guide, woven carpets in 5702 and felt floor coverings in 5704; confirm the commodity code from how the rug is made.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man-made textile materials, hand-made | 5705 00 30 10 | 8% | None |
| Man-made textile materials, other | 5705 00 30 90 | 8% | None |
| Sisal, agave or Manila hemp, other | 5705 00 80 39 | 8% | None |
| Other textiles, hand-made | 5705 00 80 91 | 8% | None |
| Other textiles, other | 5705 00 80 99 | 8% | None |
Safety and labels
Rugs and bath mats sold to consumers must be safe under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, and a rug that slides on a hard floor is the main safety complaint, so the backing and any anti-slip claim need testing. Fibre composition must be labelled under the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Names) Regulations 2012; for floor coverings the composition of the use surface is what must be shown.
Rugs and mats used in public buildings or workplaces are usually specified with a fire class under EN 14041 by the buyer, so ask for the reaction to fire report if you sell into contract markets.
Worked duty example
For a made-up shipment of 6,000 printed polyester rugs under 5705 00 30 90, add the £4,000 of freight and insurance to the £30,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £34,000. At 8%, duty on these polyester rugs is £2,720; import VAT of £7,344 is 20% of the value with duty added. Together that is £10,064, but a VAT-registered importer usually gets the VAT back. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.
What goes wrong
Rugs and mats fail at the backing and in the wash. Latex or TPR anti-slip backings crack, peel or stain wooden and vinyl floors, and some backings slide more once dusty. Printed rugs fade or bleed when washed, edges curl because the backing shrinks differently from the face, and bath mats lose their water absorbency or stay damp and smell.
Test slip resistance and floor staining on laminate and vinyl samples, wash-test for colour fastness, shrinkage and backing adhesion, check edges lie flat, test water absorbency on bath mats, and check sizes, labels and packing at inspection.
Cambridge China Bridge sources printed rugs, bath mats, braided and natural fibre floor coverings, with backing tests, labels and wash testing agreed before the order. Find out how we source home textiles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on rugs from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, rugs and mats of heading 5705 carried 8% duty from China.
Where do tufted rugs go?
Tufted carpets and rugs are in heading 5703, woven ones in 5702 and felt ones in 5704.
Why do rug backings mark floors?
Some latex and TPR backings react with laminate, vinyl or wood finishes, so test on real flooring.
What fibre label does a rug need?
The fibre composition of the use surface, with permitted fibre names.