Sourcing Sheepskin Nubuck Leather from China

Duty and import controls for sheepskin nubuck

Heading 4112 covers sheep or lamb leather further prepared after tanning or crusting, without wool, whether split or unsplit, excluding leather of heading 4114. This guide concerns nubuck skins for manufacture. The buying descriptions in the table share the same commodity line.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, the supplied extract lists 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension recorded. It attaches CITES import and export controls. Listed species require the relevant CITES permission; ask your customs broker to confirm applicability and the Chinese export and UK import documents for the recorded species.

Ask APHA to confirm whether the fully tanned skins qualify for exemption from veterinary checks on entry to Great Britain. Obtain the tannery's processing description rather than relying on the word leather. Confirm the classification using finding your commodity code. The related sheepskin suede guide provides wider heading coverage.

Specify the grain-side nubuck finish

Specify sheep or lamb, the tanning process, thickness tolerance, usable cutting area and intended application. Nubuck has a buffed grain surface; distinguish it from flesh-side suede in the purchase specification. Approve a physical reference showing nap, softness, stretch and acceptable natural marks.

Agree shade boundaries, nap direction and how skins will be grouped for cutting matching panels. Record any water-repellent or protective treatment. UK REACH restrictions can limit chemicals used in articles. Arrange testing for the intended use, discussing chromium, restricted dyes and any added treatments with the laboratory.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative compact trial parcel of matched nubuck skins for a leather workshop under 4112 00 00 00, invoiced at £4,112 free on board, with £29 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £4,141. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £4,141, so it is £828.20. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Surface: brush the nap in opposite directions and compare with the approved sample. Look for bald patches, coarse buffing, scratches and glossy pressure marks.

Cutting yield: check measured area, thickness across the skin and usable panel positions. Mark holes, scars and loose belly areas before judging the cutting yield.

Colour: compare skins under consistent lighting with the nap aligned. Check dry and damp rubbing against the agreed acceptance sample, especially for pale linings.

Packing: check for dampness, mould, staining and compressed nap on arrival. Keep skins identifiable by dye lot and record discrepancies using an agreed inspection procedure.

What goes wrong

A supplier may send flesh-side suede against a nubuck order, or match the colour while missing the approved nap and handle. Photographs alone make these differences difficult to judge. Retain a signed physical sample and describe the required surface explicitly.

Purchased area can overstate usable cutting yield when defects interrupt the required panels. Mixed dye lots and inconsistent nap direction can also produce mismatched finished pieces. Trial the actual cutting patterns and keep matching skins together before releasing the batch.

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.