Sourcing Silk Quilt Wadding from China

Silk wadding: 2% duty, subject to classification

Heading 5601 covers textile wadding and articles of wadding, alongside textile flock, dust and mill neps. This guide concerns silk filling supplied as wadding for making quilts. The table shows different silk formats under the same other-wadding line, rather than separate tariff categories.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, other textile wadding under 5601 29 00 00 carried 2% duty from China. That line had no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or import control. Wadding rates across the heading were 2% or 4%; the listed flock suspensions do not describe silk quilt wadding.

Confirm the commodity code against the actual fibre composition, construction and supplied form. Give your customs broker a sample description and explain whether the material has a fabric cover or is already a finished quilt. For related natural-fibre filling within this heading, see wool quilt wadding.

Specify silk type, sheet construction and loft

Specify mulberry or tussah silk, the agreed fibre composition, and whether the filling uses long fibres or shorter recovered fibres. Record any added polyester, cotton, binder or supporting layer. Agree sheet dimensions, mass per unit area, edge consistency and the compression method. Keep an approved sample of the filling itself, rather than judging only a covered quilt.

Trial the wadding with your intended cover fabric and quilting pattern. Check handling, fibre migration, bunching and recovery after unpacking. Agree a care method and test the trial assembly accordingly before approving care wording.

For sales in Great Britain, textile labels must show fibre content, and quilting wadding supplied to consumers must be safe under the general product safety rules. Match composition wording to the material supplied, rather than relying on the supplier's product name.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 8 rolls of silk quilt wadding, without fabric covers (illustrative) under 5601 29 00 00, invoiced at £2,200 free on board, with £648 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,848. Duty at 2% is £56.96. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,904.96, so it is £580.99. Import taxes total £637.95; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £56.96 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Composition: compare batch documents and fibre identification results with the ordered silk type and blend; check that label wording matches the supplied material.

Weight and dimensions: weigh cut samples from different rolls or sheets, check mass per unit area and measure usable width, length and edge thickness.

Loft and handling: unpack samples, allow recovery under the agreed conditions and check for thin patches, lumps, tearing and fibre migration through the intended cover.

Cleanliness and packing: inspect for foreign fibres, debris, dampness and odour; check wrapping and batch identification. Agree the sampling scope using our quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A soft sample can conceal an inconsistent bulk batch. Shorter fibres, added synthetic fibres or uneven sheet weight can change handling and loft. Heavy compression can leave filling flattened, while damp packing can produce odour or staining. Examine filling from the delivered batch before putting it into production.

Silk filling can bunch or migrate when the cover and quilting pattern do not suit it. Approve the assembled trial as well as the loose wadding, and record acceptance criteria in the order. For independent checks of fibre composition and agreed performance, use testing and certification.

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.