Sourcing tealight candles from China

Tealight candle duty and classification

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 10 October 2026, heading 3406 covers candles, tapers and the like. Finished tealight candles fall within commodity code 3406 00 00 00. The table shows product variants sharing this code, rather than separate tariff lines.

The supplied tariff record shows 0% duty for goods from China, no anti-dumping or countervailing measures, no suspensions and no attached import controls. Zero customs duty does not remove import VAT; see the duty and VAT guide.

Confirm the commodity code against the finished product description before declaring it. For other candle formats, see the candles and scented candles guide. For church candles, see our church candle sourcing guide. For pillar candles, see our pillar candle sourcing guide. For cake decorations, see our birthday cake candle sourcing guide. For gel candles, see our gel candle sourcing guide. For citronella candles, see our citronella candle sourcing guide. For massage candles, see our massage candle sourcing guide.

Specify the wax, wick and tealight cup together

Specify wax composition, fragrance and colour, fill weight, cup material and dimensions, wick type, wick anchoring and the intended holder. Agree the claimed burn time and test conditions against approved samples. For transparent cups, make the cup material part of the approved specification rather than accepting a visually similar substitute. For beeswax options, see our beeswax candle sourcing guide.

For Great Britain, the General Product Safety Regulations require safe products. Ask for burn reports covering the actual wax, wick, fragrance and cup combination. The wider candle guide describes fire safety and safety labelling standards. For scented tealights, obtain the fragrance supplier's safety data sheet and settle any hazard labelling against the formulation before approving artwork.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative wholesale order of cartons of unscented tealight candles under 3406 00 00 00, invoiced at £2,200 free on board, with £1,168 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £3,368. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £3,368, so it is £673.60. 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

Cups and filling: check cup dimensions, dents, splits, sharp edges, fill weight and wax leakage against the approved sample.

Wicks: check centring, anchoring and projection above the wax, including after transport handling.

Burn performance: burn production samples in the intended holder and record flame behaviour, soot, cup distortion, extinction and burn duration. Arrange quality inspection around the approved combination.

Labels and packs: check safety warnings, fragrance information where applicable, pack counts and legibility. Where reasonable, the product or packaging must identify the producer's name and address and the product reference or applicable batch.

What goes wrong

A changed wick or wax blend can leave unused wax, shorten the burn or produce soot. An off-centre wick can bring the flame close to the cup wall. Dented cups, loose wick tabs and softened wax can turn an acceptable factory sample into damaged arrival stock.

Keep an approved sample and the agreed formulation with the order documents. Check arrival stock for displaced wicks, leakage and crushed packs, and compare burn performance with the sample before releasing the batch for sale.

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. For trade in the other direction, see exporting UK candles to China.