Sourcing textile-soled tai chi shoes from China

Duty depends on the upper and actual outer sole

Heading 6405 covers other footwear, including textile-soled constructions. For tai chi shoes, separate textile uppers and indoor styles from leather or other-upper variants. The table includes alternative upper materials with textile soles, rather than treating every line as a cloth-upper shoe. Confirm the commodity code using material details and photographs. See slippers and other footwear for the wider heading.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 11 October 2026, the selected lines carried 2% or 4% duty for goods from China. Textile-upper indoor footwear and other textile-upper footwear with other-material soles carried 4%; leather or composition-leather uppers carried 2%. The supplied records list no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions. A slipper's sole classification depends on the durable material with the most ground contact.

All selected lines attach seal-product import controls; the textile-upper and leather-upper lines also attach CITES controls, and the leather-upper line attaches cat-and-dog-fur controls. Ask your customs broker to confirm any CITES permit requirements for leather moving between China and Great Britain, the applicable exemption conditions for trading seal products, and whether any cat or dog fur content prevents import. Seal products brought into Great Britain to trade must have a seal catch certificate. Ask your customs broker to confirm the attached controls against the actual materials.

Specify the textile sole and tai chi fit

Specify the upper fabric, lining, sock, textile outsole construction, sole thickness and attachment method. Record any rubber or plastic patches and photograph the underside. Keep an approved sole sample so a substituted coating or tread does not pass unnoticed. State whether the shoes are intended for indoor practice or outdoor use.

Agree measured internal length, forefoot width, toe clearance, instep opening and heel retention across the size range. Assess forefoot flexibility and turning on the intended practice floor. Agree grip and controlled turning together: a sole that catches during a pivot can be unsuitable even when it feels secure standing still.

Confirm the applicable footwear composition-labelling requirements with Trading Standards, including identification of the upper, lining and sock, and outer-sole materials, the use of words or pictograms, and placement on an item of each pair. Match the artwork to the actual construction. Confirm your consumer-product safety responsibilities as an importer with Trading Standards. Agree material and colour testing through testing and certification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative small-business order of mixed-size textile-soled tai chi shoes; values are illustrative under 6405 20 91 00, invoiced at £3,000 free on board, with £135 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £3,135. Duty at 4% is £125.40. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £3,260.40, so it is £652.08. Import taxes total £777.48; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £125.40 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure internal length and forefoot width against approved samples; check toe clearance, heel hold and consistent pairing across the size range.

Soles: compare the ground-contact textile and any grip patches with the specification; flex the forefoot, inspect edge lifting and check stitching through the sole.

Movement and colour: assess grip and pivoting on the agreed floor; check lining colour transfer, rough internal seams and pressure from knots or stitch ends.

Labels and packing: match composition labels to materials, verify size allocation and inspect arrivals for damp cartons, mould and crushed shoes. Record defects using the inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A sample can turn comfortably while production shoes catch on the floor because the outsole textile, adhesive or grip patches have changed. The opposite problem is a smooth sole that slides during weight transfer. Compare production pairs with the approved sample under the same floor conditions and check for loose sole stitching after flexing.

A size mark can conceal a narrow forefoot or shallow instep, while a loose heel lets the foot move inside the shoe. Dark linings can transfer colour to socks, and damp packing can leave textile soles musty. Check fit, rubbing and packing condition before releasing arrivals for sale.

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.