Sourcing textile Venetian blinds from China

Duty on textile Venetian blinds

Heading 6303 covers textile curtains, interior blinds and curtain or bed valances. This guide concerns Venetian blinds with horizontal textile slats. Blinds with plastic, wood or metal slats are classified by their material instead. Establish what the slats are made from before accepting a supplier's proposed code.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, goods from China carried 6% duty for the nonwoven lines and 12% for the other textile lines. The supplied snapshot records no anti-dumping or countervailing measures, suspensions or attached import controls across this heading.

Confirm fibre composition, whether the slats are knitted, woven or nonwoven, and the complete product description using finding your commodity code. The table gives candidate lines rather than a classification for every design. For another blind family within the heading, see textile vertical blinds.

Specify the slats and operating assembly

Specify horizontal slat width, finished blind width and drop, textile composition, fabric construction, stiffening or coating, colour and edge finish. Identify whether dimensions include the headrail and brackets. Approve a complete mounted sample, including ladder tapes, lift mechanism and bottom rail, rather than a fabric swatch alone.

Agree how the slats should overlap when closed, how evenly they tilt and how the blind stacks when raised. Check the assembled sample under backlighting before accepting privacy or blackout claims. Specify mounting position, bracket compatibility, cleaning instructions and packaging that supports the slats against creasing.

Fibre content must appear on the label. Looped cords and chains present a strangulation risk to children; new blinds with looped cords must have child safety devices installed during manufacture or supplied with the blind. Agree the safety devices, warnings and fitting instructions before production, and request test evidence for the complete design.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 800 complete woven polyester Venetian blinds, illustrative order under 6303 92 90 90, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £9,800. Duty at 12% is £1,176. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £10,976, so it is £2,195.20. Import taxes total £3,371.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,176 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Dimensions: at inspection, measure finished width, drop and slat width against the approved drawing; check bracket positions, slat alignment and overlap.

Operation: mount samples and raise, lower and tilt them repeatedly; check uneven lifting, slipping locks, twisted ladder tapes and slats that catch on neighbouring slats.

Textile: compare shade across cartons, inspect fraying and coating damage, check fibre labels against the agreed composition, and assess light leakage and cleaning performance against the approved sample.

Safety and packing: check the agreed cord safety devices, warnings, fitting instructions and fixing pack; inspect headrails for bending and textile slats for permanent transit creases.

What goes wrong

A supplier may offer fabric-covered rigid slats under a textile description without explaining the underlying material. A sample may also use stiffer fabric than production, leaving bulk slats curled or sagging. Obtain the material breakdown and compare production slats with the approved assembled sample before shipment.

Unequal ladder tapes leave slats tilted at different angles, weak lift locks let the blind creep down, and tight cartons crease the textile. Missing safety devices or unclear fitting instructions also create problems at installation. Check the assembled blind and its retail pack together, then repeat the checks on arrival.

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.