Sourcing throws, bedspreads and cushions from China
Bedspreads, throws, cushion covers, wall hangings and other heading 6304 furnishings from China pay 12% UK duty, knitted or woven, with no anti-dumping duty. The furniture fire regulations cover cushion fillings and loose furniture covers but not bedclothes or cushion covers sold separately. Fibre content must be labelled. Cambridge China Bridge sources them.
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A flat 12%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, bedspreads and other furnishing articles of heading 6304, knitted or not, in cotton, synthetic fibres, flax, wool or other materials, and bed nets carried 12% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Curtains are in heading 6303, covered in the curtains guide, and filled cushions in 9404. Confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedspreads, knitted | 6304 11 00 00 | 12% | None |
| Bedspreads, cotton, other | 6304 19 10 90 | 12% | None |
| Bedspreads, wool or man-made fibres | 6304 19 90 91 | 12% | None |
| Bed nets | 6304 20 00 00 | 12% | None |
| Other furnishing articles, knitted | 6304 91 00 00 | 12% | None |
| Other furnishing articles, cotton | 6304 92 00 90 | 12% | None |
| Other furnishing articles, synthetic fibres | 6304 93 00 90 | 12% | None |
Fire safety scope
Trading Standards guidance on the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 says loose and stretch covers for furniture and the filling of scatter cushions and seat pads are covered, but decorative covers sold separately, bedclothes, pillowcases and curtains are not. Those still have to be safe under general product safety law. For window coverings, see our curtains and blinds sourcing guide. For hospital curtains, see our hospital cubicle curtain sourcing guide.
So a sofa throw sold as a furniture cover needs checking against the regulations, while a bedspread does not. For outdoor use, see our picnic blanket sourcing guide.
Labels and fabric
The Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012 require fibre composition on the label. Specify size, weight, colour fastness to washing and light, shrinkage and pilling, and approve colour on lab dips before bulk.
Worked duty example
Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 6,000 cotton cushion covers under 6304 92 00 90. At £9,000 free on board and £800 to ship and insure, the customs value is £9,800. Cotton cushion covers at 12% pay £1,176 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £10,976, giving £2,195.20. Of the £3,371.20 paid at import, only the £1,176 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.
Inspection checklist
Fabric tests: mass per unit area to ISO 3801 against the stated weight, colour fastness to washing to ISO 105-C06, to light to ISO 105-B02 and to rubbing to ISO 105-X12, dimensional change after the care-label wash to ISO 5077, pilling to ISO 12945-2 on chenille, fleece and brushed fabrics, and seam slippage to ISO 13936-1 on loosely woven covers.
Fire scope and labels: throws or covers marketed for furniture tested to the match test in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 with the labels those Regulations require, filled cushions and seat pads supported by a test report for the filling, and every item labelled with fibre composition under the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012 and with care instructions.
Make-up: concealed zips cycled and pulled against the performance classes of BS 3084, cover sizes measured after washing against the pad they are sold for, fringes, tassels and pompoms pull-tested, corners and seams checked for open stitching, finished goods passed through a needle detector, and shade compared across cartons sampled to ISO 2859-1.
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What goes wrong
Throws and cushion covers fail on shrinkage, colour and zips. Cotton covers shrink so the pad no longer fits, dark or printed fabrics bleed in the first wash, and chenille and faux-fur throws shed and pill. Concealed zips jam or split at the end stop, fringes and pompoms pull off, and a cover sold with a filled pad brings the pad under the furniture fire rules.
Test shrinkage and colour fastness to washing and light on bulk fabric, check covers fit the stated pad size after washing, cycle and pull-test zips, pull-test trims, and at inspection measure finished sizes, check seams and compare shade across cartons. If pads are included, ask for the filling's fire test evidence.
Inspection
At inspection, measure finished sizes, check stitching, fringes and zips, and compare colour across cartons.
Cambridge China Bridge sources throws, bedspreads and cushion covers, with fire scope, fabric and labels settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on throws from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, bedspreads, throws and other heading 6304 furnishing articles carried 12% duty from China.
Do cushion covers need fire testing?
Decorative covers sold separately are outside the furniture fire regulations, but cushion fillings and loose furniture covers are within them.
Are bedspreads covered by the furniture fire rules?
No. Bedclothes are excluded, though general product safety law still applies.
Where are filled cushions classified?
In heading 9404, not 6304.