Sourcing tufted exhibition carpet from China

A flat 8% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 7 October 2026, heading 5703 covers tufted carpets and other textile floor coverings, whether or not made up. The exhibition carpet lines shown carry 8% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no listed suspension.

The heading also attaches CITES import controls to wool or fine animal hair and an other-textile line, and cat and dog fur controls to other-textile lines. If a proposed carpet contains CITES-listed material, check the permit requirements with the issuing authority and your customs broker, including the corresponding Chinese export documentation. Imports containing cat or dog fur are banned.

Confirm the commodity code using the construction, pile fibre, printed finish and roll or tile format. Exhibition use alone does not identify the code. Needle-felt exhibition flooring belongs under heading 5704. See the wider tufted carpet guide for other products within this heading.

Specify the pile, backing and installation

Specify tufted construction, pile fibre, loop or cut pile, pile mass, total mass, thickness, roll width and usable length. Approve a physical colour sample and agree pile direction across adjoining rolls. State whether the carpet is for temporary stand flooring, aisles or repeated use, and identify the substrate, fixing tape and removal method.

For temporary exhibition use, ask the venue which fire evidence it will accept before ordering. Construction-product rules define products by intended permanent incorporation into construction works; assess that scope for the proposed installation. Where the carpet falls within those rules, obtain the declaration of performance and appropriate CE or UKCA marking. Match fire evidence to the actual pile, backing and installation.

Fibre labelling must identify fibre content. Confirm with the relevant authority which parts of the carpet must be covered by the composition declaration. Check that the supplier's declared fibre matches the approved sample and supplied carpet. Agree backing adhesion, edge finish, colour transfer and tape-removal checks. Use testing and certification support to define the evidence needed for the intended use.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 5,000 square metres of polypropylene tufted exhibition carpet, illustrative only under 5703 39 19 00, invoiced at £21,000 free on board, with £3,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £24,500. Duty at 8% is £1,960. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £26,460, so it is £5,292. Import taxes total £7,252; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,960 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Construction: check tufted structure, pile fibre, pile mass and backing against the approved sample; inspect for loose tufts and backing separation.

Dimensions and packing: measure usable roll width and length on arrival; check crushed cores, damp wrapping, damaged edges and roll identification.

Colour and laying: compare adjoining rolls under the same lighting and pile direction; trial the specified tape and check seams, ripples, curling and residue after removal.

Documents: match fibre labels and batch references to the delivered rolls; check that fire reports describe the supplied construction and backing, and obtain construction-product documentation where applicable.

What goes wrong

A supplier may offer needle-felt flooring against a tufted carpet brief. Thin pile, weak tuft retention and uneven backing can leave visible wear, loose fibres or ripples. Different dye batches or reversed pile direction can make adjoining rolls look different. Short rolls and damaged edges reduce the usable coverage.

A fire report for a different backing does not establish the performance of the ordered carpet. Trial a sample with the intended substrate and fixing tape before accepting bulk production. On arrival, keep affected rolls identifiable while checking colour, adhesion, odour and dimensions through an agreed inspection process.

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.