Sourcing U-shaped hair bun pins from China

A flat 2% duty on hair bun pins

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 9615 covers combs, hair slides, hairpins and related non-electrical hair accessories. U-shaped hair bun pins fall within the hairpin line 9615 90 00 00. The variants in the table share that tariff line. Its duty on goods from China is 2%, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension recorded.

The hairpin line carries cat-and-dog-fur import and export controls. Products containing such fur cannot be imported or sold. CITES controls appear on the separate other-material comb and hair-slide line. For any decoration made from a CITES-listed species, obtain the relevant permits for movement from China into Great Britain and check country-specific import restrictions before ordering.

Confirm the finished product's commodity code, especially for mixed accessory packs. Our bobby-pin guide covers related hairpins within the wider heading.

Specify the wire, bend and tip finish

Specify the metal, wire thickness, overall length, leg spacing, bend profile and whether the legs are straight or wavy. Define the tip shape and any protective coating. Approve a sample using the intended bun style and hair type, then agree acceptable bending, holding performance and removal without snagging.

Consumer hair accessories must be safe in normal and reasonably foreseeable use in Great Britain. Specify the coating and decoration materials, and arrange REACH screening for restricted substances in plastics and coatings. For metal intended for prolonged skin contact, agree nickel-release testing. Children's versions need particular attention to detachable decorations and sharp points.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 50,000 U-shaped hair bun pins, illustrative only under 9615 90 00 00, invoiced at £7,500 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £8,400. Duty at 2% is £168. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £8,568, so it is £1,713.60. Import taxes total £1,881.60; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £168 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Shape and holding: compare length, wire thickness, leg spacing and curvature with the approved sample; insert and remove sampled pins from a test bun and check for permanent bending.

Tips and edges: inspect cut ends, burrs and protective tips; pass the pins through a hair swatch to find snagging, and check that tip coatings stay attached.

Finish and decorations: check coating coverage around the bend and tips, colour transfer onto light hair, corrosion and loose glued ornaments.

Packs and arrival: check counts, colour assortment, the UK address and necessary warnings on retail cards; inspect arrival cartons for dampness and bent pins. Set these checks in the inspection brief.

What goes wrong

Wire that is too soft spreads during insertion and loses its shape. An uneven bend leaves the legs misaligned, while rough cut ends catch hair. A sample can conceal these problems if bulk production uses different wire or skips tip finishing.

Coatings can crack at the bend or scrape away during use, exposing metal and allowing corrosion. Glued ornaments can loosen during packing. Inspect production samples after repeated insertion and removal, and retain the approved sample for comparison when the shipment arrives.

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.