Sourcing umbrella top-notch hubs from China

UK duty on separate top-notch hubs

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 6603 covers parts, trimmings and accessories of umbrellas and walking sticks. A top-notch hub is the fixed upper hub holding the main ribs to the shaft. Separate hubs are provisionally covered by 6603 90 90 00, other parts. The table shows hub variants sharing this commodity line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions.

All supplied heading lines carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The hub line attaches CITES, seal-product and cat-and-dog-fur import controls, plus CITES and cat-and-dog-fur export controls. Listed-species materials need the relevant CITES permit. Importing cat or dog fur or products made from it is banned. For seal products, confirm the applicable requirement and documentation with your customs broker.

Send drawings, material details and the supplied assembly condition to your broker to confirm the commodity code. Distinguish loose hubs from complete frames and complete umbrellas. For related components within the wider heading, see replacement parasol runners.

Specify the shaft bore and rib attachment

Give the factory a drawing and a mating shaft and rib sample. Specify bore diameter and tolerance, hub height, rib-slot count and spacing, slot width, hinge position and the retaining wire or pin arrangement. State how the hub fixes to the shaft and whether a ferrule or cap must fit over it.

For moulded hubs, specify resin grade, colour and any filler, with agreed acceptance criteria for flash, cracks and distortion. For metal hubs, specify alloy, deburring and surface finish. Approve an assembled sample using your actual ribs and shaft before releasing production.

Great Britain requires consumer products to be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. For hubs supplied as consumer replacement parts, check sharp edges, rib retention and compatibility in the assembled umbrella. Agree the checks and records with the supplier.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 3,000 metal umbrella top-notch hubs; illustrative order and values under 6603 90 90 00, invoiced at £2,000 free on board, with £198 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,198. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,198, so it is £439.60. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure the bore and rib slots against the drawing, then assemble samples on the intended shaft without forced fitting.

Retention: check wire channels, pin holes and shaft fixing; load the assembled ribs using the agreed method and look for movement or cracking.

Movement: open and close an assembled sample, checking that ribs pivot freely without cutting into slots or rubbing adjacent fittings.

Finish: check moulding flash, splits, burrs, coating damage and rust; compare material identification and packing labels with the order.

What goes wrong

A hub can look correct while its bore, rib-slot spacing or hinge position differs from the approved sample. Tight slots restrict opening; loose slots allow rib movement. Thin moulded sections can crack during assembly, while metal burrs can damage retaining wire or catch the canopy.

Keep the approved hub together with its mating shaft and ribs. Compare production samples with that assembly and separate incompatible variants in labelled packs. Use the inspection guide to agree how findings are recorded before shipment.

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.