Sourcing viscose staple fibre from China
Artificial staple fibres from China, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning, such as viscose, modal and lyocell staple for spinning and nonwovens, pay 0% UK duty on both lines of heading 5504, with no anti-dumping duty. Raw fibres count as textile products under the retained fibre labelling rules.
Viscose, modal and lyocell staple fibre from China, not carded or combed, pays 0% UK duty. Denier, cut length, whiteness and fibre labelling explained.
0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, heading 5504 covers artificial staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning. Both lines, of viscose rayon (5504 10 00 00) and other, such as lyocell (5504 90 00 00), carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Synthetic staple such as polyester is in chapter 55 heading 5503 (see our polyester staple fibre guide), and woven viscose fabric is covered in our viscose fabrics guide; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Of viscose rayon | 5504 10 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Other artificial staple (such as lyocell) | 5504 90 00 00 | 0% | None |
Fibre labelling
Retained Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 defines a textile product as any raw, semi-worked or made-up product composed exclusively of textile fibres, so raw staple sold in the UK falls under the fibre name rules enforced by the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012. Fibre sold as bamboo is usually viscose made from bamboo pulp and must be named as viscose.
Specifying staple fibre
Specify fibre type (viscose, modal, lyocell), linear density in dtex or denier, cut length, lustre (bright, semi-dull, dull), dry and wet tenacity, elongation, whiteness, finish for spinning or nonwovens, moisture regain, colour if dope-dyed, and bale weight and wrapping.
Worked duty example
An invented example rather than a quote: 40 tonnes of 1.5 denier 38 mm viscose staple fibre in bales, commodity code 5504 10 00 00, bought for £52,000 free on board, with £3,600 of freight and insurance, so £55,600 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on viscose staple fibre; import VAT at 20% of £55,600 is £11,120. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.
Inspection checklist
Properties: check linear density, cut length distribution, tenacity and whiteness on the certificate per lot, and test a sample.
Defects: check for overlength fibres, fused fibre, neps and contamination.
Bales: check weight, moisture, wrapping and lot marking.
What goes wrong
Staple fibre orders fail on uneven length, finish and moisture. Overlength and fused fibres cause spinning breaks, the finish does not suit the nonwoven line, whiteness varies between lots, and bales pick up moisture in transit.
Test lots on your line before bulk orders. See our quality inspection guide.
Cambridge China Bridge sources viscose and lyocell staple for UK spinners and nonwoven makers, checking the fibre plant first. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on viscose staple fibre from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 27 September 2026, viscose staple under 5504 10 00 00 carried 0% from China.
Do raw fibres need labelling?
Yes. Retained Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 defines textile products to include raw products made of textile fibres.
Can bamboo viscose be called bamboo?
It is viscose made from bamboo pulp, so it must be named as viscose.
Is polyester staple in heading 5504?
No. Synthetic staple such as polyester is heading 5503.