Sourcing viscose tops and sliver from China
Artificial staple fibres carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning from China, such as viscose, modal, lyocell and bamboo viscose tops and sliver for spinners and felt and craft makers, pay 0% UK duty under the single code 5507 00 00 00, with no anti-dumping duty. Buyers check fibre length, denier, finish, colour and sliver weight, and how the fibre is described.
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0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, heading 5507 covers artificial staple fibres, carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning. It is a single code carrying 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.
Unprocessed viscose staple fibre is covered in our viscose staple fibre guide, and synthetic tops in our synthetic tops and sliver guide; confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial staple fibres, carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning | 5507 00 00 00 | 0% | None |
Specifying tops
Specify fibre (viscose, modal, lyocell), denier, length, finish, colour or raw white, sliver weight per metre, and packing. Products sold to consumers need fibre composition labels under the Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012, so the fibre must be known. Fibre sold as bamboo is usually viscose made from bamboo, so describe it accordingly on labels.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 2 tonnes of viscose tops for spinning under 5507 00 00 00, invoiced at £7,000 free on board, with £500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,500, so it is £1,500. 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
Testing: check length, denier and sliver weight.
Appearance: check neps and colour.
Packing: check bumps or bales for contamination. See our quality inspection guide.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
What goes wrong
Viscose tops orders fail on length, neps and description. Short fibre content is high, neps appear, and bamboo viscose is labelled as if it were natural bamboo fibre.
Cambridge China Bridge sources fibres and materials for UK converters and makers from small lots; see small orders.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on viscose tops from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 November 2026, artificial staple fibre tops under 5507 00 00 00 carried 0% from China.
Is bamboo fibre in heading 5507?
Bamboo viscose tops are artificial staple fibre, so yes when processed for spinning.
How should bamboo viscose be labelled?
As viscose, with the source noted, because the fibre is regenerated cellulose.
Is unprocessed viscose fibre in heading 5507?
No. Staple fibre not processed for spinning is heading 5504.