Sourcing votive candles from China

Votive candle duty and classification

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 3406 covers candles, tapers and the like. Votive candles fall within the supplied commodity line, 3406 00 00 00. The tariff file contains only this line, so the table lists it once.

The duty for goods from China is 0%. The supplied record shows no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, tariff suspension or attached import control. This tariff position does not replace product safety checks.

Confirm the finished product through finding your commodity code, especially where holders are ordered separately. For the wider candle heading, see the tealight candle guide. For cake decorations, see our birthday cake candle sourcing guide. For gel candles, see our gel candle sourcing guide. For emergency candles, see our emergency candle sourcing guide. For massage candles, see our massage candle sourcing guide.

Specify the votive and its intended holder

Agree whether the candle is supplied loose for a separate holder or already poured into a container. Specify wax composition, fragrance, colour, diameter, height, taper, base shape, net weight and wick construction. Send the intended holder to the factory and approve the fit and burn behaviour together. For beeswax options, see our beeswax candle sourcing guide.

For Great Britain, the general product safety requirement means the product must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. Request burn reports for each shipped size, wick, wax and fragrance combination. Agree holder instructions and safety artwork before production. For scented versions, obtain fragrance safety data and settle any hazard labelling using that information. For citronella versions, see our citronella candle sourcing guide.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative mixed-carton order of unscented votive candles for a homeware shop under 3406 00 00 00, invoiced at £2,200 free on board, with £220 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,420. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,420, so it is £484. 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: check production candles against the approved holder for seating, clearance and stability.

Burn: test production samples in the intended holder; record flame behaviour, soot, wax leakage and behaviour near the end of the burn.

Finish: check wick centring, cracks, chipped bases, colour consistency and fragrance against the approved sample.

Packing: check individual protection, carton condition and agreed safety artwork on arrival. Use quality inspection to compare the shipment with the approved specification.

What goes wrong

A votive that fits the sample holder can become too tight after a mould change. An off-centre wick can produce uneven melting, while a changed fragrance or wax blend can alter the flame and soot. Approve changes before production and repeat the burn assessment on the changed combination.

Heat during transport can deform loose votives or make them stick to their wrapping. Poor separation can chip bases and damage wicks. Inspect the delivered cartons before releasing stock, and compare damaged candles with retained samples to distinguish packing damage from production defects.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes. For trade in the other direction, see exporting UK candles to China.