Walking sticks and seat-sticks from China

2% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, walking sticks, seat-sticks, whips, riding crops and the like, heading 6602, carried 2% on goods from China, hand-made or not, with no anti-dumping measure and no suspension. The line also carries import controls for goods made from species listed under [CITES](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports), for seal products and for goods that could be used for torture, which matter only for sticks with parts such as protected woods, ivory, seal skin or weighted or spiked ends.

Crutches and elbow crutches are orthopaedic appliances of heading 9021, covered in our orthopaedic supports guide, and umbrellas with a stick handle are heading 6601; confirm the commodity code for each product.

When a stick is a medical device

Under the [Medical Devices Regulations 2002](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/618/contents), a product the manufacturer intends to help people with an injury or disability is a medical device. A walking stick or tripod sold as a mobility aid falls within that definition and is normally class I, so it needs UKCA or CE marking on the manufacturer's own declaration, technical documentation, a UK responsible person where the manufacturer is outside the UK, and registration with the MHRA; see our medical and PPE guide.

Fashion canes, hiking poles and riding crops are not medical devices and fall under the [General Product Safety Regulations 2005](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1803/contents). The claims on the pack decide which regime applies, so agree the wording before printing.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 3,000 height-adjustable aluminium walking sticks under 6602 00 00 90. At £9,000 free on board and £900 to ship and insure, the customs value is £9,900. Walking sticks at 2% pay £198 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £10,098, giving £2,019.60. Of the £2,217.60 paid at import, only the £198 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Strength: ISO 11334-4 sets requirements and test methods for walking sticks with three or more legs, and ISO 11334-1 for elbow crutches; for single-leg sticks, write an equivalent static load test into the order. Ask for the test report behind the maximum user weight printed on the stick, and repeat a static load check on samples from production.

Adjustment and folding: on every sampled stick, check that each height setting locks with the push button fully engaged, that folding sections seat fully with no play, and that the height range and increments match the specification.

Ferrule and handle: check the rubber ferrule fits tightly and has a steel insert or wear indicator if specified, pull-test the handle joint, and check the label shows the maximum user weight, height range and, for medical devices, the marking, manufacturer and UK responsible person.

What goes wrong

Sticks fail at the adjustment and the tip. Push-button locks do not fully engage so the stick collapses under load, aluminium tubes bend below the stated user weight, ferrules wear through or slip on wet floors, and handles loosen or crack. Mobility aids arrive with no marking or UK responsible person, or with medical claims on a stick that was never placed on the market as a device.

Load-test samples, check every lock and fold, check ferrules and handles, and approve labels and claims before printing. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources walking sticks, folding sticks, seat-sticks and riding crops for pharmacies, mobility shops and equestrian retailers, and checks the factory and its device documents before the first order. See factory verification.