Sourcing wet-glue bottle labels from China

Duty on wet-glue paper bottle labels

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 4821 covers paper or paperboard labels, whether printed or unprinted. Printed wet-glue labels fall within the non-self-adhesive line 4821 10 90 00; unprinted versions fall within 4821 90 90 00. Both carry 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspensions or attached import controls.

Wet-glue labels receive adhesive during application. The self-adhesive rows are included only for comparison; see the wider paper-label guide. Confirm the commodity code from a sample, the paper construction and whether the labels are printed.

Confirm with the relevant authority whether the paper products fall within the UK Timber Regulations and what due diligence applies to the business first placing them on the Great Britain market. Confirm whether any exception applies to bamboo-based or recovered products. Ask for the fibre composition and pulp-source records before ordering.

Specify paper for your glue and bottle

Specify cut shape, dimensions and tolerances, grammage, thickness, grain direction, coating, finish and wet strength. Identify the bottle material and curvature, application glue, labelling equipment and storage conditions. State whether bottles will face condensation, chilling or immersion, and whether labels must wash off during bottle reuse.

Approve artwork, colour references, print registration, barcode placement and space for variable printing. Product-label information must be accurate. Food and drink labelling must not mislead. Check the wording for the bottled product before approving the print file.

Trial production-paper samples with your actual glue and bottles. Check glue pickup, feeding, initial grip, drying, edge lift and ink rub after chilling. Agree acceptance criteria using the approved trial samples.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 30,000 printed wet-glue bottle labels under 4821 10 90 00, invoiced at £1,800 free on board, with £233 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,033. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,033, so it is £406.60. 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

Paper: check grammage, thickness, grain direction, curl and wet performance against the approved sample.

Print: check artwork version, colour, registration, barcode readability and resistance to wet rubbing.

Application: run labels on the intended equipment with the agreed glue; check feeding, alignment, wrinkles and edge lift.

Packing: check flat bundles, protected cut edges, moisture protection, carton identification and separation of artwork versions. Use the inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

Paper substitution changes glue absorption and feeding. Labels may curl in storage, stick together in bundles or lift at the edges when bottles sweat. A dry print sample can look acceptable while ink smears after chilling. Test the finished label on the bottle, rather than approving paper and print separately.

Mixed artwork versions can make a whole packing run unusable. Keep approved files and physical samples tied to each batch, and inspect incoming cartons before releasing labels to production.

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.