Sourcing women's blouses and shirts from China
Women's and girls' woven blouses, shirts and shirt-blouses from China pay 12% UK duty, whether silk, wool, cotton, man-made fibres or other materials, with no anti-dumping duty. Fibre content must be labelled under the 2012 regulations, and silk claims need testing. Fabric handle, colour fastness and fit decide returns. Cambridge China Bridge sources women's blouses and shirts.
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A flat 12%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, women's or girls' blouses, shirts and shirt-blouses that are not knitted carried 12% duty on goods from China, in silk, wool or fine animal hair, cotton, man-made fibres or other textile materials, with no anti-dumping measure.
Knitted tops and T-shirts are in headings 6106 and 6109. The apparel guide covers tech packs, and the commodity code guide the classification.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Of silk or silk waste | 6206 10 00 00 | 12% | None |
| Of wool or fine animal hair | 6206 20 00 00 | 12% | None |
| Of cotton, other | 6206 30 00 90 | 12% | None |
| Of man-made fibres | 6206 40 00 00 | 12% | None |
| Of other textile materials | 6206 90 90 00 | 12% | None |
Fibre labels and silk
The Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012 require fibre composition using permitted fibre names. Silk and viscose blends are often mislabelled, so test the bulk fabric before labels are printed.
Fabric and fit
Specify fabric weight, weave, colour fastness to washing, light and perspiration, shrinkage and seam slippage, and approve fit on a size set. Sheer fabrics need a lining or opacity check.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 1,000 woven cotton blouses under 6206 30 00 90, invoiced at £4,000 free on board, with £600 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £4,600. Duty at 12% is £552. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £5,152, so it is £1,030.40. Import taxes total £1,582.40; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £552 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.
Inspection checklist
Fabric: fibre content by quantitative analysis to the ISO 1833 series against the label, seam slippage of viscose, chiffon and satin to ISO 13936-1, and dimensional change after the care-label wash to ISO 6330 and ISO 5077, with limits written into the order.
Colour: colour fastness to washing to ISO 105-C06, to perspiration to ISO 105-E04 and to light to ISO 105-B02 on each colourway, with printed fabrics tested for bleeding onto white trims, and shade checked against the approved standard under a light box.
Make-up: button attachment by a pull test at an agreed load, buttonhole and collar construction checked, chest, length and sleeve measured on every size and colour, and a final random inspection sampled to ISO 2859-1 at the agreed quality level. For separately sourced collars, see our textile belts and garment parts guide.
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What goes wrong
The failures that cause returns on blouses are specific. Viscose and chiffon slip at the seams under load, so ask for a seam slippage test and extra seam allowance. Viscose shrinks more than cotton, so wash-test a sample and grade the pattern for it. Printed fabric bleeds onto white trims, so test colour fastness to washing and perspiration per colourway.
Buttons pull off when they are only machine-looped; ask for a pull test and a shank or backing button on heavy fabrics. Sheer fabrics need an opacity check under shop lighting. At inspection, measure chest, length and sleeve against the size chart on a sample from every size and colour, not just the base size.
Inspection
At inspection, measure against the size chart, check buttons, buttonholes and collars, and compare colour across the lot.
Cambridge China Bridge sources women's blouses and shirts, with fabric, fit and labels settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.
Related guides: Sourcing handkerchiefs from China and Sourcing women's knitted tops and shirts from China. For accessories, see our scarves and shawls sourcing guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on women's blouses from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, women's woven blouses and shirts carried 12% duty from China in every fibre.
Are knitted tops in heading 6206?
No. Knitted blouses and T-shirts are in headings 6106 and 6109.
Why test silk blouses?
Silk blends are often mislabelled, and the label must state fibre composition correctly.
What should I test on blouse fabric?
Colour fastness, shrinkage, seam slippage and, for sheer fabrics, opacity.