Sourcing women's knitted full slips from China

Duty on knitted full slips

Heading 6108 covers women's or girls' knitted or crocheted underwear and nightwear. This guide concerns women's full slips worn beneath dresses. The relevant slips and petticoats lines distinguish man-made fibres from other textile materials. The table repeats these codes for common buying descriptions; they are not separate tariff lines. See the petticoats guide for the wider heading. For reusable period underwear, see our period pants sourcing guide. For bed jackets, see our women's knitted bed jackets sourcing guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, both relevant slips lines carry 12% duty on goods from China. Neither lists anti-dumping or countervailing duty, a suspension or an import control. Elsewhere in this heading, the wool or fine animal hair line has a CITES import control attached; an importer using that line should confirm the requirement with their customs broker.

Confirm the commodity code using the finished garment, its knitted construction and fibre composition. Give your broker the composition specification and a sample photograph rather than relying on the supplier's description.

Specify coverage, fit and strap adjustment

Describe the garment as a full slip for wearing beneath a dress. Specify fibre composition, fabric weight, stretch direction, colour, neckline, bust shaping, body length, hem finish and strap adjustment. State whether lace is decorative or forms part of the garment's coverage.

Approve a fit sample in each ordered size. Check that the neckline stays beneath the intended outer garment, the hem does not ride up and seams remain comfortable against the skin. Agree washing and fabric recovery checks against the approved sample.

For sale in Great Britain, the label must show fibre content, including fur and other animal parts where present. Settle the composition label artwork before production and check it against the actual fabric.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 2,500 women's knitted full slips under 6108 11 00 00, invoiced at £10,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £12,500. Duty at 12% is £1,500. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £14,000, so it is £2,800. Import taxes total £4,300; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,500 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit and coverage: compare bust, body length, neckline and hem measurements with the approved specification; check the slip beneath the intended dress.

Straps and seams: check adjustment, attachment stitching, seam stretch and rough edges; look for straps that slip through their sliders.

Fabric and washing: check shade, snagging, colour transfer, shrinkage and recovery after stretching and washing.

Labels and packing: match fibre content to the fabric specification and verify size labels, colour identification and carton contents. Use the inspection guide to prepare the checks.

What goes wrong

A sample can fit while bulk slips ride up because the fabric stretches differently or the hem is too tight. Strap sliders may loosen, lace may scratch and pale colours may provide less coverage than the approved sample. Compare bulk fabric and finished garments with the retained sample.

Washing can change body length, twist seams or leave the neckline rippled. Check washed garments before accepting the batch. Record defects by colour and size so the factory can identify the affected cutting or sewing batch.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For own-brand ranges, see sourcing for brands.