Sourcing women's knitted nightdresses from China

Duty on women's knitted nightdresses

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, women's knitted nightdresses of cotton, man-made fibres and other textile materials carried 12% duty from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control for these nightdress lines.

Heading 6108 also covers other knitted women's underwear and nightwear. Its separate wool or fine animal hair line under Other has a CITES import control attached; that is not a nightdress line. Confirm any requirement with your customs broker if that classification is proposed. See the pyjamas and nightwear guide for the wider heading. For bloomers, see our women's knitted bloomers sourcing guide. For robes, see our women's knitted dressing gown guide. For camiknickers, see our women's knitted camiknickers sourcing guide.

Confirm the fabric construction, fibre composition and finished garment design before choosing the commodity code. The table separates cotton styles for buying purposes; sleeves do not create a separate cotton code.

Specify the fabric, fit and fire label

Specify fibre composition, knit construction, fabric weight, opacity, hand feel and colour. Agree garment length, chest and hip measurements, neckline depth, sleeve or strap shape, and room for movement in bed. Approve a finished sample with the intended lace, buttons and seams.

Confirm adult nightwear fire-safety labelling requirements with Trading Standards, including whether fabric that does not meet the flammability requirements needs KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE in red, and whether fabric that does meet them may use LOW FLAMMABILITY TO BS 5722 in black, the fire warning, or both. Agree the label artwork before production.

The textile label must show fibre content, including fur and other animal parts. Approve the fibre label alongside the fire label. Agree wash checks for shrinkage, twisting, colour transfer and pilling against the approved sample.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 500 women's cotton knitted nightdresses under 6108 31 00 00, invoiced at £6,300 free on board, with £1,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,500. Duty at 12% is £900. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £8,400, so it is £1,680. Import taxes total £2,580; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £900 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Labels: check fibre information and the prescribed fire-label wording, colour and attachment against the approved artwork.

Fit: measure length, chest, hips, neckline and armholes across the ordered sizes; check movement and coverage on the fit sample.

Wash performance: wash by the intended care instructions, then check length loss, side-seam twisting, pilling and colour transfer.

Construction: check seam stretch, skipped stitches, secure buttons, smooth lace edges and shade consistency. Use the inspection guide to agree the checks before dispatch.

What goes wrong

A sample may feel soft while bulk fabric pills or shrinks. Length loss changes coverage, twisted side seams spoil the fit, and lace or neck binding can become uncomfortable after washing. Compare washed bulk garments with the approved sample before accepting the shipment.

Factories can omit the fire label or print the wrong wording or colour. A generic fibre label can also fail to match the ordered fabric. Keep approved artwork with the production specification and check labels on finished garments, rather than relying on a photograph of loose labels.

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.