Sourcing women's knitted tunic blouses from China

A flat 12% for knitted tunic blouses

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 6 October 2026, heading 6106 covers women's or girls' knitted or crocheted blouses, shirts and shirt-blouses. The supplied lines all carry 12% duty for goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duties or tariff suspensions. This guide concerns tunic blouses with shirt or blouse features.

The tariff attaches CITES import and export controls to 6106 90 10 00 and 6106 90 90 00. CITES-listed specimens require an import permit. For an animal-hair or other-textile tunic from China, identify the material and species, then ask your customs broker to confirm the applicable CITES documents and restrictions before ordering.

Confirm the commodity code from the garment construction, shirt features and fibre composition. Give your broker photographs, a sample and the fabric breakdown rather than relying on the supplier's description of a tunic. See the women's knitted tops and shirts guide for the wider heading.

Specify longline fit and fabric recovery

Define the tunic's finished front and back lengths, chest and hip widths, sleeve shape, hem sweep and side-split position. Mark where each measurement starts and ends. Approve the fit seated as well as standing, checking that the placket stays closed and the hem allows movement.

Specify fibre composition, knit structure, fabric weight, stretch and recovery, opacity and the intended wash method. Agree tolerances for shrinkage and growth against a washed approval sample. Ask for production-fabric reports on pilling and colour fastness, including dark shades and contrasting trims.

For sale in Great Britain, consumer products must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use. Confirm acceptable names for fibre labels with Trading Standards. Include button attachment and trim edges in the sample review, and compare the proposed fibre label with the fabric report before approving bulk production.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 2,000 women's cotton knitted tunic blouses, illustrative order under 6106 10 00 00, invoiced at £28,000 free on board, with £2,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £30,000. Duty at 12% is £3,600. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £33,600, so it is £6,720. Import taxes total £10,320; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £3,600 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure garments across the ordered sizes, including front and back length, hip width, hem sweep and split position, against the approved chart.

Wash stability: wash finished samples using the agreed method; remeasure length and width, check side-seam twist and inspect placket flatness.

Fabric and colour: compare shade across cartons, check opacity under daylight and shop lighting, and look for pilling, snags and uneven knit density.

Make-up and labels: pull-check buttons against the agreed attachment requirement, examine split reinforcement and hem stitching, and match fibre labels and size labels to the approved order.

What goes wrong

A tunic can meet its chest measurement yet pull across the hips or gape when the wearer sits. Long viscose knits can grow during wear, while cotton jersey can lose length after washing. Approve hip ease and finished length on washed garments rather than accepting a hanging sample alone.

Side splits can tear at their upper ends, curved hems can ripple and lightweight fabrics can become sheer when stretched over the hips. Check reinforcement, hem finish and opacity on production samples. Keep the approved sample and measurement chart available for arrival checks.

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.