Sourcing women's woven camisoles from China

A flat 12% duty on woven camisole underwear

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 17 October 2026, heading 6208 covers women's or girls' woven underwear and nightwear. This guide focuses on women's camisoles bought as underwear. The selected cotton, man-made fibre and other-textile lines all carry 12% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no listed suspension.

The other-textile lines carry CITES import and export controls. If the garment contains a CITES-listed specimen or material derived from one, apply for the appropriate permit for movement into Great Britain and contact the Chinese management authority for the corresponding export document. Ask your customs broker to confirm the requirement for the actual materials.

Confirm the commodity code using the garment sample, fabric construction, fibre composition and intended use. Do not choose a code from the sales name alone. The woven nightwear and slips guide covers the wider heading.

Specify the fabric, straps and fit

State whether the camisole is underwear or intended as nightwear. Agree the woven fabric, fibre composition, opacity, lining, neckline shape, lace placement and strap adjustment. Record bust width, body length and strap length with measurement points and agreed tolerances. Keep an approved sample showing the inside seams as well as the outside.

For sale in Great Britain, the label must show fibre content, including fur and other animal parts where present. Agree care instructions separately from composition wording. If sold as adult nightwear, ask Trading Standards to confirm the applicable fire-labelling and flammability requirements before approving labels.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 women's cotton woven camisoles; FOB value and freight in whole pounds. under 6208 91 00 90, invoiced at £5,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £5,800. Duty at 12% is £696. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,496, so it is £1,299.20. Import taxes total £1,995.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £696 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fabric: compare bulk cloth with the approved sample for weave, shade, opacity and handle; check seam slippage and colour transfer onto pale lace.

Straps: check attachment stitching, adjuster grip and matching strap lengths; look for sharp hardware edges and straps that twist during wear.

Fit and washing: measure garments across the size range before and after the agreed wash; check neckline distortion, seam puckering and lining shrinkage.

Labels and packing: match fibre wording to the approved composition, check any applicable nightwear fire label, and reconcile size labels with carton contents.

What goes wrong

A satin camisole can match the sample on a hanger but open at the side seam under tension. Bias-cut panels may twist after washing, lace may scratch the skin, and smooth straps may slip through adjusters. Check these features on finished bulk garments rather than relying only on a fabric swatch.

Treat a change of fabric, lining or strap hardware as a reason to review the sample again. A correct size label cannot fix poor grading or shrinkage. Agree the inspection checks before production so the factory and inspector assess the same features.

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.