Sourcing woven cocktail dresses from China

12% duty on the supplied dress lines

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 6204 covers women's or girls' garments including dresses. This guide focuses on women's woven cocktail dresses. The supplied dress lines all carry 12% duty for goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions. The table includes specialist hand-printed batik lines; these are not general cotton or other-textile dress codes.

The tariff attaches cat-and-dog-fur and seal-product import controls to these lines, and CITES to the other-textile batik line. Imports containing cat or dog fur are banned. For seal-derived or potentially CITES-listed trims, confirm the applicable requirement with your customs broker before ordering. Request the material and species identity of any animal-derived trim.

Confirm the fabric construction, fibre composition and any batik process before choosing the commodity code. For wider coverage, see woven prom dresses. Use the import duty and VAT guide when budgeting the illustrative order.

Specify the bodice, lining and skirt

Specify the shell and lining separately: fibre composition, fabric weight, weave, colour, opacity and stretch. Define the neckline, waist position, skirt length, slit, seam allowances, concealed zip and fastening. For fitted or strapless styles, agree boning, cups, strap attachment and lining coverage against an approved sample.

Use a measurement chart with agreed tolerances and a size breakdown. Check sitting, walking and raising the arms during sample fitting. Agree how sequins, beads and lace are attached, whether embellishments touch the skin, and the intended cleaning method. Fibre-content labels must include fur and other animal parts. Dresses sold in Great Britain must be safe in normal or reasonably foreseeable use.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 women's woven polyester cocktail dresses under 6204 43 00 00, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,800. Duty at 12% is £816. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,616, so it is £1,523.20. Import taxes total £2,339.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £816 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure bust, waist, hip, bodice length and skirt length across the ordered sizes; compare with the approved sample and measurement chart.

Seams and fastenings: check seam slippage, zip operation through the waist seam, secure hooks, boning ends and strap attachments.

Fabric and decoration: check shade consistency, lining opacity, puckering, loose beads, abrasive sequins and colour transfer onto the lining.

Labels and arrival condition: compare fibre labels with the agreed materials; check size identification, stains, dampness and crushed decoration. Use the quality inspection guide to agree the inspection scope.

What goes wrong

A fitted bodice can match the labelled size yet pull at the zip or gape at the neckline. Satin seams can slip under tension, lining can ride up, and beadwork can catch on neighbouring garments in a carton. Approve fit in movement and inspect finished garments rather than relying on fabric swatches.

Material substitutions change drape, cleaning behaviour and label accuracy. Record the approved shell, lining and trims, then compare production garments with that record. Agree protective packing for embellished areas and a process for handling mismatches before dispatch.

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.