Sourcing wool and animal hair waste from China
Waste of wool and of fine or coarse animal hair from China, including noils and yarn waste but not garnetted stock, pays 0% UK duty on all four lines of heading 5103, with no anti-dumping duty. The tariff flags a waste import control and a CITES control, and animal by-product rules decide the paperwork: treated wool travels with a commercial document stating the treatment.
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0% duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 5103 covers waste of wool or of fine or coarse animal hair, including yarn waste but excluding garnetted stock. All four lines, split into noils (carbonised or not), other waste of wool or fine hair, and waste of coarse hair, carried 0% on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. The lines carry a waste import control, answered by a not-waste declaration only when the material legally qualifies as non-waste, and a CITES control that matters only for hair of listed species.
Garnetted stock is heading 5104 and wool itself heading 5101; see our greasy and scoured wool guide and confirm the commodity code.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noils of wool or fine animal hair, not carbonised | 5103 10 10 00 | 0% | None |
| Noils of wool or fine animal hair, carbonised | 5103 10 90 00 | 0% | None |
| Other waste of wool or of fine animal hair | 5103 20 00 00 | 0% | None |
| Waste of coarse animal hair | 5103 30 00 00 | 0% | None |
Animal by-product rules and grading
The Import Information Notes spell out the difference. Wool and hair that has been factory washed, or treated by one of the listed methods such as industrial scouring at 60 to 70°C or the set storage periods, counts as treated: it can come from any country, needs no health certificate and has no veterinary check, but must travel with a commercial document giving the consignor, consignee, country of origin, quantity, species and the treatment used (IIN ABP/23B). Untreated greasy wool and hair has separate conditions in IIN ABP/23A, so ask the supplier which treatment the lot has had and put it on the commercial document.
Specify fibre and species, micron and length range, noil or yarn waste type, colour, vegetable matter and contamination limits, moisture, and bale weight and packing.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: 5 tonnes of wool noils under 5103 10 10 00, invoiced at £15,000 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £15,900. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £15,900, so it is £3,180. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.
Inspection checklist
Fibre: check species, micron and length against the specification.
Contamination: check vegetable matter, dust and foreign fibres.
Documents: check the commercial document states the treatment. See our quality inspection guide.
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What goes wrong
Wool waste orders fail on contamination and paperwork. Bales carry more vegetable matter or mixed fibres than agreed, moisture adds weight, and the commercial document does not state the treatment.
Cambridge China Bridge sources materials for UK manufacturers with documents agreed before shipment. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on wool waste from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, all four lines of heading 5103 carried 0% from China.
Does wool waste need a health certificate?
Treated wool and hair needs no health certificate but must travel with a commercial document stating the treatment (IIN ABP/23B).
Is garnetted stock in heading 5103?
No. Garnetted stock of wool or animal hair is heading 5104.
Why does the tariff show a waste control?
Heading 5103 is waste by name; a traded raw material is declared as not waste only if it legally qualifies as non-waste. Otherwise, the applicable waste shipment controls must be followed.