Sourcing worsted wool barathea from China

Duty by fibre blend and fabric weight

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 9 November 2026, heading 5112 covers woven fabrics of combed wool or combed fine animal hair. Worsted wool barathea falls within this family. The supplied lines carry 8% duty for goods from China, except the other blends category containing more than 10% silk, which carries 6%. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is recorded.

The tariff attaches CITES import and export controls to every supplied line. If a blend uses hair from a CITES-listed species, confirm the applicable permit requirements with your customs broker before ordering. The heavier high-wool line also carries cat-and-dog-fur import and export controls: imports and exports of that fur and products made from it are banned.

Choose the code from the fibre composition and the weight division where applicable, rather than the barathea trade name alone. Confirm it using finding your commodity code. See the wider worsted wool fabric guide for other cloth constructions.

Specify the barathea surface and tailoring behaviour

Describe the intended use, such as dinner jackets or formal uniforms. Specify combed wool yarn, fibre percentages, yarn count, fabric weight, usable width, weave and finish. Approve a physical sample showing the fine pebbled surface, matt appearance, handle and drape. For black cloth, retain the approved shade sample and compare production pieces under the same lighting.

Agree tests for fibre content, pilling, rubbing fastness and dimensional change under the intended cleaning method. Make a sewn and pressed sample to check seam appearance, pressing shine and recovery. Textile labels must show fibre content, including fur and other animal parts. Match the declared composition to the test report and supplier documents.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 180 m² of worsted wool barathea with at least 85% wool, weighing no more than 200 g/m² under 5112 11 00 00, invoiced at £1,500 free on board, with £200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £1,700. Duty at 8% is £136. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £1,836, so it is £367.20. Import taxes total £503.20; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £136 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Surface: inspect the pebbled texture against the approved sample and check for missing picks, streaks, snagging and flattened patches.

Shade: compare pieces and both ends of each piece, looking for black shade differences and unwanted gloss.

Dimensions: measure usable width, piece length and fabric weight; check relaxation and cleaning shrinkage against the agreed specification.

Packing: check piece identifiers against the packing list and inspect for dampness, mould, crushed rolls and damaged wrapping.

What goes wrong

A smooth suiting cloth may arrive instead of the approved pebbled barathea. Heavy finishing can mask a different construction until cleaning, while pressing can leave shiny areas on black cloth. Shade differences spoil matching jacket panels, and relaxation shrinkage changes cutting yields. Retain an approved sample, inspect across the lot and run a cutting, sewing and pressing trial before releasing the cloth for production.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.