Sourcing worsted sharkskin suiting from China

Duty by fibre blend and fabric weight

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 5112 covers woven fabrics of combed wool or combed fine animal hair. Sharkskin suiting within this heading carries 8% duty from China on most lines; the other-fabric line containing more than 10% silk carries 6%. The supplied tariff record shows no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions.

The tariff attaches a CITES import control to every line. If a protected animal hair is proposed, confirm the species and required CITES documentation with your customs broker before ordering from China. Code 5112 19 00 00 also carries a cat and dog fur control: imports and exports of that fur and products made from it are banned. Ask the mill to identify every animal fibre.

Sharkskin describes the cloth's appearance, so confirm the blend and weight through finding your commodity code. For wider heading coverage, see the worsted tropical suiting guide. Use the import duty and VAT guide when budgeting the shipment.

Specify the sharkskin effect and tailoring behaviour

Agree a physical sample showing the contrasting yarn colours, fine diagonal effect and surface lustre. Specify combed wool content, every blending fibre, yarn count, weave, usable width, weight, handle and finish. Ask whether the effect comes from the yarn arrangement or a surface treatment, and retain an approved cutting for comparison.

Agree tests for fibre composition, pilling, rubbing fastness and dimensional change after dry cleaning. Trial the cloth through cutting, seam sewing and pressing to check drape, seam puckering and unwanted shine. Textile labels must show fibre content; check the composition wording against the test report before selling the fabric.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5,000 square metres of worsted wool sharkskin suiting, 180 g/m² under 5112 11 00 00, invoiced at £60,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £61,500. Duty at 8% is £4,920. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £66,420, so it is £13,284. Import taxes total £18,204; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £4,920 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Appearance: compare the diagonal effect, yarn contrast and lustre with the approved cutting under consistent lighting; inspect for weaving bars, missing yarns and uneven finishing.

Shade: compare roll ends and cuttings across the dye lot; keep matching jacket and trouser panels within a consistent shade group.

Composition and stability: check fibre results, weight, usable width, pilling and dry-cleaning shrinkage against the agreed specification.

Roll condition: check lengths, batch identification and packing-list entries; inspect for dampness, creases, stains and damaged edges before cutting.

What goes wrong

A sample can show a clear sharkskin effect while bulk cloth looks flat or excessively shiny because the yarn contrast or finish changed. Shade differences become conspicuous when jacket and trouser panels are combined. Bowed cloth and unstable finishing can also distort the diagonal appearance after pressing.

An undeclared synthetic blend changes handle and labelling, while shrinkage or seam puckering spoils tailoring. Hold affected rolls apart, retain labelled cuttings and compare the bulk test results with the approved sample before releasing 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.