Sourcing woven baby dungarees from China

Flat 10% duty on woven baby dungarees

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, the relevant heading 6209 lines carry 10% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measures and no suspensions shown. The heading covers babies' garments and clothing accessories; the tariff treats clothing for children up to 86 cm body height as babywear. Dungarees use the relevant material's other-garments line.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur import and export controls, seal-product import controls and, on the other-material lines, CITES controls. Cat and dog fur products are banned. Seal products for trade need the indigenous-community exemption and a seal catch certificate. For CITES-listed material from China, arrange the relevant import and export documents before shipment. Specify fabric and trim species, and ask your customs broker to confirm which controls apply.

Confirm the commodity code using the woven construction, fibre composition and intended body height, rather than the supplier's age label alone. For the wider product family, see babies' woven garments.

Specify straps, nappy room and fastenings

Specify the weave, fibre composition, fabric weight, colour, lining and care instructions. Give measurement points for bib height, strap length, waist, rise and leg opening. Approve fit over a nappy, including sitting and crawling positions. Agree strap adjustment, crotch opening, snap placement and reinforcement where straps meet the bib.

Confirm applicable babywear product safety requirements with the relevant authority for Great Britain and, if supplying there, Northern Ireland. Specify secure buttons, buckles and snaps, avoid hazardous cords, and agree washing and attachment tests. Confirm with HSE whether UK REACH nickel and azo restrictions apply to the proposed skin-contact metal snaps and dyes. Fibre composition must be labelled.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 cotton woven baby dungarees under 6209 20 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 10% is £580. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,380, so it is £1,276. Import taxes total £1,856; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £580 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Clothing designed for babies and young children is zero-rated under HMRC's VAT Notice 714, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product.

Inspection checklist

Fit: measure each sampled size against the approved chart; check nappy room, strap adjustment and whether the crotch opening permits changing without pulling the garment tight.

Fastenings: pull-test snaps, buttons and strap attachments before and after washing; check repeated opening, sharp edges, reinforcement and loose threads inside the crotch.

Fabric: wash to the agreed care instructions; check shrinkage, leg twisting, colour transfer and puckering around the bib, pockets and snap tape.

Labels and packs: check fibre descriptions against the approved fabric, soft sewn labels, size assortment and carton contents. Use the inspection guide to prepare the arrival checks.

What goes wrong

A dungaree can match the waist measurement yet fit poorly because the rise leaves too little nappy room or the straps pull the bib upwards. Washing can shorten straps and twist legs. Snaps can pull through thin fabric when their backing or setting is wrong.

Approve a washed sample as well as an unwashed sample, record measurement tolerances and fastening tests, and compare the shipment against both. Hold garments with loose attachments or sharp hardware for investigation before releasing stock for sale.

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.