Sourcing woven baby shirts from China

A flat 10% duty on woven baby shirts

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 6209 covers babies' garments and clothing accessories. The relevant woven shirt lines carry 10% duty on goods from China, with no recorded anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The heading covers garments for children up to 86 cm body height; classify the shirt by its textile material.

The tariff attaches cat and dog fur and seal-product import controls, plus CITES import and export controls to the other-textile lines. Cat and dog fur products cannot be imported or exported. The traditional-hunt exemption for seal products requires a seal catch attestation certificate; ask your broker to confirm eligibility before ordering from China. CITES specimens of species in Annex A, B or C require a permit. Establish the material and import status of any animal trims.

Confirm the commodity code using fabric construction, fibre composition and intended body height. Mixed-fibre shirts need classification from their actual composition. Knitted baby garments belong under heading 6111. See the babies' woven garments guide for the wider heading.

Specify the fabric, opening and fit

Agree the weave, fibre composition, fabric weight, colour reference and finished feel. Define chest width, shirt length, sleeve length, neck opening and measurement tolerances for each size. Specify the collar, placket, buttonholes, snaps, seam finish and any embroidery backing. Approve a washed sample as well as an unwashed sample.

Confirm the applicable product safety and fibre composition labelling requirements for Great Britain and Northern Ireland with Trading Standards. Specify secure attachments and avoid hazardous cords. Ask HSE or a compliance adviser to confirm whether UK REACH nickel and azo restrictions apply to the skin-contact metal snaps and dyes used. Agree testing against the actual fabric, colours and fasteners through testing and certification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 500 woven cotton baby shirts 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

Fasteners: pull-test buttons, snaps and decorations before and after washing against the agreed specification. Check snap operation, buttonhole stitching and reinforcement behind fasteners on thin fabric.

Fit and finish: measure samples from each size, including neck openings and sleeve cuffs. Check placket alignment, collar symmetry, seam puckering, exposed embroidery backing and loose internal threads.

Wash performance: wash against the care instructions and compare shrinkage, colour transfer, seam distortion and collar shape with the approved sample.

Labels and arrival: check fibre labels against the agreed composition, confirm size and carton assortments, and examine received shirts for dampness, staining, sharp fastener edges and broken-needle contamination.

What goes wrong

A shirt can match the sample before washing but develop a twisted placket or tight neck opening afterwards. Thin woven fabric can tear around snaps, and poorly secured buttons can detach. Compare washed production samples with the approved measurements and repeat attachment checks after washing.

Factories may change fabric, fasteners or embroidery backing between sampling and production. Record the approved materials and require agreement before substitutions. A report for a different fabric or snap does not establish the performance of the shirts delivered.

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.