Sourcing woven epingle upholstery from China

8% duty on woven epingle upholstery fabric

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 5801 covers woven pile and chenille fabrics. For woven epingle upholstery, establish the fibre composition and confirm whether the pile is formed by warp yarns. The table gives candidate warp-pile and wool lines rather than treating the supplier's fabric name as a commodity classification.

The supplied tariff record shows 8% duty on goods from China across these lines, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measures and no suspensions recorded. The wool or fine animal hair line carries CITES import and export controls. For fibres from species subject to CITES permitting, obtain the appropriate permit and confirm the Chinese export and British import documentation with your customs broker.

Give your broker a fabric sample, composition breakdown and weave description to confirm the commodity code. For wider heading coverage, see woven mohair upholstery fabric.

Specify the loop face and upholstery backing

Specify whether the face has intact loops or a mixture of loops and cut pile. Record pile and ground yarn composition, loop height, rib spacing, usable width, fabric weight, backing and finish. Approve a physical sample that shows the required texture and shade, then agree abrasion, snagging, rubbing and cleaning checks against that sample.

For domestic upholstered furniture cover fabric, confirm with the relevant authority which cigarette and match resistance requirements apply and whether a fire-resistant interliner is an acceptable alternative for the intended permanent cover. Agree the intended upholstery construction and obtain reports covering the actual backing and finish through testing and certification. Fabric sold by the metre to consumers needs fibre composition information.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 400 metres of polyester woven epingle upholstery fabric under 5801 37 00 00, invoiced at £6,000 free on board, with £600 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,600. Duty at 8% is £528. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £7,128, so it is £1,425.60. Import taxes total £1,953.60; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £528 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Loop face: check for pulled loops, missing pile, uneven ribs and loose yarns; compare the surface after the agreed snagging and abrasion checks.

Shade and direction: compare rolls beside the approved sample under consistent lighting; check for colour variation, flattened loops and inconsistent face direction.

Dimensions and backing: measure usable width and roll length; check bowing, skew, coating coverage, stiffness and separation of the backing.

Evidence and identification: match fire reports to the supplied fabric and finish, check consumer fibre information, and keep dye-lot and roll references with the inspection record.

What goes wrong

A sample can have compact, even loops while production arrives with loose loops that catch and pull. Rib distortion and shade differences become conspicuous across adjoining upholstery panels. Inspect production rolls before shipment and retain a sample from each dye lot for comparison on arrival.

An altered backing can change the handle and leave the supplied construction outside the fire report's description. Check proposed coating changes before approving them. Agree cleaning trials on the finished fabric, since shrinkage, colour transfer and backing separation can make otherwise acceptable rolls unsuitable for upholstery.

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.