Sourcing woven fabric gloves from China

6%, or 0% with document 9Y11

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, gloves, mittens and mitts of textile, not knitted or crocheted, carried 6% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. An autonomous suspension set duty at 0% until 31 December 2028 for textile gloves that are not knitted, but only where the goods are covered by document 9Y11 for COVID-19 critical goods. Knitted gloves are in heading 6116 and leather gloves in 4203, so the fabric decides the commodity code.

PPE, labels and chemicals

Gloves sold as protective equipment fall under the PPE Regulation 2016/425 as it applies in Great Britain: simple gloves against minimal risks are category I and self-certified, while gloves against mechanical, thermal or chemical risks are category II or III and need an approved body. Mechanical protection is tested to EN 388 and general requirements to EN ISO 21420, with pictograms and size marking on each glove.

Fashion and winter gloves need the fibre composition under the textile labelling rules, and REACH Annex XVII entry 43 restricts azo dyes in parts that touch the skin. See the work gloves and knitted gloves guide, the leather gloves guide and the medical and PPE guide.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 50,000 pairs of woven cotton drill work gloves under 6216 00 00 00. At £25,000 free on board and £1,500 to ship and insure, the customs value is £26,500. Woven textile gloves at 6% pay £1,590 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £28,090, giving £5,618. Of the £7,208 paid at import, only the £1,590 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. Gloves declared as COVID-19 critical goods with document 9Y11 can use the suspension to 0% until 31 December 2028. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

What goes wrong

Fabric gloves fail on fit, stitching and claims. Sizes run small or the thumb and fingers are cut out of proportion, seams split at the fingertips and thumb crotch, and fabric weight is lower than the sample. Gloves marked with EN 388 performance levels have no test report or an approved body certificate for a different design, pictograms are missing, and dark dyes rub off onto hands.

Check sizes on a hand gauge against EN ISO 21420, pull-test seams at the fingertips and thumb, check fabric weight, ask for EN 388 test reports and the approved body certificate for the exact glove before printing any performance levels, check marking and user information, and test colour fastness to rubbing and sweat.

Cambridge China Bridge sources woven work, fashion and winter gloves for distributors and brands, with PPE evidence and seam tests agreed before production. See our glove sourcing service.