Sourcing polyester upholstery fabric from China

8% duty on polyester staple upholstery fabric

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 October 2026, heading 5512 covers woven fabrics containing 85% or more synthetic staple fibres by weight. This guide focuses on upholstery fabric containing 85% or more polyester staple fibres. The relevant Chinese-origin lines carry 8% duty, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measures, suspensions or attached import controls in the supplied tariff record.

Unbleached or bleached fabric, printed fabric and other fabric have separate codes. Dyed and yarn-dyed fabrics share a code, so the table repeats that code for these buying options. Confirm fibre composition and finish before choosing your commodity code. Continuous-filament fabric belongs elsewhere; see the wider staple-fabric guide.

Specify the upholstery fabric and backing

Specify polyester staple content, yarn construction, weave, mass per square metre, usable width, colour, pattern repeat and backing. Agree abrasion resistance, pilling, seam slippage, tear strength, rubbing fastness and cleaning performance with the upholsterer. Keep an approved sample showing the face and reverse.

For domestic upholstered furniture, confirm with the relevant authority which match-test requirements apply to the cover fabric under the furniture fire safety regulations. Ask for reports matching the exact fabric, weight, backing and treatment supplied. Fabric sold to consumers needs fibre composition labelling; confirm with the relevant authority which UK REACH restrictions apply to azo dyes in textiles in skin contact.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 6,000 metres of dyed polyester staple upholstery fabric, illustrative only under 5512 19 90 00, invoiced at £24,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £25,500. Duty at 8% is £2,040. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £27,540, so it is £5,508. Import taxes total £7,548; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,040 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Composition: test the production fabric against the agreed fibre content and check weight and usable width.

Wear: check abrasion, pilling, seam slippage and rubbing fastness against the agreed acceptance criteria.

Rolls: compare shade between rolls and across the width; check weaving faults, pattern alignment, length and damp packing.

Evidence: match fire and chemical reports to the supplied construction, colours and finish, and retain batch identification. Use the quality inspection guide to plan checks.

What goes wrong

A soft sample can hide pilling or weak seam performance. Shade differences become obvious when adjacent sofa panels come from different rolls, while backing changes can alter handle and invalidate the relevance of an earlier fire report.

Approve production-lot samples before shipment and repeat the agreed checks on arrival. Record defects by roll before cutting, keep reference samples and resolve any mismatch between the delivered fabric and its test reports.

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.