Sourcing polypropylene leno sacks from China

Woven leno sacks and the neighbouring tariff lines

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 6305 covers sacks and bags used for packing goods. Ordinary woven polypropylene strip leno sacks fall within 6305 33 90 00 at 6% duty for goods from China. The table includes neighbouring construction and material lines for comparison, rather than treating every mesh sack as a woven leno sack.

The comparison lines carry 6% to 12% duty. No anti-dumping or countervailing duties, suspensions or import controls are recorded against these table lines. The heading's separate bulk-container suspension under 6305 32 19 00 reduces duty to 0% only for qualifying polypropylene strip bags with a polyethylene liner; it does not cover ordinary leno sacks on the woven sack line.

Give your broker a finished sample, material specification and construction photographs to confirm the commodity code. For the knitted alternative and wider heading context, see Raschel mesh produce sacks.

Specify the leno weave, opening and closure

Specify polypropylene material, woven leno construction, finished width and length, sack mass, mesh opening, intended contents and filled weight. State the bottom seam, mouth finish, drawstring or sewn closure, colour and label band. Approve a sample filled with your actual produce, including its smallest pieces, and trial it on your filling and closing equipment.

For sacks used to package food, written evidence of compliance with the special rules for plastic food packaging is required. Request the supplier's declaration of compliance and supporting evidence for the finished sack, including its colourants and intended contact conditions. A description of the resin alone does not tell you whether the finished sack suits your use.

Ask HMRC or your customs broker to confirm whether woven polypropylene sacks count towards Plastic Packaging Tax registration thresholds, including sacks containing at least 30% recycled plastic, and whether packaging meeting that recycled-content level is chargeable. Keep material and weight records and read Plastic Packaging Tax. Assess whether your business has packaging producer responsibility obligations.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 25,000 woven polypropylene leno sacks under 6305 33 90 00, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £9,800. Duty at 6% is £588. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £10,388, so it is £2,077.60. Import taxes total £2,665.60; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £588 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Weave and dimensions: compare arrival samples with the approved sack, measure the finished dimensions and mesh openings, and weigh empty sacks. Check for broken tapes, loose intersections and uneven openings.

Seams and closure: fill sacks with the agreed contents and load, then check bottom seams, mouth stitching and drawstring anchorage during handling. Look for tape splitting, stitch pull-out and closures that slip.

Produce and packing line: check whether small produce escapes, rough edges damage skins, label bands obstruct the opening, or sacks snag during filling and closing.

Cleanliness and documents: inspect for odour, contamination, damp bales and colour transfer. Match food-contact evidence to the supplied material and colour, and retain batch identification. Agree these checks through your inspection plan.

What goes wrong

A supplier substitutes knitted mesh for the approved woven leno construction, changes tape thickness, or widens the openings. The result can change classification, let small produce escape or weaken the sack. Control substitutions through the purchase specification and compare production samples with the approved sample.

A sound-looking sack can still fail at its bottom seam or closure when filled. Outdoor storage can also expose weaknesses in unsupported sunlight-resistance claims. Agree handling trials and storage conditions before production, and request evidence for any claimed resistance to sunlight.

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.