Sourcing woven wool bale bags from China
New woven wool bale bags from China carry 4% to 6% UK duty across the materials covered here, with no recorded anti-dumping duty. Classify the empty bag by its material and construction, rather than the wool it will hold. Confirm with HMRC whether polypropylene bags count towards Plastic Packaging Tax thresholds. Cambridge China Bridge sources woven wool bale bags.
Duty by the material of the empty bag
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, heading 6305 covers sacks and bags used for packing goods. This guide concerns empty woven bags for compressing and containing wool bales. Polypropylene or polyethylene strip bags, woven nylon bags and woven cotton bags carry 6% duty on goods from China; new jute bags carry 4%.
The selected lines record no anti-dumping or countervailing duty, suspension or attached import control. A separate bulk-container line, 6305 32 19 00, records a 0.00 % suspension limited to polypropylene strip bags with a polyethylene liner, with an additional exclusion for mixtures, preparations or products containing them. Do not apply that suspension to an ordinary bale sack merely because it has a liner.
Confirm the commodity code against the fabric composition and finished construction. For flexible bulk containers and other sack designs, read the bulk bags and woven sacks guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woven polypropylene or polyethylene strip wool bale bags | 6305 33 90 00 | 6% | None |
| Woven nylon or other man-made fibre wool bale bags | 6305 39 00 99 | 6% | None |
| Woven cotton wool bale bags | 6305 20 00 90 | 6% | None |
| New woven jute wool bale bags | 6305 10 90 00 | 4% | None |
Fabric, bale-press fit and wool contamination
Specify the fabric material, weave, fabric weight, finished dimensions, closure flaps, seam construction and any coating or liner. Give the factory the bale-press opening and closure method, and approve a filled sample through your actual pressing and handling process. Agree whether bags are disposable or intended for reuse, and describe outdoor storage exposure.
Make low shedding a purchasing specification: check cut edges, sewing thread, loose yarns and liner fragments that could enter the fleece. Agree bale identification and printing that stays legible without transferring onto wool. For polypropylene bags, assess Plastic Packaging Tax and retain material and recycled-content evidence. Packaging producers must assess whether packaging EPR obligations apply.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order of 5,000 empty woven polypropylene wool bale bags 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
Press fit: measure finished bags and flaps against the approved sample, then check filling, compression and closure on your equipment.
Fabric and seams: compare fabric weight and weave with the specification; inspect skipped stitches, seam openings and tearing around closure points.
Contamination: rub and flex the fabric over a clean contrasting surface; look for loose fibres, thread ends, coating flakes and printing transfer.
Arrival condition: check for moisture, mould, punctures and damaged closures; match bale identification printing and material records to the ordered batch.
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What goes wrong
A bag can match the flat dimensions yet leave too little flap to close around a compressed bale. Weak stitching or thinner substituted fabric can split during pressing or handling. Loose plastic strands, fraying edges and detached liner pieces can contaminate the wool.
Keep an approved bag and a written acceptance specification. Check production samples through the complete pressing and handling process before dispatch. Quarantine wet or damaged deliveries and record defects by batch. Use quality inspection to agree what the factory inspection should cover.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on woven wool bale bags from China?
The supplied tariff read shows 6% for woven polypropylene or polyethylene strip, nylon and cotton bags, and 4% for new jute bags. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty is recorded on these lines.
Are wool bale bags classified as wool products?
For these empty packing bags, confirm the code by the bag's fabric and construction. The wool it will later contain does not describe the material of the bag.
Do polypropylene wool bale bags count for Plastic Packaging Tax?
Confirm with HMRC whether woven polypropylene sacks count towards the registration thresholds and how recycled content affects whether tax is chargeable. Retain supporting material and recycled-content evidence and check your registration position.
What should I test before ordering wool bale bags?
Trial the approved bag in your bale press. Check closure allowance, seam strength, fabric shedding and printing transfer, then inspect the bale after your normal handling process.