Subheading · Chapter 50 · Heading 5004

5004.00: Silk yarn (other than yarn spun from silk waste) not put up for retail sale

5004.00 is a six-digit subheading of heading 5004, silk yarn (other than yarn spun from silk waste) not put up for retail sale, chapter 50.

Importing into Country of origin

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free standard rate · across 3 national lines depends on the country of origin

Additional duties and charges — Import requirements: 2

VAT 20.00 % import VAT

Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →

5004 00 10 00 Unbleached, scoured or bleached Free
5004 00 10 10 Yarn spun entirely from silk Free
5004 00 10 90 Other Free
5004 00 90 00 Other Free

Additional duties and import rules

Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.

Import requirements 2

Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
Applies to goods from
Ukraine

Legal act
S.I. 2022/395
Documents
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
Applies to goods from
North Korea

Legal act
S.I. 2019/411
Documents
- Y084 Derogation from import prohibition by virtue of Article 16i (1) of Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1509

Preferential rates by country

Agreement or scheme	Countries	Rate
standard rate (no agreement)	—	Free
DCTS Comprehensive	Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 more Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshasa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia	Free
European Union (including code "EU")	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia and 23 more Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden	Free
DCTS Enhanced	Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 more Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu	Free
CARIFORUM	Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize and 10 more Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago	Free
OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories)	Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands and 7 more Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Turks & Caicos Islands	Free
Central America	Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama	Free
SADC EPA	Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia	Free
Eastern and Southern Africa States	Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe	Free
CPTPP	Brunei, Malaysia	Free
UK–Andorra agreement	Andorra	Free
UK–Albania agreement	Albania	Free
UK–Australia agreement	Australia	Free
UK–Canada agreement	Canada	Free
UK–Switzerland agreement	Switzerland	Free
UK–Côte d’Ivoire agreement	Côte d’Ivoire	Free
UK–Chile agreement	Chile	Free
UK–Cameroon agreement	Cameroon	Free
UK–Colombia agreement	Colombia	Free
UK–Ceuta & Melilla agreement	Ceuta & Melilla	Free
UK–Ecuador agreement	Ecuador	Free
UK–Egypt agreement	Egypt	Free
UK–Fiji agreement	Fiji	Free
UK–Faroe Islands agreement	Faroe Islands	Free
UK–Georgia agreement	Georgia	Free
UK–Ghana agreement	Ghana	Free
DCTS Standard	Indonesia	Free
UK–Israel agreement	Israel	Free
UK–India agreement	India	Free
UK–Iceland agreement	Iceland	Free
UK–Jordan agreement	Jordan	Free
UK–Japan agreement	Japan	Free
UK–Kenya agreement	Kenya	Free
UK–South Korea agreement	South Korea	Free
UK–Lebanon agreement	Lebanon	Free
UK–Liechtenstein agreement	Liechtenstein	Free
UK–Morocco agreement	Morocco	Free
UK–Moldova agreement	Moldova	Free
UK–North Macedonia agreement	North Macedonia	Free
UK–Mexico agreement	Mexico	Free
UK–Norway agreement	Norway	Free
UK–New Zealand agreement	New Zealand	Free
UK–Peru agreement	Peru	Free
UK–Papua New Guinea agreement	Papua New Guinea	Free
UK–Palestinian Territories agreement	Palestinian Territories	Free
UK–Serbia agreement	Serbia	Free
UK–Solomon Islands agreement	Solomon Islands	Free
UK–Singapore agreement	Singapore	Free
UK–San Marino agreement	San Marino	Free
UK–Tunisia agreement	Tunisia	Free
UK–Türkiye agreement	Türkiye	Free
UK–Ukraine agreement	Ukraine	Free
UK–Vietnam agreement	Vietnam	Free
UK–Samoa agreement	Samoa	Free
UK–Kosovo agreement	Kosovo	Free
UK–South Africa agreement	South Africa	Free

UK: imports by month

last 12 months£2.2m-15.5% · previous 12 months

Average import price£64.17 per kg

Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Monthly data: Eurostat Comext (CC BY 4.0), HMRC (OGL v3.0)

Main suppliers, last 12 months

Country	Value	Share	Change
Italy	£757k	34.6%	+27.6%
Romania	£564k	25.7%	-39.1%
China	£470k	21.5%	-16.4%
Vietnam	£385k	17.6%	-23.8%
Japan	£11k	0.5%	—
France	£2k	0.1%	—
United States	£1k	0%	—
India	£1k	0%	—

Same subheading in other tariffs

EU 4% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines

Türkiye 4% Third-country duty 4 tariff lines

USA Free General (MFN) 1 tariff line

World trade in 2024

5004.00 · US$271m

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$66kUS$66k+US$767k+US$18m+> US$71m

Exports: 59

Romania: US$80m
China: US$71m
Italy: US$38m
Vietnam: US$29m
Brazil: US$20m
Austria: US$18m
Tunisia: US$3m
Japan: US$2m
India: US$2m
Mexico: US$1m
France: US$1m
Hong Kong SAR China: US$1m
Switzerland: US$993k
United States: US$960k
Slovenia: US$767k
Thailand: US$290k
Germany: US$193k
United Kingdom: US$191k
Portugal: US$143k
Nicaragua: US$120k
Poland: US$117k
Uzbekistan: US$106k
Taiwan: US$105k
Slovakia: US$90k
Denmark: US$84k
Peru: US$82k
Lithuania: US$77k
Singapore: US$71k
Türkiye: US$67k
Netherlands: US$61k
Malaysia: US$59k
Czechia: US$43k
Latvia: US$22k
Canada: US$15k
Belgium: US$15k
New Zealand: US$7k
Spain: US$6k
Croatia: US$4k
Iran: US$3k
South Korea: US$2k
Israel: US$2k
Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$1k
South Africa: US$800
Sweden: US$700
Colombia: US$600
Australia: US$300
United Arab Emirates: US$200
Finland: US$200
Guatemala: US$200
Malta: US$200
Norway: US$200
Eswatini: US$200
Bulgaria: US$100
Bahrain: US$100
Estonia: US$100
Indonesia: US$100
Pakistan: US$100
Bangladesh: US$0
Jordan: US$0

Top exporters

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	Romania	US$80m	29.6%
2	China	US$71m	26.2%
3	Italy	US$38m	14.1%
4	Vietnam	US$29m	10.7%
5	Brazil	US$20m	7.5%
6	Austria	US$18m	6.5%
7	Tunisia	US$3m	1.1%
8	Japan	US$2m	0.6%
9	India	US$2m	0.6%
10	Mexico	US$1m	0.4%

Top importers

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	Italy	US$95m	35%
2	Japan	US$32m	11.9%
3	France	US$28m	10.4%
4	Germany	US$26m	9.7%
5	India	US$15m	5.7%
6	United States	US$15m	5.6%
7	Austria	US$15m	5.6%
8	Romania	US$7m	2.6%
9	Pakistan	US$5m	2%
10	Cambodia	US$4m	1.6%

Binding rulings for similar goods 1

Decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS) and HMRC (Advance Tariff Rulings) on goods classified here. A ruling binds only its holder, but shows how the authorities classify similar goods. The descriptions are the authorities’ own, in English.

N291659 U.S. CBP 22 November 2017 · 5004.00.00.00

The tariff classification of unsterilized silk sutures from China

In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 5004.00 covers 3 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.

The EU Combined Nomenclature divides subheading 5004.00 into 2 tariff lines; the duty is 4%.

Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free; 174 of them pay no duty at all, for example under DCTS Comprehensive or European Union.

In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported these goods worth £2.2m (down 15% on the year before), at an average of £64.17 per kg; Italy supplied 35%, followed by Romania.

World trade in these goods reached US$271m in 2024, down 11.1% on 2023.

Romania was the largest exporter with 29.6% of the total, ahead of China.

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for silk yarn (other than yarn spun from silk waste) not put up for retail sale?

Silk yarn (other than yarn spun from silk waste) not put up for retail sale fall under HS subheading 5004.00, part of heading 5004, in section XI of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on silk yarn (other than yarn spun from silk waste)… in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 5004.00 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

What is the import duty on silk yarn (other than yarn spun from silk waste)… in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 5004.00 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 4%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.

Which country exports the most silk yarn (other than yarn spun from silk waste)…?

Romania, with US$80m in 2024 (29.6% of world exports).

Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?

174 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, DCTS Enhanced. The goods must meet the agreement’s rules of origin and the importer needs proof of origin; otherwise the standard rate of Free applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.

Where does the UK import these goods from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Italy (35%), Romania (26%) and China (22%), out of total imports of £2.2m.