Subheading · Chapter 52 · Heading 5203
5203.00: Cotton, carded or combed
Subheading 5203.00 belongs to heading 5203 (cotton, carded or combed) in chapter 52.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 5203 00 00 00 Cotton, carded or combed
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) | — | |
| DCTS Comprehensive | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 moreAfghanistan, 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") | Free | |
| DCTS Enhanced | Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 moreAlgeria, 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 moreAntigua & 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 moreAnguilla, 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–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–XC agreement | XC | Free |
| UK–Kosovo agreement | Kosovo | Free |
| UK–XL agreement | XL | Free |
| UK–South Africa agreement | South Africa | Free |
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £222k | 51.9% | -44.3% |
 United States | £124k | 28.9% | +169.8% |
 Türkiye | £29k | 6.8% | -73.5% |
 Italy | £15k | 3.5% | +66.3% |
 Japan | £14k | 3.3% | — |
 India | £11k | 2.6% | -92.3% |
 Australia | £5k | 1.2% | -53% |
 Pakistan | £4k | 0.9% | -98.9% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU Free Third-country duty 1 tariff line Türkiye 20% Statutory rate (Law 474) 1 tariff line USA 4.3% – 5% General (MFN) 4 tariff lines · average 4.8% · 1× specific or compound duty The Turkish schedule prints the statutory rate set under Customs Law 474. The rate applied at import is laid down in the Import Regime Decision and can be lower, or different by country of origin.
World trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$133kUS$133k+US$1.1m+US$6.3m+> US$19m
Exports: 102
- India: US$77.6m
- Indonesia: US$20.2m
- Türkiye: US$19m
- Japan: US$8.7m
- Poland: US$8.7m
- Pakistan: US$7.9m
- Tanzania: US$7.7m
- Italy: US$7.4m
- United States: US$7m
- Uganda: US$6.3m
- South Korea: US$4.4m
- Mozambique: US$4.2m
- Malaysia: US$3.5m
- China: US$3.4m
- Portugal: US$2.6m
- Germany: US$1.9m
- South Africa: US$1.8m
- Spain: US$1.7m
- Estonia: US$1.5m
- Uzbekistan: US$1.4m
- Thailand: US$1.4m
- Russia: US$1.4m
- Lesotho: US$1.4m
- France: US$1.2m
- Mexico: US$1.1m
- Netherlands: US$1m
- Czechia: US$928.4k
- Vietnam: US$528.3k
- Belgium: US$510.8k
- Greece: US$477.1k
- Azerbaijan: US$467.9k
- Brazil: US$467.6k
- Costa Rica: US$444.4k
- Egypt: US$388.9k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$332.7k
- United Kingdom: US$308.9k
- Australia: US$293.2k
- Hungary: US$292k
- Guatemala: US$250.6k
- Romania: US$213.7k
- El Salvador: US$194.6k
- Tunisia: US$186.3k
- Austria: US$169.8k
- Latvia: US$168.4k
- Serbia: US$166.5k
- Honduras: US$164.5k
- Taiwan: US$158.3k
- Turkmenistan: US$154.9k
- Denmark: US$133k
- Morocco: US$103.9k
- Peru: US$86.2k
- Switzerland: US$54.8k
- Madagascar: US$53k
- United Arab Emirates: US$52.5k
- Bulgaria: US$52.3k
- Kazakhstan: US$48k
- Argentina: US$43.6k
- Sweden: US$40k
- Canada: US$38.1k
- Finland: US$33.6k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$80.6kUS$80.6k+US$595.6k+US$2.6m+> US$7.6m
Imports: 159
- Vietnam: US$79.4m
- Poland: US$15.2m
- China: US$11.8m
- France: US$11.6m
- Greece: US$7.6m
- Pakistan: US$6.8m
- Spain: US$6.7m
- Taiwan: US$5.3m
- Germany: US$5m
- Japan: US$4.1m
- India: US$2.9m
- Botswana: US$2.9m
- Italy: US$2.8m
- United Kingdom: US$2.8m
- Israel: US$2.7m
- Bangladesh: US$2.6m
- Mexico: US$2.5m
- United States: US$2.1m
- Mauritius: US$2m
- Belgium: US$1.9m
- Hungary: US$1.8m
- Brazil: US$1.8m
- Indonesia: US$1.6m
- Malaysia: US$1.6m
- Singapore: US$1.5m
- Thailand: US$1.4m
- Algeria: US$1.3m
- Switzerland: US$1.3m
- Romania: US$1.2m
- Türkiye: US$1.2m
- United Arab Emirates: US$1.1m
- South Korea: US$987.8k
- Dominican Republic: US$871.6k
- Croatia: US$860k
- Saudi Arabia: US$796.8k
- Netherlands: US$709k
- Chile: US$674.6k
- Honduras: US$673.6k
- Egypt: US$595.6k
- Colombia: US$559.8k
- El Salvador: US$547.2k
- Nepal: US$543.1k
- Iran: US$516.6k
- Philippines: US$514k
- Latvia: US$484.6k
- Portugal: US$465.9k
- Austria: US$413k
- Australia: US$400.7k
- Argentina: US$384.1k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$367.3k
- Serbia: US$354.3k
- Lesotho: US$353.6k
- Tunisia: US$318.3k
- Armenia: US$310.1k
- Ecuador: US$302.6k
- Venezuela: US$299.8k
- Sweden: US$289.1k
- Eswatini: US$275.4k
- New Zealand: US$252.2k
- Ireland: US$249.8k
Subheading 5203.00 is a single line in the EU Combined Nomenclature, where the duty is duty-free.
The Turkish Customs Tariff Schedule has one tariff line for subheading 5203.00; the statutory rate is 20%.
175 countries pay no duty in the UK thanks to trade agreements and preference schemes such as DCTS Comprehensive and European Union, against a standard rate of .
Imports of these goods into the UK came to £429k between September 2025 and August 2026 (down 64% on the year before); China supplied 52%, followed by United States.
In 2024, countries exported these goods worth US$212.7m (−65.8% year on year).
The largest exporter was India (US$77.6m), followed by Indonesia.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for cotton, carded or combed?
Cotton, carded or combed fall under HS subheading 5203.00, part of heading 5203, in section XI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on cotton, carded or combed in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 5203.00 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 cotton, carded or combed in the United States?
Under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, imports under 5203.00 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 4.3% to 5%, depending on the line. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most cotton, carded or combed?
India, with US$77.6m in 2024 (36.5% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?
175 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 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 China (52%), United States (29%) and Türkiye (7%), out of total imports of £429k.