Subheading · Chapter 55 · Heading 5501
5501.20: Synthetic filament tow, of polyesters
Official description Of polyesters
5501.20 is a six-digit subheading of heading 5501, synthetic filament tow, chapter 55.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 5501 20 00 00 Of polyesters Free
Additional duties and import rules
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 1
- Duty suspensionAirworthiness tariff suspension Free
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Legal act
- S.I. 2018/1249
- Documents
- C119 Authorised Release Certificate — EASA Form 1 (Appendix I to Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 748/2012), or equivalent certificate
Import requirements 4
- Prohibition or restrictionImport prohibition
- Applies to goods from
- North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/411
- 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
- Import controlImport control on restricted goods and technologies
- Applies to goods from
- Iran
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/461
- Documents
- Y966 Goods other than those described in the MG footnotes linked to the measure (Missile Technology Control Regime list - Annex III of Reg. (EU) 267/2012)
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | Free |
| 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–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
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 China | £280k | 86.6% | -29.2% |
 Vietnam | £27k | 8.2% | — |
 United States | £8k | 2.3% | -72.2% |
 Australia | £4k | 1.3% | -41.8% |
 France | £3k | 1% | -43.9% |
 Italy | £2k | 0.6% | — |
 United Arab Emirates | £0 | 0% | -100% |
 Japan | £0 | 0% | -100% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EUWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$63kUS$63k+US$383k+US$3m+> US$11m
Exports: 66
- China: US$19m
- Malaysia: US$11m
- Germany: US$11m
- India: US$6m
- South Korea: US$4m
- Japan: US$3m
- South Africa: US$3m
- United States: US$3m
- Singapore: US$2m
- Italy: US$1m
- Guatemala: US$673k
- Türkiye: US$621k
- Indonesia: US$620k
- France: US$535k
- Thailand: US$494k
- Spain: US$383k
- Taiwan: US$351k
- Saudi Arabia: US$298k
- Bulgaria: US$295k
- Belgium: US$292k
- Vietnam: US$282k
- Portugal: US$267k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$179k
- Honduras: US$167k
- Netherlands: US$166k
- Austria: US$144k
- Czechia: US$127k
- Slovakia: US$71k
- El Salvador: US$70k
- Bangladesh: US$68k
- Egypt: US$68k
- Denmark: US$63k
- Mexico: US$61k
- Canada: US$50k
- Romania: US$49k
- United Kingdom: US$45k
- Switzerland: US$42k
- Poland: US$30k
- Brazil: US$27k
- Iceland: US$25k
- Algeria: US$22k
- Sweden: US$15k
- Belarus: US$15k
- New Zealand: US$11k
- Australia: US$9k
- Pakistan: US$9k
- Luxembourg: US$7k
- Albania: US$7k
- Nigeria: US$7k
- United Arab Emirates: US$5k
- Finland: US$4k
- Greece: US$4k
- Serbia: US$3k
- Norway: US$2k
- Croatia: US$2k
- Tanzania: US$1k
- Russia: US$1k
- Latvia: US$1k
- Slovenia: US$1k
- Ireland: US$600
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$64kUS$64k+US$436k+US$2m+> US$6m
Imports: 127
- Saudi Arabia: US$6m
- France: US$6m
- Bangladesh: US$6m
- China: US$6m
- Türkiye: US$5m
- Germany: US$4m
- Portugal: US$3m
- Nigeria: US$2m
- Tanzania: US$2m
- Indonesia: US$2m
- Singapore: US$2m
- Switzerland: US$2m
- India: US$2m
- Peru: US$2m
- United Kingdom: US$1m
- Malaysia: US$1m
- Kenya: US$1m
- Italy: US$1m
- Spain: US$1m
- Togo: US$978k
- Czechia: US$853k
- Luxembourg: US$730k
- Ecuador: US$673k
- Thailand: US$663k
- Zambia: US$578k
- Mexico: US$539k
- Belgium: US$509k
- United States: US$502k
- Japan: US$499k
- Zimbabwe: US$452k
- Angola: US$446k
- Dominican Republic: US$436k
- Costa Rica: US$407k
- Paraguay: US$401k
- Mozambique: US$362k
- Bulgaria: US$324k
- Poland: US$301k
- South Africa: US$283k
- Sri Lanka: US$279k
- Senegal: US$239k
- Congo - Kinshasa: US$225k
- Vietnam: US$218k
- Denmark: US$169k
- Congo - Brazzaville: US$164k
- Slovenia: US$161k
- Romania: US$150k
- Norway: US$147k
- Taiwan: US$143k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$140k
- South Korea: US$138k
- Iran: US$132k
- Ghana: US$129k
- United Arab Emirates: US$128k
- Philippines: US$121k
- Sweden: US$118k
- Egypt: US$116k
- Yemen: US$111k
- Cameroon: US$96k
- Malawi: US$79k
- Azerbaijan: US$79k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | US$19m | 26.3% |
| 2 |  Malaysia | US$11m | 15.9% |
| 3 |  Germany | US$11m | 15.9% |
| 4 |  India | US$6m | 8.1% |
| 5 |  South Korea | US$4m | 6.3% |
| 6 | Japan | US$3m | 4.9% |
| 7 |  South Africa | US$3m | 4.7% |
| 8 | United States | US$3m | 3.8% |
| 9 |  Singapore | US$2m | 2.8% |
| 10 | Italy | US$1m | 1.7% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saudi Arabia | US$6m | 9% |
| 2 | France | US$6m | 8.9% |
| 3 |  Bangladesh | US$6m | 8.5% |
| 4 | China | US$6m | 7.9% |
| 5 |  Türkiye | US$5m | 7.6% |
| 6 | Germany | US$4m | 5.5% |
| 7 |  Portugal | US$3m | 4.2% |
| 8 |  Nigeria | US$2m | 3.5% |
| 9 |  Tanzania | US$2m | 3.5% |
| 10 |  Indonesia | US$2m | 2.7% |
Subheading 5501.20 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 5501.20; 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 £323.4k (down 32% on the year before), at an average of £2.68 per kg; China supplied 87%, followed by Vietnam.
World trade in these goods reached US$71m in 2024, down 10.3% on 2023.
China was the largest exporter with 26.3% of the total, ahead of Malaysia.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for synthetic filament tow, of polyesters?
Synthetic filament tow, of polyesters fall under HS subheading 5501.20, part of heading 5501, in section XI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on synthetic filament tow, of polyesters in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 5501.20 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 synthetic filament tow, of polyesters in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 5501.20 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 synthetic filament tow, of polyesters?
China, with US$19m in 2024 (26.3% 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 China (87%), Vietnam (8%) and United States (2%), out of total imports of £323.4k.