Subheading · Chapter 55 · Heading 5503

5503.20: Synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise: of polyesters

Polyester staple fibre

Official description Of polyesters

5503.20 is the HS subheading for polyester staple fibre, under heading 5503 in chapter 55.

Importing into Country of origin

What you pay

Importing into UK

Customs duty Free standard rate depends on the country of origin

Additional duties and charges 1 additional measure Import requirements: 4

VAT 20.00 % import VAT

Duty calculatorCalculate duty and taxes →

Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff

UK lines →

5503 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, North Korea

Legal act
S.I. 2019/461, S.I. 2019/411
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)
- Y920 Goods other than those described in the footnotes linked to the measure

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£79.5m-14.6% · previous 12 months

Average import price£0.84 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
Vietnam	£17.2m	21.6%	+6.9%
Indonesia	£14m	17.6%	-6.6%
China	£12.6m	15.8%	-6.7%
South Korea	£11.4m	14.3%	-33.8%
Taiwan	£7.2m	9.1%	-32.6%
India	£3.7m	4.7%	+8.5%
Thailand	£2.8m	3.5%	-10.2%
Malaysia	£2.7m	3.4%	-0.5%

Same subheading in other tariffs

EU 4% Third-country duty 1 tariff line

Türkiye 4% Third-country duty 2 tariff lines

USA 4.3% General (MFN) 1 tariff line

World trade in 2024

5503.20 · US$5bn

Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$1mUS$1m+US$10m+US$61m+> US$283m

Exports: 106

China: US$1bn
South Korea: US$695m
Thailand: US$456m
India: US$283m
Indonesia: US$248m
Taiwan: US$243m
Vietnam: US$225m
Türkiye: US$166m
Malaysia: US$128m
Germany: US$114m
Ireland: US$61m
Romania: US$59m
United States: US$59m
Italy: US$58m
Nigeria: US$38m
Egypt: US$33m
Belgium: US$33m
Uzbekistan: US$33m
Bulgaria: US$26m
South Africa: US$24m
Japan: US$24m
Poland: US$20m
Mexico: US$17m
Ghana: US$16m
Czechia: US$15m
United Kingdom: US$10m
Spain: US$9m
Austria: US$9m
Bangladesh: US$8m
Netherlands: US$8m
Denmark: US$7m
Iran: US$6m
France: US$5m
Colombia: US$5m
Algeria: US$4m
Turkmenistan: US$4m
Portugal: US$4m
Belarus: US$4m
Canada: US$3m
Honduras: US$3m
Brazil: US$3m
Tunisia: US$3m
Lithuania: US$2m
Pakistan: US$2m
Russia: US$2m
Greece: US$2m
Argentina: US$2m
Hong Kong SAR China: US$2m
Tanzania: US$1m
Ukraine: US$1m
Myanmar (Burma): US$1m
Saudi Arabia: US$945k
Cambodia: US$931k
Switzerland: US$605k
Guatemala: US$518k
El Salvador: US$376k
Paraguay: US$365k
Estonia: US$364k
Peru: US$356k
Morocco: US$347k

Top exporters

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	China	US$1bn	30%
2	South Korea	US$695m	15.2%
3	Thailand	US$456m	10%
4	India	US$283m	6.2%
5	Indonesia	US$248m	5.5%
6	Taiwan	US$243m	5.3%
7	Vietnam	US$225m	4.9%
8	Türkiye	US$166m	3.6%
9	Malaysia	US$128m	2.8%
10	Germany	US$114m	2.5%

Top importers

Rank	Country	Value	Share
1	United States	US$562m	12.3%
2	Vietnam	US$417m	9.1%
3	Pakistan	US$253m	5.5%
4	Türkiye	US$236m	5.2%
5	Germany	US$199m	4.4%
6	Brazil	US$189m	4.1%
7	Mexico	US$141m	3.1%
8	Poland	US$137m	3%
9	Bangladesh	US$136m	3%
10	Spain	US$134m	2.9%

Binding rulings for similar goods 7

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.

N332513 U.S. CBP 28 March 2024 · 5503.20.00.45

The tariff classification of polyester staple fibers from Nigeria
N326318 U.S. CBP 16 December 2022 · 5503.20.00.45

The tariff classification of diffuser sticks from China.
N304429 U.S. CBP 11 June 2019 · 5503.20.00.25

The tariff classification of polyester staple fibers from Germany
N304142 U.S. CBP 21 May 2019 · 5503.20.00.45

The tariff classification of polyester fibers from Italy
N300092 U.S. CBP 10 September 2018 · 5503.20.00.25

The tariff classification of “Fluffy Basket Filler” in the form of polyester staple fibers from China
600011689 HMRC 31 October 2024 – 30 October 2027 · 5503 20 00 00

Stuffing Polyester stuffing for soft toys. The product is made of man- made polyester staple fibres, not carded, combed, or otherwise processed for spinning. Originating as a filament TOW and cutdown to make a staple filament. Used for the internal stuffing of a variety of soft toys. The product…
600010394 HMRC 8 May 2024 – 7 May 2027 · 5503 20 00 00

Polyester stuffing for soft toys. The product is made of man- made polyester staple fibres, not carded, combed, or otherwise processed for spinning. Originating as a filament TOW and cutdown to make a staple filament. Used as an internal stuffing of a variety of soft toys. The length of tow…

Subheading 5503.20 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 5503.20; 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 polyester staple fibre worth £79.5m (down 15% on the year before), at an average of £0.84 per kg; Vietnam supplied 22%, followed by Indonesia.

World trade in polyester staple fibre reached US$5bn in 2024, up 1.4% on 2023.

China was the largest exporter with 30% of the total, ahead of South Korea.

Questions and answers

What is the HS code for synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise: of polyesters?

Synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise: of polyesters fall under HS subheading 5503.20, part of heading 5503, in section XI of the Harmonized System.

What is the import duty on synthetic staple fibres in the UK?

Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 5503.20 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 staple fibres in the EU?

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 5503.20 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 staple fibres?

China, with US$1bn in 2024 (30% of world exports).

Which countries can export polyester staple fibre 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 polyester staple fibre from?

In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were Vietnam (22%), Indonesia (18%) and China (16%), out of total imports of £79.5m.