Subheading · Chapter 55 · Heading 5503
5503.40: Synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise: of polypropylene
Official description Of polypropylene
5503.40 is a six-digit subheading of heading 5503, synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning, chapter 55.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 5503 40 00 00 Of polypropylene 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Belgium | £6.2m | 33.5% | +59.3% |
 Greece | £5.5m | 30% | +10.5% |
 Austria | £2.6m | 14.2% | +265.8% |
 Saudi Arabia | £2.5m | 13.4% | +37.7% |
 Germany | £808k | 4.4% | -10.4% |
 Netherlands | £188k | 1% | -3.6% |
 Slovenia | £145k | 0.8% | +102.2% |
 Türkiye | £113k | 0.6% | +77.4% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EUWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$196kUS$196k+US$2.6m+US$24.8m+> US$46.2m
Exports: 90
- Belgium: US$184.7m
- China: US$97.5m
- Denmark: US$46.2m
- South Korea: US$37.5m
- Saudi Arabia: US$32m
- Japan: US$30.6m
- Austria: US$28.7m
- United States: US$27.4m
- Italy: US$24.8m
- India: US$19.8m
- Türkiye: US$15.3m
- South Africa: US$14.5m
- Czechia: US$12.6m
- Greece: US$11m
- Spain: US$9.5m
- United Kingdom: US$8.2m
- Germany: US$7.6m
- Portugal: US$5.9m
- France: US$5.5m
- Thailand: US$4.9m
- Netherlands: US$3.3m
- Indonesia: US$2.6m
- Slovenia: US$2.1m
- Malaysia: US$1.7m
- Poland: US$1.7m
- Mozambique: US$1.6m
- Ukraine: US$1.5m
- Paraguay: US$1.1m
- Vietnam: US$1m
- Iran: US$994.2k
- Romania: US$894.8k
- United Arab Emirates: US$758.6k
- Mexico: US$710.1k
- Taiwan: US$708.7k
- Switzerland: US$684.3k
- Israel: US$681k
- Brazil: US$618.4k
- Serbia: US$581.8k
- Russia: US$469k
- Lithuania: US$351.2k
- Colombia: US$286k
- Ireland: US$263.5k
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$211.7k
- Croatia: US$196k
- Hungary: US$191.8k
- Ghana: US$188.1k
- Canada: US$178.7k
- Argentina: US$138.6k
- Slovakia: US$110.4k
- Bulgaria: US$110.2k
- Australia: US$107.7k
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$100.9k
- Bahrain: US$68.3k
- Chile: US$68.2k
- Tanzania: US$67.8k
- Costa Rica: US$60.5k
- Egypt: US$51.8k
- North Korea: US$51.5k
- Morocco: US$44.4k
- Uruguay: US$43.8k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$263.4kUS$263.4k+US$1.8m+US$8.9m+> US$30.5m
Imports: 174
- Germany: US$103m
- Italy: US$58.7m
- United States: US$51.3m
- Canada: US$34.7m
- Mozambique: US$31.8m
- Bangladesh: US$30.5m
- Czechia: US$26.7m
- France: US$23.5m
- Netherlands: US$23.1m
- Türkiye: US$18.4m
- Hungary: US$17.8m
- Poland: US$16.9m
- United Kingdom: US$16.3m
- Israel: US$14.1m
- Japan: US$11.4m
- Mexico: US$10.9m
- Saudi Arabia: US$9.4m
- Vietnam: US$8.9m
- Spain: US$8.5m
- India: US$7.7m
- Thailand: US$7.2m
- Brazil: US$7m
- Australia: US$6.8m
- Belgium: US$6.8m
- Malaysia: US$6.5m
- Taiwan: US$6m
- Finland: US$5.5m
- Indonesia: US$4.1m
- Denmark: US$4m
- Romania: US$3.8m
- China: US$3.7m
- Slovakia: US$3.6m
- Algeria: US$3.5m
- South Africa: US$3.1m
- Peru: US$2.9m
- Lithuania: US$2.6m
- Chile: US$2.5m
- Austria: US$2.4m
- Slovenia: US$2.2m
- Switzerland: US$2m
- Philippines: US$1.9m
- United Arab Emirates: US$1.8m
- Libya: US$1.8m
- Argentina: US$1.8m
- Colombia: US$1.7m
- South Korea: US$1.4m
- Sweden: US$1.2m
- Serbia: US$1.2m
- Croatia: US$1.1m
- Egypt: US$1.1m
- Qatar: US$1.1m
- Norway: US$1m
- Costa Rica: US$979k
- Portugal: US$945.8k
- Kazakhstan: US$909k
- Nicaragua: US$886.6k
- Jordan: US$878.5k
- New Zealand: US$855k
- Georgia: US$744k
- Ireland: US$728.5k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | US$184.7m | 28.4% |
| 2 |  China | US$97.5m | 15% |
| 3 |  Denmark | US$46.2m | 7.1% |
| 4 |  South Korea | US$37.5m | 5.8% |
| 5 | Saudi Arabia | US$32m | 4.9% |
| 6 |  Japan | US$30.6m | 4.7% |
| 7 | Austria | US$28.7m | 4.4% |
| 8 |  United States | US$27.4m | 4.2% |
| 9 |  Italy | US$24.8m | 3.8% |
| 10 |  India | US$19.8m | 3% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | US$103m | 15.8% |
| 2 | Italy | US$58.7m | 9% |
| 3 | United States | US$51.3m | 7.9% |
| 4 |  Canada | US$34.7m | 5.3% |
| 5 |  Mozambique | US$31.8m | 4.9% |
| 6 |  Bangladesh | US$30.5m | 4.7% |
| 7 |  Czechia | US$26.7m | 4.1% |
| 8 |  France | US$23.5m | 3.6% |
| 9 | Netherlands | US$23.1m | 3.5% |
| 10 | Türkiye | US$18.4m | 2.8% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 2
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.
- N304143 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of polypropylene fiber from Italy
- H282781 U.S. CBP
Tariff classification of nonwoven geotextile fabrics manufactured in a Foreign Trade Zone from privileged foreign status polypropylene staple fiber and tariff classification of rolls or bales of trimmings/cuttings of fabric resulting from the production of the nonwoven geotextile fabrics
Recent rule changes mentioning this code
Acts whose text cites this code or its heading. Check the act itself: a code can be cited for reasons other than a change of its duty.
- Sanctions · Applies from:
The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
S.I. 2026/543 · Source: legislation.gov.uk
Subheading 5503.40 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 5503.40; 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 £18.4m (up 36% on the year before), at an average of £1.78 per kg; Belgium supplied 34%, followed by Greece.
World trade in these goods reached US$651m in 2024, up 4% on 2023.
Belgium was the largest exporter with 28.4% of the total, ahead of China.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise: of polypropylene?
Synthetic staple fibres, not carded, combed or otherwise: of polypropylene fall under HS subheading 5503.40, 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 5503.40 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 5503.40 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?
Belgium, with US$184.7m in 2024 (28.4% 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 Belgium (34%), Greece (30%) and Austria (14%), out of total imports of £18.4m.