Subheading · Chapter 55 · Heading 5509
5509.53: Mixed mainly or solely with cotton
5509.53 is a six-digit subheading of heading 5509, yarn (other than sewing thread) of synthetic staple fibres, not put up for…, chapter 55.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 5509 53 00 00 Mixed mainly or solely with cotton 4%
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) | — | 4% |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| DCTS Standard | Indonesia | 3.2% |
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 India | £305k | 52.6% | -14.9% |
 Indonesia | £72k | 12.5% | +3,977% |
 Pakistan | £49k | 8.5% | — |
 Türkiye | £41k | 7.1% | -16.7% |
 Germany | £40k | 6.9% | -69.9% |
 China | £24k | 4.2% | — |
 Italy | £20k | 3.4% | +61.4% |
 Czechia | £17k | 3% | -36.6% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EUWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$259kUS$259k+US$3m+US$40m+> US$172m
Exports: 74
- United States: US$336m
- India: US$178m
- Vietnam: US$172m
- China: US$135m
- Thailand: US$78m
- Indonesia: US$56m
- Türkiye: US$40m
- Guatemala: US$17m
- El Salvador: US$12m
- Pakistan: US$9m
- Nicaragua: US$9m
- Honduras: US$9m
- Spain: US$6m
- Taiwan: US$4m
- Uzbekistan: US$4m
- Belgium: US$3m
- Mexico: US$3m
- Portugal: US$3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$2m
- Germany: US$2m
- Italy: US$1m
- Mauritius: US$1m
- Cambodia: US$1m
- Costa Rica: US$1m
- Switzerland: US$1m
- Japan: US$720k
- Slovenia: US$713k
- France: US$612k
- Morocco: US$503k
- Croatia: US$335k
- Singapore: US$282k
- Egypt: US$268k
- Czechia: US$266k
- Malaysia: US$259k
- Peru: US$259k
- Canada: US$221k
- South Korea: US$199k
- Bulgaria: US$164k
- Nepal: US$164k
- Romania: US$163k
- Colombia: US$125k
- Benin: US$122k
- Serbia: US$112k
- Austria: US$101k
- Poland: US$99k
- Dominican Republic: US$94k
- United Kingdom: US$90k
- Brazil: US$87k
- Denmark: US$72k
- Tunisia: US$64k
- Australia: US$57k
- Venezuela: US$50k
- North Macedonia: US$37k
- Netherlands: US$29k
- Zimbabwe: US$27k
- Tajikistan: US$23k
- Ecuador: US$17k
- Greece: US$13k
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: US$5k
- South Africa: US$4k
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$755kUS$755k+US$6m+US$20m+> US$45m
Imports: 129
- Honduras: US$283m
- Colombia: US$96m
- El Salvador: US$67m
- Brazil: US$45m
- Egypt: US$45m
- South Korea: US$39m
- Peru: US$39m
- Pakistan: US$38m
- China: US$36m
- Portugal: US$27m
- Ecuador: US$25m
- Bangladesh: US$23m
- Guatemala: US$20m
- Morocco: US$20m
- Malaysia: US$19m
- Dominican Republic: US$19m
- Japan: US$17m
- Türkiye: US$17m
- Russia: US$14m
- Vietnam: US$14m
- Sri Lanka: US$13m
- Mexico: US$12m
- Spain: US$12m
- Philippines: US$12m
- Italy: US$11m
- United States: US$8m
- Venezuela: US$7m
- Germany: US$7m
- Indonesia: US$7m
- Argentina: US$6m
- Tunisia: US$6m
- Thailand: US$5m
- Ukraine: US$5m
- Ethiopia: US$5m
- Uzbekistan: US$5m
- Taiwan: US$4m
- Belgium: US$4m
- Ghana: US$4m
- Kazakhstan: US$4m
- Chile: US$3m
- France: US$3m
- Poland: US$3m
- South Africa: US$3m
- Jordan: US$3m
- India: US$3m
- Algeria: US$2m
- Cambodia: US$2m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$2m
- Uganda: US$2m
- Saudi Arabia: US$2m
- Mauritius: US$2m
- Austria: US$1m
- Myanmar (Burma): US$1m
- Greece: US$1m
- Netherlands: US$1m
- United Kingdom: US$1m
- Burkina Faso: US$1m
- Australia: US$1m
- Canada: US$993k
- Togo: US$985k
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | US$336m | 30.8% |
| 2 | India | US$178m | 16.3% |
| 3 |  Vietnam | US$172m | 15.8% |
| 4 | China | US$135m | 12.4% |
| 5 |  Thailand | US$78m | 7.1% |
| 6 | Indonesia | US$56m | 5.1% |
| 7 | Türkiye | US$40m | 3.7% |
| 8 |  Guatemala | US$17m | 1.5% |
| 9 |  El Salvador | US$12m | 1.1% |
| 10 | Pakistan | US$9m | 0.9% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Honduras | US$283m | 25.9% |
| 2 |  Colombia | US$96m | 8.8% |
| 3 | El Salvador | US$67m | 6.1% |
| 4 |  Brazil | US$45m | 4.2% |
| 5 |  Egypt | US$45m | 4.2% |
| 6 |  South Korea | US$39m | 3.6% |
| 7 |  Peru | US$39m | 3.6% |
| 8 | Pakistan | US$38m | 3.5% |
| 9 | China | US$36m | 3.3% |
| 10 |  Portugal | US$27m | 2.5% |
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.
Subheading 5509.53 is a single line in the UK Global Tariff, where the duty is 4%.
The EU Combined Nomenclature has one tariff line for subheading 5509.53; the duty is 4%.
Goods from 174 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard 4%; 173 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 £578.7k (down 18% on the year before), at an average of £2.93 per kg; India supplied 53%, followed by Indonesia.
World trade in these goods reached US$1bn in 2024, down 6.6% on 2023.
The United States was the largest exporter with 30.8% of the total, ahead of India.
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for mixed mainly or solely with cotton?
Mixed mainly or solely with cotton fall under HS subheading 5509.53, part of heading 5509, in section XI of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on mixed mainly or solely with cotton in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 5509.53 from countries without a preferential agreement are charged at 4%. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on mixed mainly or solely with cotton in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 5509.53 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 mixed mainly or solely with cotton?
The United States, with US$336m in 2024 (30.8% of world exports).
Which countries can export these goods to the UK duty-free?
173 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 4% 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 India (53%), Indonesia (13%) and Pakistan (9%), out of total imports of £578.7k.