Textiles & Fabrics
Yarn and fabric, not finished garments. HS 52/54, with real CPTPP savings on retail-packaged yarn and thread — most woven fabric is already duty-free.
Get a Textiles & Fabrics RateHS 52 / 54
Cotton & man-made filament chapters
8%
MFN rate on retail-packaged yarn/thread
Free
MFN rate on most woven fabric
B2B
Not typically Textile Labelling Act-scoped
Classification Note
Bulk fabric and yarn generally sit outside the Textile Labelling Act's consumer labelling requirement
The Textile Labelling Act applies to textile fibre products offered for sale to consumers — a garment factory's intermediate stock of yarn or fabric is a B2B input, not a consumer-facing product, and typically isn't in scope. Don't assume the fibre-content/dealer-identity label required for finished garments (see our garments page) applies here without confirming your specific import is intermediate stock, not consumer-facing yardage.
Source: Textile Labelling Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. T-10). Last verified July 2026.
Relevant HS Codes
| HS Code | Description | MFN | CPTPP | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5204.20 | Cotton sewing thread, put up for retail sale | 8% | Free | CPTPP savings opportunity |
| 5205.11 | Single yarn of uncombed cotton, ≥714.29 decitex | Free | Free | — |
| 5207.10 | Cotton yarn put up for retail sale, ≥85% cotton | 8% | Free | CPTPP savings opportunity |
| 5209.42 | Denim fabric, ≥85% cotton, >200 g/m² | Free | Free | — |
| 5406.00.10 | Man-made filament yarn put up for retail sale (synthetic) | 8% | Free | CPTPP savings opportunity |
| 5407.10 | Woven fabrics of synthetic filament yarn | Free | Free | — |
| 5407.69 | Other woven fabrics, ≥85% polyester filament | Free | Free | — |
| 5408.22.90 | Woven fabrics of artificial filament yarn, dyed | Free | Free | — |
Source: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-commerce/tariff-tarif/2026/html/00/ch52-eng.html
CPTPP savings on this lane
5204.20
Cotton sewing thread, put up for retail sale
5207.10
Cotton yarn put up for retail sale, ≥85% cotton
5406.00.10
Man-made filament yarn put up for retail sale (synthetic)
Canadian Import Process
Confirm HS classification
Verify the correct 52/54 tariff item — yarn vs. woven fabric, retail-packaged vs. bulk — before booking, since it determines the duty rate.
CPTPP eligibility check
Confirm origin eligibility and whether a Certificate of Origin is being claimed on the specific tariff line.
Certificate of Origin
Obtain the origin-appropriate CO where a CPTPP rate is claimed.
CBSA examination
Goods clear a CBSA examination against the commercial invoice and HS classification.
Customs release
Shipment released to the importer at the CPTPP rate (if claimed and documented) or standard MFN rate.
Worked example
500kg of denim fabric, Ho Chi Minh City to Toronto
A 500kg shipment of denim fabric (HS 5209.42) needs to move from SGN to YYZ. The fastest confirmed routing on that pair today is Korean Air Cargo through ICN, at 1-2 business days.
Before booking, UAL confirms the correct tariff item — denim fabric at over 200 g/m² with 85%+ cotton content classifies under 5209.42, which is already Free at MFN, so no CPTPP claim is needed on this specific shipment. That's confirmed against the actual weight and fibre composition on the commercial invoice, not assumed from the product description alone.
On arrival, the shipment clears CBSA examination against the commercial invoice and HS classification. Because this is bulk fabric destined for a garment manufacturer rather than a consumer-facing product, no Textile Labelling Act label is required at this stage — that requirement attaches later, to the finished garment the fabric becomes.
Why ship textiles through UAL
Classification checked before tender
Yarn and fabric HS classification affects both duty rate and whether Textile Labelling Act obligations even apply — we verify this before booking rather than after a CBSA examination flags it.
Same replenishment logic as garments
Mills need short-lead-time fabric restocking between production runs — we route on the transit time your production schedule needs, not whichever carrier has the cheapest capacity that week.
CPTPP documentation, done right
Where a line genuinely carries a duty CPTPP eliminates, we confirm origin eligibility and the correct Certificate of Origin process for that country rather than assuming one process fits every origin.
Frequently asked questions
Generally no — the Textile Labelling Act applies to textile fibre products offered for sale to consumers. Bulk yarn or fabric imported by a manufacturer for further processing into garments is a B2B intermediate good, not a consumer-facing product, and typically falls outside the Act's labelling requirement. Don't assume the same fibre-content/dealer-identity label our garments page describes is required here — confirm your specific import is genuinely intermediate stock, not consumer-facing yardage sold by the metre, before assuming either way.
Documentation & terms
FOB (Free on Board): Why It Doesn't Apply to Air Freight
FOB is a sea-freight term, full stop — using it on an air waybill is a common, meaningful error, not a stylistic choice.
Read the full guideTextiles & Fabrics · 8 HS codes · CPTPP savings on 3 codes
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