Which port is closest to Bradford?

Hull, on the Humber, at roughly an hour and a half by road. Felixstowe is around three and a half hours but carries far more sailings, and Liverpool is about two hours across the Pennines on west-coast rotations. Routing is chosen per programme against the sailing schedule and your delivery window.

What is the import duty on cotton textiles from India to the UK?

Zero on qualifying goods under the India–UK CETA, in force since 15 July 2026. The UK's 12% MFN duty on HS 6302 lines — terry towels and bed, bath and toilet linen — falls to zero, and cotton bathrobes under HS 6207 and 6208 move the same way.

Can one container carry several product lines?

Yes. Bath towels, bed linen, robes and mats can be consolidated into one container and one invoice. Each line keeps its own minimum — custom shades from 500 pieces per shade — but those quantities combine into a single shipment.

Do you supply retail-packed goods with barcodes?

Yes. Barcoded polybags, printed and woven labels, and master-carton labelling to your own SKU schema are part of a private-label programme. Send the packaging specification alongside the product brief so both are quoted together.

Home/Markets/United Kingdom/Bradford

West YorkshireGBP

Wholesale towel & linen supplier — Bradford.

Suez → Felixstowe or Hull, then the road leg across West Yorkshire into Bradford.

India–UK CETAIn force since 15 July 2026

Qualifying Indian cotton towels, bed linen and bathrobes now land in the UK at 0% duty.

Against 12% MFN on HS 6302 for non-FTA origins.

Bradford built its wealth on wool and still carries one of the densest textile trades in the north: Companies House lists 69 active textile wholesalers and more than 300 general wholesale companies in the city, with Leeds adding a similar number ten miles away. The trade today is import-and-distribute rather than manufacture, supplying independent retail, market traders, online sellers and contract buyers across the north of England. Adalwin Global supplies that trade from four Indian corridors under one counterparty.

Port of entry

Where the container lands.

Felixstowe
UK's largest container port — around three and a half hours by road into West Yorkshire
Hull
Humber — the closest east-coast terminal, roughly an hour and a half away
Liverpool
West-coast alternative on Irish Sea rotations, around two hours across the Pennines

Transit

FOB to landed.

20 – 25 days FOB JNPT or Mundra via Suez, plus the road leg inland from the arrival terminal.

Payment rails

Letter of Credit · TT · Wise Business

Why Bradford buys

What drives the programme here.

A textile city that now imports

Bradford's mills are largely gone but the trade knowledge and the buying relationships stayed. What remains is a concentration of importers and wholesalers who understand construction and weave, and who buy containers rather than pallets.

Three ports to choose from

West Yorkshire is one of the few inland clusters with a genuine routing choice: Hull on the Humber at around ninety minutes, Felixstowe for volume and sailing frequency, Liverpool across the Pennines for west-coast rotations. Routing can follow the sailing schedule rather than the other way round.

Retail and market supply at volume

Much of the trade feeds independent retail, market traders and online sellers, where price point and pack presentation decide the order. Retail packaging, barcoded polybags and carton labelling to the buyer's SKU schema are standard requirements rather than extras.

Leeds ten miles away

Bradford and Leeds function as one wholesale catchment, with a further 48 textile wholesalers and around 340 general wholesale businesses registered in Leeds. A supplier serving one is within easy reach of the other.

Programmes

What Bradford properties order.

Bath towels

Spec: 430 – 650 GSM
HS code: 6302.60
Custom shades: From 500 pcs per shade
Corridor: Solapur

See photos & colours

Bed linen

Spec: 200 – 400 TC, percale and sateen
HS code: 6302.31 · 6302.21
Custom shades: From 500 pcs per shade
Corridor: Panipat

See photos & colours

Bathrobes

Spec: 220 – 600 GSM, terry and waffle
HS code: 6208.91 · 6207.91
Custom shades: From 500 pcs per shade
Corridor: Solapur

See photos & colours

Bath mats

Spec: 700 – 1200 GSM
HS code: 5702.99 · 6302.60
Custom shades: From 500 pcs per shade
Corridor: Solapur

See photos & colours

Compliance ceiling

What Bradford buyers audit.

✓Sedex SMETA 4-pillar (Primark / Tesco / M&S all require)
✓BRC Global Standard for some retail buyers
✓Oeko-Tex Standard 100
✓Modern Slavery Act statement on supplier records
✓UK REACH — hazardous-substance limits (azo dyes, formaldehyde, NPEs, heavy metals), HSE-enforced
✓Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012 — English-language fibre-composition label

Buyer profile

Who we quote in Bradford.

Textile importers and wholesalers, cash-and-carry operators, retail and market supply businesses, online sellers buying own-brand, and contract supply companies across West Yorkshire.

Full tariff, origin-rule and labelling detail for the United Kingdom sits on the United Kingdom market page.

Bradford buyer questions

Asked before every first order.

Which port is closest to Bradford?: Hull, on the Humber, at roughly an hour and a half by road. Felixstowe is around three and a half hours but carries far more sailings, and Liverpool is about two hours across the Pennines on west-coast rotations. Routing is chosen per programme against the sailing schedule and your delivery window.
What is the import duty on cotton textiles from India to the UK?: Zero on qualifying goods under the India–UK CETA, in force since 15 July 2026. The UK's 12% MFN duty on HS 6302 lines — terry towels and bed, bath and toilet linen — falls to zero, and cotton bathrobes under HS 6207 and 6208 move the same way.
Can one container carry several product lines?: Yes. Bath towels, bed linen, robes and mats can be consolidated into one container and one invoice. Each line keeps its own minimum — custom shades from 500 pieces per shade — but those quantities combine into a single shipment.
Do you supply retail-packed goods with barcodes?: Yes. Barcoded polybags, printed and woven labels, and master-carton labelling to your own SKU schema are part of a private-label programme. Send the packaging specification alongside the product brief so both are quoted together.

Supplying Bradford?

Send your spec sheet. Quote within one business day.

Send your spec sheet