Exporting Indian Textiles & Garments to South Korea (2026): Duty, KC Labelling, Documents & Shipping
Korean boutiques, online fashion sellers and interior brands buy Indian cotton, handloom, block prints, embroidered garments and home textiles. This guide covers the duty math, Korea's labelling rules, documents and the cheapest compliant way to ship.
Key takeaways
- Garments (HS 61–62) face about 13% MFN duty in Korea and most fabrics/home textiles 8–10% — the CEPA cuts many lines to 0–5% with a Textile Committee Certificate of Origin.
- Korea requires a Korean-language fibre-content and care label; children's and infant clothing need KC safety confirmation.
- Vacuum-pack apparel to beat volumetric weight — a 40% cut in billable weight is normal.
- Door-to-door DDP from ₹609/kg (21 kg+) in 5–8 days; sea LCL only pays off above ~500 kg.
Quick answer
To export textiles or garments from India to South Korea you need IEC + GST/LUT, a CEPA Certificate of Origin from the Textile Committee (or EIA), Korean-language fibre-content/care labels, and — for children's wear — KC safety confirmation. Ship compact, vacuum-packed cartons DDP with ShipKorea.in from ₹609/kg and your Korean buyer receives duty-paid stock in 5–8 days.
What Korea buys from Indian textile exporters
Cotton and linen fabrics (block-printed, Jaipur, Sanganeri), handloom and khadi, embroidered kurtas and dresses sold through Korean boutiques and Naver Smart Store shops, ethnic wear for the Indian community, and home textiles — bedsheets, quilts, cushion covers, curtains and table linen for Korean interior brands. Cotton yarn and grey fabric go to Korean mills in bulk. Korea's fashion market rewards small, frequent, well-photographed lots over one giant order.
Duty and CEPA on textiles
Korean MFN duty is roughly 13% on finished garments (HS 61 knitted, HS 62 woven), 8–10% on fabrics (HS 52, 53, 54, 58), and 10–13% on home textiles (HS 63). The India–Korea CEPA has reduced or eliminated duty on a large share of these lines — the exact rate depends on the 6-digit HS code and the CEPA staging schedule, so send us your codes and we confirm the current preferential rate. To claim it you need a Form KIN Certificate of Origin, usually issued by the Textile Committee via the DGFT e-CoO portal. 10% VAT applies on the landed value.
Rules of origin — the trap for garment exporters
CEPA origin for textiles generally requires the fabric to be woven/knitted and the garment cut and sewn in India (a 'yarn-forward' or 'fabric-forward' style test depending on the line), or a tariff shift plus 35% regional value content. Garments stitched in India from imported Chinese fabric may not qualify. Keep fabric purchase invoices, job-work challans and a costing sheet — Korean customs can request them within five years.
Korean labelling and KC safety rules
Every garment sold in Korea must carry a Korean-language label with fibre composition (%), size, care symbols, manufacturer/importer name and country of origin — under the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising and the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Products Safety Control Act. Adult apparel needs a 'supplier's declaration of conformity' style safety confirmation; infant and children's clothing (under 13) requires KC safety confirmation testing for formaldehyde, pH, azo dyes and small parts on trims. We supply a label template and can attach labels at our Delhi hub.
Documents checklist
Commercial invoice with 6-digit HS codes, fibre composition and INCOTERM; packing list with carton-wise counts; airway bill (issued by us); CEPA Certificate of Origin; GST invoice/LUT reference; for handloom — Handloom Mark or Craftmark if you want to market it; for children's wear — KC test report. Korean buyers also ask for a size chart in cm and product photographs on white background for their listings.
Packing for the lowest air bill
Apparel is light but bulky, so carriers bill volumetric weight (L×W×H cm ÷ 5000). Vacuum-compress folded garments in polybags, use the smallest 5-ply carton that fits, and fill gaps with more product rather than paper. A typical 60×40×40 cm carton of 80 kurtas drops from 19 kg volumetric to 12–13 kg after compression — saving ₹4,000+ per carton at our rates. Hangers and rigid gift boxes should ship separately or be assembled in Korea.
Shipping options and costs
Air express door-to-door DDP: ₹749/kg (small lots) to ₹609/kg (21 kg+), 5–8 days — best for boutique and marketplace replenishment of 20–300 kg. Consolidated air cargo for 300 kg+ is quoted per shipment (7–10 days). Sea LCL from Mumbai/Chennai/Tuticorin to Busan (4–6 weeks) only beats air above ~500 kg of low-value fabric. Read more in how to export from India to Korea and our commercial shipping service.
Selling channels in Korea
Start with wholesale to Korean boutiques and interior brands sourced via trade fairs (Preview in Seoul, Seoul Fashion Week showrooms) and Instagram outreach; scale to Naver Smart Store or Coupang through a Korean partner. Our Seoul-side warehousing can hold stock for marketplace fulfilment so you ship monthly, not per order — see selling on Coupang from India.
