China
Canada trade laneCanadian contractors, rental companies and dealers buy Chinese excavators, loaders and attachments for the same reason they buy other Chinese machinery: capable equipment at a lower capital cost. The large builders are in Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong and Guangxi, and Shandong is also home to many of the smaller factories that build mini excavators. Duty is rarely the problem — Canada's tariff lists excavators and their parts as duty-free, and no anti-dumping measure covers them. The engine is: the only foreign certification Canada recognises for off-road diesel engines is the US EPA's, and a company importing one declares it to Environment and Climate Change Canada before it arrives.
AGF's own office in Foshan runs the China end. For South China suppliers our team visits the factory; for builders further north we book from Shanghai, Ningbo or Qingdao and coordinate loading with the factory. Before booking we confirm transport dimensions, weights and lifting points, ask for the engine's EPA certificate and label details, and for used machines check that they have been cleaned. In Canada we work through a WCA partner agent — AGF has no office there — and a licensed Canadian customs broker clears the machines under your company's business number and CARM account.
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Shipping Excavators & Construction Machinery from China to Canada
The machine's transport dimensions decide the method. Mini excavators fit inside 20ft or 40ft containers, often more than one to a box, with the boom folded, tracks chocked and attachments strapped alongside. Machines in the 20-tonne class and larger usually exceed container dimensions and go on 40ft flat racks — often over-width — or as breakbulk, and the largest ship with the boom, arm or counterweight removed. Out-of-gauge bookings need carrier approval with exact dimensions, weight, centre of gravity and lifting points, and the machine is chained and blocked to the flat rack; we arrange lashing surveys where the carrier or insurer requires them.
From South China, direct container services typically reach Vancouver in about 14–20 days port to port; breakbulk and project sailings are quoted per sailing. Vancouver's breakbulk terminals handle machinery and project cargo, and containers can also discharge at Prince Rupert. In-gauge containers continue by CN or CPKC rail, roughly 4.5–6 days from the West Coast to Toronto. Over-width loads leave the port by truck under provincial oversize permits — in Ontario, anything wider than 2.6 m needs one. Urgent spare parts fly. Every transit is a typical range, confirmed per booking.
- 20ft or 40ft containers for mini excavators and attachments; 40ft flat racks or breakbulk for 20-tonne-class machines and up
- Dimensions, weights and lifting points confirmed with the factory before booking
- Chain lashing and blocking checked; lashing surveys where the carrier or insurer requires them
- Used machines washed free of soil before loading and photographed
- Battery-electric machines booked as dangerous goods with carriers that accept them
- Air freight for urgent spare parts
What Drives the Cost
- Container, flat rack or breakbulk — set by the transport dimensions and weight
- Partial dismantling, crating of attachments, and lashing materials at origin
- The engine: an EPA-certified version from the factory, or the cost of proving conformity for one that is not
- Steel surtaxes and anti-dumping duty on loose steel shipped with the machine — the machines themselves are listed as duty-free
- Oversize permits, escorts and low-bed trucking from the port to the site
- GST at 5% at the border, which a GST/HST-registered importer can usually recover
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Codes are confirmed with the licensed customs representative at destination before you ship.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8429.52 | Excavators with a 360° revolving superstructure — mini, midi and crawler excavators | Listed as duty-free in Canada's 2026 Customs Tariff, and no CBSA anti-dumping measure covers excavators; GST applies. The diesel engine must meet Canada's off-road emission rules. |
| 8429.51 / 8429.59 | Front-end and skid-steer loaders; backhoe loaders and other shovels | Also listed as duty-free in Canada's tariff, with the same engine rules. Confirm the classification of combination machines with the broker. |
| 8431.41 / 8431.49 | Buckets, grabs, quick couplers and other excavator parts and attachments | Listed as duty-free when classified as parts of these machines. Steel plates, structures or fasteners invoiced on their own are classified under their own headings and can attract a steel surtax. |
| 7308 / 7315 / 7318 / 7326 | Steel structures, chains, fasteners and other steel articles shipped loose | On the schedule of the steel derivative goods surtax, which applies to goods from any country; Chinese fasteners, steel plate and steel grating are also under CBSA anti-dumping measures. |
| 8474 | Crushing, screening and concrete-mixing plant | Mains-powered plant needs provincial electrical approval before it is energised; large units often ship in sections on flat racks. Duty follows the full tariff item, confirmed at quoting. |
Regulations and Compliance
Off-road engine emissions (ECCC)
Diesel engines in construction machinery fall under the Off-road Compression-Ignition (Mobile and Stationary) and Large Spark-Ignition Engine Emission Regulations. Canada's standards match the US EPA's, EPA certification is the only foreign certification Canada recognises, and an EPA-certified engine must carry its US emission control information label. A company importing an engine — loose or in a machine — declares it to Environment and Climate Change Canada before import, with its identification number, make, model and model year, either directly or through the CBSA's Single Window. An engine certified only to Chinese or EU standards needs its own Canadian evidence of conformity, normally emission testing, before it is imported. Many Chinese machines are built in separate versions for different markets, so order the EPA-certified version and check the engine label against the certificate before you pay the balance.
Provincial electrical approval
Electrical equipment connected to a supply in Canada must be approved under the provincial electrical code: certified by a body accredited by the Standards Council of Canada, or field-evaluated by an accredited inspection body under CSA SPE-1000 before it is energised. That matters for electric excavators, crushers, screens, batching plants and workshop equipment; a CE mark is not an approval in Canada. Field evaluation of a one-off machine is possible but takes time and money, so ask for a certified version where one exists.
Soil on used machinery (CFIA)
Canada prohibits the import of items contaminated with soil from any country, and CFIA directive D-95-26 names machinery, equipment and vehicles among them. Used excavators, loaders and attachments must arrive clean — tracks, undercarriage, buckets and cab — or they can be held for cleaning or refused at the importer's cost. We ask for used machines to be washed before loading and photograph the result.
Steel surtaxes and anti-dumping on loose steel
As of October 2026 no chapter 84 machinery is on Canada's steel surtax schedules, but loose steel is. Chinese steel products and tubes carry the China surtax, steel above Canada's quota for non-free-trade partners carries its own surtax, and steel structures, chains, fasteners and other steel articles from any country carry the steel derivative surtax. Only one steel surtax applies to a given good, and it is charged on top of duty and any anti-dumping duty; CBSA anti-dumping measures also cover Chinese fasteners, steel plate and steel grating. These goods are heavily tariffed, not banned — keep loose steel on separate, accurately described invoice lines so the broker can assess it.
Forced-labour import ban
Goods mined, manufactured or produced wholly or in part by forced or child labour may not be imported into Canada, and the CBSA can detain shipments it suspects. For machinery the questions usually concern steel, aluminium and battery supply chains, so ask the builder for traceability documents with the order.
CARM, release and GST
Every commercial importer needs its own CBSA import-export (RM) account in the CARM Client Portal, where it authorises its customs broker, and its own financial security to keep release before payment. GST at 5% is charged at the border on the value for duty plus duty, and a GST/HST-registered business can usually recover it as an input tax credit. Your company is the importer of record; we do not offer DDP.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
Send us the model, transport drawing, weights and the engine's EPA certificate. We plan the container or flat-rack loading and, with the partner's Canadian broker, confirm the tariff classification of the machine and of any loose steel before you pay the balance.
Our Foshan team — or the factory, for builders further north — confirms dimensions and lifting points, checks the engine label against the certificate, photographs serial numbers, and checks that used machines have been cleaned of soil.
Machines are loaded into containers or chained to flat racks under supervision, with photographs; lashing surveys are arranged where the carrier or insurer requires them. Your company files the ECCC engine declaration before import, directly or through the broker on the CBSA Single Window.
The cargo sails from Nansha, Shekou, Yantian, Shanghai, Ningbo or Qingdao to Vancouver — or Prince Rupert for containers — on a service confirmed at booking.
Our WCA partner agent's licensed Canadian customs broker clears the machines under your business number and CARM account; GST and any surtax on loose steel are assessed in your name.
In-gauge containers continue by rail; flat racks and breakbulk leave the port on low-bed trucks under provincial oversize permits and are delivered to your yard or site, where a crane or ramp is arranged for the offload.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import an excavator from China to Canada?
Do Chinese mini excavators need EPA certification in Canada?
How do you ship an excavator from China to Canada — container or flat rack?
Are there tariffs on Chinese excavators in Canada?
Can I import a used excavator from China to Canada?
How long does it take to ship machinery from China to Canada?
Excavators & Construction Machinery is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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