China
Italy trade laneItaly is one of the world's great machinery builders and exporters, and Italian workshops and plants still buy from China when a Chinese machine fits the job and the budget: CNC routers and panel saws for furniture makers, laser and plasma cutters, injection-moulding and packaging machines, compressors and material-handling equipment. Whether the purchase works is decided less by the freight than by one question — does the machine arrive with CE conformity that will stand up when an inspector, an insurer or your own safety manager asks for it?
AGF's own office in Foshan is close to Shunde's woodworking-machinery makers and works with suppliers elsewhere in China. Before loading, our team checks each machine against the order and its CE documents, and supervises crating and lashing. In Italy, discharge, clearance and delivery are handled through our WCA partner agents and licensed customs representatives; AGF has no office in Italy.
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Shipping Machinery & Equipment from China to Italy
Most workshop machinery containerises: CNC routers, panel saws, edge banders and moulding machines travel in 40ft standard or High Cube containers, skidded, bolted down and wrapped against corrosion for a long sea voyage. Machines too wide or tall for a container go on flat racks or open tops, and large lines are split at the factory into transport units — a decision to make before crating, not at the port.
Check it before it leaves China. A machine that fails CE review in Italy has to be modified there, at Italian labour rates, or sent back. Our Foshan team checks each machine against the order — nameplate, CE marking, the declaration of conformity and the manuals in the crate — and photographs loading and lashing; for higher-risk machines we can arrange an independent technical inspection at the factory. Transit depends on routing via Suez or the Cape of Good Hope and is confirmed per booking.
- 40ft standard or High Cube for in-gauge machines; flat rack or open top for oversized units
- Skids, bolted bases, desiccant and anti-corrosion wrapping for a long, humid voyage
- Loading and lashing supervised and photographed by our Foshan team
- Discharge at Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Trieste or Venice, chosen by plant location
What Drives the Cost
- Whether the machine containerises or needs a flat rack, open top or breakbulk
- Crating, preservation and lashing standard for the voyage
- CE remediation if the documents or guarding fall short — far cheaper to fix in China than in Italy
- EU duty on the TARIC line, plus anti-dumping duty on the few equipment categories that carry it
- 22% import IVA at clearance, recoverable for VAT-registered businesses
- Unloading and rigging at the plant — crane, forklift or skates
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8465 | Woodworking machinery — CNC routers, panel saws, edge banders, boring and moulding machines | EU duty confirmed in TARIC at quoting. CE conformity under the machinery rules, plus EMC for the electrics; several manually fed woodworking machines are on the EU's higher-risk list. |
| 8456–8463 | Laser, plasma and waterjet cutters; machining centres, lathes, presses and press brakes | Lasers bring laser-safety requirements into the technical file; presses and press brakes with manual loading are among the higher-risk machines with stricter conformity routes. |
| 8477 | Injection-moulding, extrusion and blow-moulding machines for plastics and rubber | Injection and compression moulding machines with manual loading or unloading are on the EU's higher-risk list. |
| 8422 / 8428 | Packaging, filling and wrapping machines; conveyors, hoists and material-handling equipment | Ancillary units — conveyors, chillers, control cabinets — often classify separately from the main machine, so a line shipped as many units needs a declaration that ties them together. |
Regulations and Compliance
CE marking — the importer carries the risk
Machinery placed on the EU market needs CE marking, an EU declaration of conformity, a technical file and instructions in Italian. When the manufacturer is in China, the EU importer has to check that the conformity work was actually done, keep the declaration available for the authorities and be able to obtain the technical file. A CE sticker on its own proves nothing: Italian customs and market-surveillance authorities can hold non-compliant machinery at import, and Italy's workplace-safety code (D.Lgs. 81/2008) only allows employers to put compliant equipment into service.
The Machinery Regulation from 20 January 2027
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces the Machinery Directive from 20 January 2027, with no transition period. What counts is when the machine is placed on the EU market — for an import, in practice when it is released into free circulation — not when you ordered it. A machine ordered in autumn 2026 and cleared in Italy in February 2027 must meet the Regulation: updated essential requirements including control-system safety and protection against corruption of software, a revised list of higher-risk machinery, and explicit importer duties such as putting the importer's name and address on the machine or its documents. Ask the manufacturer which regime its declaration of conformity is written under.
Higher-risk machinery and notified bodies
Some categories — presses and press brakes with manual loading, several manually fed woodworking machines and injection-moulding machines with manual loading among them — are on the EU's list of higher-risk machinery, where self-certification is only possible when harmonised standards are fully applied. Under the Regulation a small group of categories needs a notified body in every case. Ask which conformity route the manufacturer used and, where a notified body was involved, check its certificate and identity in the EU's NANDO database.
Electrics, EMC and RoHS
Electrical machinery also needs EMC conformity, and many machines fall under the RoHS restrictions on hazardous substances, although large-scale stationary industrial tools are excluded. Confirm at order that the machine is built for the Italian supply — 400 V three-phase at 50 Hz — and wired to the European standard for the electrical equipment of machines, EN 60204-1.
Anti-dumping on some equipment, and CBAM on steel structures
EU duties on most machinery are modest, but a few Chinese equipment categories carry anti-dumping and countervailing duties — self-propelled mobile elevating work platforms with a working height of 6 m or more have done so since 2025. Separately, steel structures and loose fasteners shipped with a machine can be CBAM goods in their own right. We check the TARIC measures for every line before booking.
Customs and IVA in Italy
The declaration is lodged with the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli by a licensed customs representative under the importer's EORI number. EU duty and 22% import IVA are paid at release, and VAT-registered companies recover the IVA. Accurate descriptions matter: a complete line invoiced as one item but shipped as forty crates needs a declaration that links every crate to the line.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
We start with the machine list, drawings and the date you need the equipment at your plant. Before loading, our Foshan team checks each machine against the order and its CE documents, supervises crating, preservation and lashing, and photographs every unit; an independent technical inspection can be added for higher-risk machines.
Ocean freight runs from South China to the Italian port nearest your plant, in containers or on flat racks as the dimensions require. Our WCA partner agent in Italy coordinates discharge and a licensed customs representative clears the goods; delivery follows on suitable trucks, with unloading planned against the crane or forklift capacity on site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import machinery from China to Italy without CE marking?
What changes with the EU Machinery Regulation in 2027?
How much does it cost to ship a CNC machine from China to Italy?
Who is responsible for CE compliance of a machine imported from China?
Machinery & Equipment 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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