USA
France trade laneUS machinery reaches France across every sector: machine tools, packaging and food-processing lines, plastics machinery, compressors and pumps, construction and mining equipment, agricultural machinery, and used equipment from US plants being consolidated or closed. Since 1 July 2026, Regulation (EU) 2026/1455 has removed EU duty on US-origin industrial goods, machinery included — for machines built in the US.
The duty is now the easy part. The hard part is conformity: every machine placed on the market or put into service in France must comply with the EU machinery rules — the Machinery Directive today, the Machinery Regulation from 20 January 2027 — and a used machine imported from outside the EU is treated as new for that purpose. AGF handles the US end — collection, crating, heavy-haul trucking through partner carriers, export filings — and French clearance and delivery run through our WCA partner agents and a licensed customs representative. AGF has no office in France.
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Shipping Machinery & Equipment from USA to France
The machine's dimensions choose the mode. In-gauge crated machines go in 20ft or 40ft containers; out-of-gauge units on flat rack or open top; self-propelled construction and agricultural machines by RoRo where a service fits; the largest pieces breakbulk. Le Havre serves northern France and Marseille-Fos the south. New York/New Jersey to Le Havre runs roughly 9–16 days on the water, Savannah about two weeks and Los Angeles four to five weeks via Panama, confirmed per booking.
Preparation decides the condition on arrival. Machines are cleaned — soil on used construction and farm equipment is a plant-health problem at EU entry — preserved against salt air with VCI wrap and desiccant, and crated with marked lifting points. Electrical supply matters too: French industrial power is 400 V at 50 Hz, and a US machine built for 480 V at 60 Hz needs motors, drives or controls converted or a transformer, which belongs in the budget and in the CE assessment.
- Containers when in gauge; flat rack, open top, RoRo or breakbulk when not
- Dimensions and weights surveyed before booking, and permitted heavy-haul trucking to the port
- Cleaning, preservation and ISPM-15 crating for the Atlantic crossing
- Le Havre for northern France, Marseille-Fos for the south, delivered to site by our French partners
What Drives the Cost
- Mode — container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk — set by the machine's dimensions
- US inland: rigging at the plant, heavy-haul trucking and permits
- CE conformity work on used machines — guarding, controls, documentation in French — which can exceed the freight
- Electrical conversion from 60 Hz to 50 Hz
- Where the machine was built — US-built machines pay 0% EU duty; a European or Japanese machine bought used in the US pays the standard EU rate
- French delivery: exceptional-transport permits for oversized road moves and offloading at site
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8456–8466 | Machine tools and their parts and accessories | Some high-precision machine tools carry Commerce Control List classifications (category 2B). Most need no licence to France, but the ECCN must be on file before booking. |
| 8429 / 8430 | Bulldozers, excavators, loaders and other construction and mining machinery | US-built units pay 0% EU duty since 1 July 2026. Titled self-propelled units go through CBP title presentation like vehicles. |
| 8432–8436 | Agricultural and forestry machinery | Used farm equipment must arrive free of soil and plant debris under EU plant-health rules. |
| 8422 / 8438 / 8477 | Packaging and filling machinery, food-processing machinery, plastics and rubber machinery | A complete line is often invoiced as one item and shipped as many units; describe it coherently for clearance. |
| 8413 / 8414 / 8479 | Pumps, compressors and other machines with individual functions | Pressure equipment inside a machine can bring the EU Pressure Equipment Directive into scope as well. |
Regulations and Compliance
CE marking — the Machinery Directive now, the Machinery Regulation from January 2027
Machinery placed on the EU market needs an EU declaration of conformity, a technical file and CE marking under Directive 2006/42/EC, which Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 replaces from 20 January 2027. Some categories need a notified body, and the electrical, EMC and pressure-equipment rules may apply alongside. A machine delivered around January 2027 should be assessed against the rule in force when it is placed on the market.
A used machine from the US is treated as new
Used machinery imported from outside the EU is being placed on the EU market for the first time, so it must meet the machinery rules in full — guarding, emergency stops, control systems, documentation and CE marking — and the business placing it on the market takes on the manufacturer's obligations. French employers must also keep work equipment compliant. Budget for an assessment and any retrofit before you buy, not after the machine is installed.
Instructions and markings in French
The instructions and the declaration of conformity must be supplied in French for a machine used in France, and safety warnings on the machine must be understandable to its operators. Manufacturers will usually provide translations, but often at a price — put it in the purchase contract.
0% EU duty for US-built machines since 1 July 2026
Regulation (EU) 2026/1455 removed EU duty on US-origin industrial goods. Origin follows the EU's non-preferential rules — where the machine was made, not where it was bought — the importer carries the burden of proof, and the goods must travel directly or under customs supervision. The Commission can suspend the preference, so duty is confirmed at quoting. Import VAT at 20% is accounted for on the return by French VAT-registered businesses (autoliquidation).
US export controls and EEI
Most machinery is EAR99 and ships to France without a licence once the parties are screened; some machine tools and measuring equipment carry Commerce Control List classifications. EEI is filed in AES above the value threshold or when a licence is needed, and titled self-propelled equipment goes through CBP title presentation like a vehicle.
Cleaning and wood packaging
EU plant-health rules bar soil from outside the EU and require used agricultural and forestry machinery to be cleaned of soil and plant debris. Crates, skids and dunnage must be ISPM-15 treated and stamped. Dirty machines and non-compliant timber are held, cleaned or refused at the importer's cost.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
We start with specifications or drawings, photos, the CE status, the electrical rating and your delivery date. We survey dimensions, choose the mode, arrange cleaning, preservation and crating through our partners, run permitted heavy-haul trucking to the port, screen every party and file the EEI.
In France our WCA partner agent and a licensed customs representative clear the machine, with exceptional-transport permits arranged for oversized road moves and offloading coordinated with your riggers. CE assessment and any retrofit belong before shipment or before commissioning, and we schedule around them. AGF has no office in France.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a used machine from the USA need CE marking in France?
Is there import duty on machinery from the USA to France?
How do you ship heavy equipment from the USA to France?
Will American machines work on French power?
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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