China
Italy trade laneItalian contractors, fabricators and distributors import a wide range of steel and aluminium goods from China: structural steel and building systems, aluminium profiles and window and façade systems, fasteners, racking, tanks, tubes and fittings, and fabricated components. Since 1 January 2026 most of these goods have been inside the definitive phase of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and since 1 July 2026 basic steel products have faced a tighter EU quota regime — so the paperwork now matters as much as the price per tonne.
Foshan is one of China's largest aluminium-profile centres, and AGF's own office there works with Guangdong extruders and metal fabricators. Our team checks the goods and mill certificates before loading and asks suppliers for the emissions data CBAM requires. In Italy, clearance runs through our WCA partner agents and licensed customs representatives; AGF has no office there.
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Shipping Steel & Aluminium Goods from China to Italy
Steel is weight cargo: a container reaches its payload limit long before it is full, so 20ft boxes are common for dense goods such as fasteners, plate and fittings, and 40ft boxes for lighter fabrications and aluminium profiles. Long sections go in 40ft containers or on flat racks, and large structures may move breakbulk. Loads are blocked and lashed so heavy pieces cannot shift, and aluminium is protected against scratches and moisture, which stains the finish.
Classification comes first. The CN code decides whether a product is inside CBAM, inside the steel quota regime or subject to anti-dumping duty — and a racking system, a steel structure and a piece of metal furniture can look alike on an invoice. We settle the codes with your customs representative before booking. Transit from South China depends on routing via Suez or the Cape of Good Hope and is confirmed per booking.
- 20ft for dense loads; 40ft for profiles and fabrications; flat rack or breakbulk for long and oversized pieces
- Mill certificates checked and supplier emissions data requested before loading
- Blocking, lashing and moisture protection for heavy and finished metal goods
- Loading supervised and photographed by our Foshan team
What Drives the Cost
- CBAM certificates for the embedded emissions — and verified data versus default values
- Anti-dumping duties on specific Chinese steel and aluminium products
- The EU steel quota regime, and a heavy duty once a country quota is used up
- Weight — steel fills a container's payload before its space
- EU duty on the line and 22% import IVA at clearance
- Flat rack, breakbulk and heavy-haul delivery for oversized pieces
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 7308 | Steel structures and parts — frames, building systems, towers, scaffolding, pallet racking | A CBAM good. Shelving can classify as metal furniture under chapter 94 instead, which is outside CBAM — settle it before booking. |
| 7318 | Screws, bolts, nuts and other fasteners of iron or steel | A CBAM good, and many Chinese steel fasteners carry EU anti-dumping duty — check the measure for your product type and producer. |
| 7604 / 7608 / 7610 | Aluminium bars and profiles, tubes, and aluminium structures — windows, doors, façades | CBAM goods. Chinese aluminium extrusions have carried EU anti-dumping duty since 2021, kept in force during the expiry review opened in March 2026; window and door systems need their classification checked against that scope. |
| 7304 / 7306 | Steel tubes and pipes, seamless and welded | CBAM goods; several Chinese tube and pipe products carry anti-dumping duty, and many fall under the EU steel quota regime. |
| 7326 / 7616 | Other articles of iron, steel or aluminium — brackets, fabricated parts, fittings | Both inside CBAM. Aluminium household articles (7615) and finished metal furniture are outside it. |
Regulations and Compliance
CBAM: authorised declarant above 50 tonnes a year
CBAM's definitive phase began on 1 January 2026. An importer that brings in more than 50 tonnes of CBAM goods in a calendar year — iron and steel, aluminium, cement and fertilisers counted together — must be an authorised CBAM declarant; below that threshold the importer is exempt. Importers who applied by 31 March 2026 could keep importing while their application was decided; a newcomer must hold the status before crossing the threshold, and customs can refuse to release CBAM goods to an importer without it.
CBAM: emissions data and certificates
For 2026 imports the authorised declarant files an annual CBAM declaration in 2027 and surrenders CBAM certificates for the emissions embedded in the goods. Emissions are either the producer's verified actual values or default values, which include a mark-up — and the difference is real money. Ask Chinese suppliers now for installation-level emissions data and a verifier's report; a supplier who cannot provide them leaves you on default values.
The EU steel import regime from 1 July 2026
The EU steel safeguard expired on 30 June 2026 and was replaced on 1 July by Regulation (EU) 2026/1384: country tariff-free quotas for covered steel categories, sharply reduced from the safeguard's levels, a much higher duty once a quota is used up, and a 'melt and pour' requirement on where the steel was first produced. It reaches basic steel products more than fabricated goods, but flat products, sections and many tubes are squarely in it — check the category and the quota balance before shipping.
Anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel and aluminium
Separately from CBAM and the quota regime, the EU applies anti-dumping and in some cases countervailing duties to a long list of Chinese steel and aluminium products — fasteners, aluminium extrusions and several tube and pipe products among them — at rates that differ by producer. Measures are added, reviewed and extended continuously, and anti-circumvention findings can reach goods shipped via third countries, so we check the TARIC entry for each line at quoting.
Construction products and mill certificates
Structural steel and aluminium components used in Italian construction fall under the EU construction-products rules, with CE marking against the harmonised standard for steel and aluminium structures, and Italy's technical standards for construction (NTC) require traceable, certified material. Ask for EN 10204 type 3.1 mill certificates and the factory's production-control certification before production, not after arrival.
Customs and IVA in Italy
A licensed customs representative lodges the import declaration under your EORI number, quoting your CBAM authorisation where needed, and pays EU duty, any anti-dumping duty and 22% import IVA on your behalf. Accurate weights matter: CBAM is counted in tonnes, and the declared net mass feeds both the threshold and the annual declaration.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
We start with the product list and the CN codes, agreed with your customs representative so that CBAM, quota and anti-dumping exposure is known before the order is placed. Our Foshan team checks the goods against the order and the mill certificates, requests the supplier's emissions data, and supervises loading and lashing, photographing every container.
Ocean freight runs to the Italian port nearest your site — in 20ft or 40ft containers, on flat racks or breakbulk as the cargo requires. Our WCA partner agent coordinates discharge, a licensed customs representative clears the goods, and delivery follows on trucks suited to the weight and length, with unloading planned against the equipment on site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register for CBAM to import steel from China into Italy?
How much does CBAM add to the cost of Chinese steel?
Are there anti-dumping duties on Chinese aluminium profiles in the EU?
How is steel shipped from China to Italy?
Steel & Aluminium Goods 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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