Used Machinery from USA to Australia | Biosecurity

Machinery leads what Australia buys from the United States, and used equipment moves alongside the new: excavators, loaders and dozers from US auctions and dealers, tractors and harvesters, crushing and screening plant, and machine tools and fabrication equipment from plant closures. The freight is routine. The border is not: Australia treats used machinery as one of its highest biosecurity risks, so a machine must arrive free of soil, seeds and plant material, be treated against the brown marmorated stink bug if it ships between September and April, and contain no asbestos at all. A machine that arrives dirty is re-cleaned at the importer's cost, and a badly contaminated one can be ordered out of the country.

AGF runs the US end from Glendale: removal and loading coordinated with the seller against the removal deadline, cleaning and treatment through partner facilities, export-control classification and the EEI, and the ocean booking from Los Angeles/Long Beach or the nearest port. In Australia, our WCA partner agent and partner customs broker — AGF has no office there — clear the machine and deliver it. We raise the cleaning, asbestos and electrical questions before you bid, because that is when they cost least.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Shipping Used Machinery from USA to Australia

Used machinery ships in containers when it fits — skidded, blocked and lashed in 40ft standard or High Cube boxes — and on flat racks or in open tops when it is too wide or tall for the container door, which is about 2.3 meters wide and, on a High Cube, about 2.5 meters high. Wheeled and tracked machines can also go RoRo on car carriers that take high-and-heavy cargo to Australian ports, and the largest pieces go breakbulk. A 20-tonne-class excavator typically ships on a 40ft flat rack or RoRo with the bucket removed. Heavy machines reach weight limits before they fill space, so the plan starts from the machine's real dimensions and weights, not the brochure.

Cleaning and the season decide the schedule. Every machine is pressure-washed and, where needed, partly dismantled so that tracks, radiators, cabs, belly pans and hollow sections can be reached. Between 1 September and 30 April, machinery is a BMSB target high-risk good: anything on a flat rack, in an open top or loose as RoRo or breakbulk must be heat-treated or fumigated by an approved provider before loading, while a sealed full container can be treated before loading or on arrival. From Los Angeles/Long Beach, services reach Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane in roughly 17–26 days port to port; Fremantle depends on the rotation.

Containers when in gauge; flat rack, open top, RoRo or breakbulk when not
Pressure-washing and dismantling to the Australian cleanliness standard before export
BMSB treatment 1 September–30 April — before loading for flat racks, open tops and RoRo
ISPM 15 crating and dunnage; machines photographed and parts labelled for reassembly
Los Angeles/Long Beach to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane: roughly 17–26 days

What Drives the Cost

Cleaning to the Australian standard — far cheaper done properly in the US than re-cleaning at an approved site in Australia, or having the machine ordered out
Mode: container, flat rack, open top, RoRo or breakbulk, set by dimensions and weight
BMSB treatment between September and April, offshore for anything not in a sealed container
Asbestos checks on older machines — gaskets, brake and clutch linings, insulation
Duty and GST: US-built machines meeting AUSFTA rules of origin are duty-free, others may qualify for a Tariff Concession Order; 10% GST either way, deferrable for businesses approved for the deferred GST scheme
Electrical conversion and safety work in Australia before the machine is used

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	Bulldozers, graders, scrapers, excavators, loaders and compactors	Self-propelled machines count as used self-propelled vehicles for US export: ownership documents go to CBP 72 hours before export, and an EEI is filed whatever the value. Highest biosecurity risk — tracks and undercarriage must be spotless.
8432 / 8433 / 8701	Tillage and harvesting machinery, and agricultural tractors	Seeds and plant material lodge everywhere in harvesters and balers, so expect dismantling. Origin decides duty: a US-built machine meeting AUSFTA rules enters duty-free.
8426 / 8705	Cranes and mobile cranes	Many cranes need their design, and some the individual item, registered with the state work health and safety regulator before use — check before you buy. A truck-mounted crane is also a road vehicle needing an import approval.
8474	Crushing, screening and mixing plant for mining and quarrying	Large, multi-unit plant often shipped as flat racks and breakbulk; clean every screen deck and conveyor of soil and rock dust.
8456–8463	Machine tools — CNC machining centres, lathes, presses and press brakes	Most used machine tools are EAR99, but CNC machines can carry export-control classifications, so each is classified before booking. US 60 Hz electrics need checking for Australian supply.

Regulations and Compliance

Biosecurity cleanliness for used machinery

All used machinery must arrive free of soil, seeds, plant and animal material, and the Department of Agriculture expects a comprehensive clean of every possible site of contamination, which may mean partial or full dismantling. Machinery with low-level contamination is re-cleaned at an approved site at the importer's cost; heavily contaminated machinery can be directed for export at the owner's expense. New machinery that has been field-tested or demonstrated counts as used.

BMSB seasonal measures

The United States is a BMSB target risk country, and machinery and electrical equipment are target high-risk goods. For the 2026–27 season, anything with a shipped-on-board date between 1 September 2026 and 30 April 2027 must be treated by heat or fumigation. Break bulk — including flat racks and open-top containers — must be treated before loading by a provider approved by the Australian government, and untreated break bulk can be refused discharge; machinery in sealed full containers can be treated before loading or on arrival, at container level.

Asbestos: no level is allowed

Australia prohibits importing goods that contain any asbestos, and the importer must be sure before shipping. Older machines are the main risk — gaskets, brake and clutch linings, seals and heat insulation — because asbestos stayed legal in such parts in the US long after Australia's 2003 ban. Replace or test at-risk components and keep records that tie the work to the machine's serial number; goods suspected of containing asbestos can be held for sampling at the importer's cost.

Timber packaging and dunnage

Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage made of solid timber must be ISPM 15 treated and marked, and essentially free of bark. Non-compliant timber is treated, exported or destroyed at the importer's expense, and it can hold the whole machine with it. Plywood and other manufactured board are exempt, which is why many machinery crates use them.

US export: classification, screening and EEI

Every machine is classified under the Export Administration Regulations before booking. Most used machinery is EAR99, and since 2024 most national-security licence requirements for Australia have been lifted, but CNC machine tools, measuring equipment and some process plant carry export-control classifications, so we check each one and screen the buyer and end use. Electronic Export Information is filed when a Schedule B line exceeds $2,500 or a licence is required, and always for self-propelled machines, whose ownership documents must also reach CBP at least 72 hours before export.

Electrical and workplace safety in Australia

Industrial machinery falls outside Australia's registration scheme for household electrical goods (EESS and the RCM mark), but it must still be electrically safe, and a US machine wired for 60 Hz supply needs checking — and often rewiring — for Australia's 50 Hz supply by a licensed electrician. Under the model work health and safety laws, importers and suppliers of plant have their own safety duties, and certain plant — pressure equipment, larger cranes, vehicle hoists — needs its design, and sometimes the item, registered with the state regulator before use.

Duty and GST

A machine built in the US that meets the AUSFTA rules of origin is free of Australian customs duty. Origin is where it was made, so a Japanese excavator or German machine tool bought used in Texas takes its own origin's treatment — though a Tariff Concession Order, granted where no substitutable goods are made in Australia, can remove the duty. GST of 10% applies either way; businesses approved for the deferred GST scheme pay it through their BAS instead of at the border.

Door-to-Door Shipping Service

Ideally before you bid, send us the machine's details and photos: we flag dimensions, weight and shipping mode, the cleaning likely to be needed, asbestos risk for older units, export-control questions and electrical or registration issues in Australia.

After purchase we coordinate removal and rigging with the seller against the removal deadline, and the machine goes to a partner facility for pressure-washing and dismantling to the Australian cleanliness standard.

We classify the machine, screen the buyer and end use, file the EEI and, for self-propelled machines, present the ownership documents to CBP at least 72 hours before export.

The machine is crated or blocked with ISPM 15 timber, treated for BMSB if it ships between September and April, photographed with its parts labelled, and loaded into a container, onto a flat rack or booked RoRo at Los Angeles/Long Beach or the nearest port.

On arrival in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle or Port Kembla, our partner customs broker in Australia lodges the import declaration, confirms origin for AUSFTA or any Tariff Concession Order, pays the GST on your behalf and arranges the biosecurity inspection.

Once released, the machine is delivered to your site or workshop, where electrical conversion, registration and safety checks are completed before it goes to work.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I import used machinery from the USA into Australia?

Yes, if it arrives clean, treated in season and asbestos-free. Used machinery must be free of soil, seeds and plant material, which usually means pressure-washing and partial dismantling before export; it is inspected on arrival and re-cleaned or sent back at your cost if it fails. Between September and April it must also be treated against BMSB.

What is the cost of importing machinery into Australia?

Beyond the purchase price: removal and loading in the US, cleaning to the Australian standard, BMSB treatment in season, the freight by container, flat rack or RoRo, and in Australia any customs duty, 10% GST, port and inspection charges and delivery. US-built machines that meet the AUSFTA rules of origin pay no customs duty. We quote door to port with every exclusion listed.

Does used machinery need BMSB treatment?

Yes, if it is shipped from the US between 1 September and 30 April, judged by the shipped-on-board date. Machinery is a target high-risk good, so it must be heat-treated or fumigated: before loading by an approved provider if it travels on a flat rack, in an open top or as RoRo or breakbulk, or before loading or on arrival if it is in a sealed full container.

How do I ship an excavator from the USA to Australia?

Clean it to the Australian standard first — tracks, undercarriage, radiator and cab — and check older machines for asbestos. A 20-tonne-class excavator typically goes on a 40ft flat rack or RoRo with the bucket removed; in BMSB season it must be treated before loading. As a self-propelled machine it also needs its ownership documents presented to CBP 72 hours before export and an EEI.

Is there import duty on machinery from the USA to Australia?

Not on machinery built in the US that meets the AUSFTA rules of origin. Machinery made elsewhere and bought in the US takes the duty treatment of its country of manufacture, unless a Tariff Concession Order applies because no substitutable goods are made in Australia. GST of 10% applies either way. The partner customs broker confirms the position before the machine arrives.

Used 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.