USA
Italy trade laneUS plant closures and auctions put good used equipment on the market — CNC machining centres, presses and press brakes, printing and converting lines, food-processing and plastics machinery — and Italian manufacturers and dealers buy it. The freight is routine. The trap is on arrival: in the EU, a used machine imported from outside the Union is treated as if it were new, and it must meet EU safety requirements and carry CE conformity before it can be put to use in Italy.
AGF handles the US end — rigging and loading coordinated with the seller, export-control screening, the EEI and the ocean booking — and works through WCA partner agents and licensed customs representatives in Italy for clearance and delivery; AGF has no office there. We raise the CE question before you bid, because that is when it costs least.
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Shipping Used Machinery from USA to Italy
Used machinery ships in containers when it fits — skidded, bolted and blocked in 40ft standard, High Cube or open-top boxes — and on flat racks when it does not. Heavy machine tools and presses are often limited by weight rather than volume, and large lines are split into transport units with every cable and hose labelled for reassembly. Machines are cleaned of oil and swarf, and fluids drained where the carrier requires it.
Who removes and loads it matters. Plant-closure and auction sales set a removal deadline, and the rigger who takes the machine out is often the one who loads it. We coordinate rigging, crating and loading with partners, photograph each unit and plan the routing to Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno or Trieste. Transit depends on the carrier's rotation and on transshipment and is confirmed for your sailing at booking; as a guide, the same crossing westbound, Genoa to New York, runs 9–22 days.
- Containers when in gauge; flat rack or open top for oversized machines
- Rigging, crating and loading coordinated with partners against the seller's removal deadline
- EAR classification and party screening before booking; EEI filed
- Units labelled and photographed for reassembly in Italy
What Drives the Cost
- CE conformity work in Italy — assessment, modifications and documents — often the largest cost after the machine itself
- Rigging and removal at the seller's site, against the removal deadline
- Container, flat rack or breakbulk, by dimensions and weight
- Origin: the 0% EU duty applies only to machines built in the US
- 22% import IVA at clearance, recoverable for VAT-registered businesses
- Unloading, rigging and installation at the Italian plant
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8456–8463 | Machine tools — machining centres, lathes, grinders, presses and press brakes | Most used machine tools are EAR99, but some carry export-control classifications. 0% EU duty if the machine is of US origin; presses with manual loading are on the EU's higher-risk machinery list. |
| 8443 | Printing and converting machinery | Large, multi-unit lines: plan transport units and reassembly documents before dismantling. |
| 8438 / 8422 | Food-processing and packaging machinery | Parts in contact with food must meet EU food-contact rules if the machine goes back into food production. |
| 8477 | Plastics and rubber machinery — injection moulding, extrusion | Injection-moulding machines with manual loading or unloading are on the EU's higher-risk list, which tightens the conformity route. |
Regulations and Compliance
CE conformity before use — the classic trap
A used machine imported into the EU from a third country is placed on the EU market for the first time, so it must meet the EU machinery rules in force at that moment, as if it were new: the essential health and safety requirements, a risk assessment, a technical file, an EU declaration of conformity, CE marking and instructions in Italian. A US machine built to OSHA and NFPA standards rarely meets them as delivered — guarding, interlocks, emergency stops, control circuits and electrical equipment are the usual gaps. The work can be done in Italy, but it must be finished before the machine is used, and whoever signs the declaration takes on the manufacturer's responsibility.
Italian workplace-safety law
Italy's workplace-safety code (D.Lgs. 81/2008) only allows employers to provide work equipment that complies with the applicable EU rules. Inspectors and insurers ask for the CE documents after an accident, and the employer, not the US seller, carries the liability. Italian customs and market-surveillance authorities can also hold machinery at import when its conformity is in doubt.
The Machinery Regulation from 20 January 2027
From 20 January 2027 the Machinery Regulation replaces the Machinery Directive, with no transition period. A used machine that clears Italian customs after that date has to meet the new Regulation, including its requirements on control-system safety and software, so a machine bought at auction this winter may face a different standard from the one the seller assumed.
EAR classification, screening and EEI
Every export is classified under the Export Administration Regulations before booking. Most used machinery is EAR99 and ships to Italy without a licence, but some machine tools, measuring equipment and process technology carry export-control classifications. We screen the buyer and end use against US restricted-party lists, and file Electronic Export Information when a Schedule B line exceeds $2,500 or a licence is required.
0% duty — when the machine is of US origin
Since 1 July 2026 the EU has charged no duty on US-origin industrial goods. Origin is where the machine was made, not where it was sold: a Japanese machining centre or a German press bought used in Ohio keeps its Japanese or German origin and pays the normal EU duty for its line, which is generally modest for machinery. Import IVA at 22% applies in every case.
Wood packaging and cleanliness
Crates and skids must be ISPM-15 treated and marked, and equipment that has worked with soil or plant material must be cleaned before shipping. EU plant-health inspectors check wood packaging at the border, and non-compliant timber is treated or destroyed at the importer's cost.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
Ideally before you bid, send the machine details and photos: we flag export-control questions, transport dimensions and the CE work the machine is likely to need, so you can get a conformity estimate from an Italian specialist. After purchase, we coordinate rigging and loading against the seller's removal deadline, classify and screen the export, file the EEI and book containers or flat racks.
In Italy, our WCA partner agent coordinates discharge and a licensed customs representative clears the machine, confirming origin for the duty and paying the IVA on your behalf. Delivery follows to your plant or to the workshop doing the CE conformity work, with unloading planned against the rigging available on site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import used machinery from the USA into Italy?
Does used machinery need CE marking in Italy?
Do I need an export licence to ship used machinery from the USA to Italy?
How is used machinery shipped from the USA to Italy?
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.
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Europe — Achot Baghdasarian