Belgium
USA trade laneThe Port of Antwerp-Bruges sits at the center of Europe's largest integrated chemical cluster, and chemicals and plastics are among Belgium's largest exports to the US: specialty and fine chemicals, intermediates, coatings and additives, and polymers in primary form for US compounders and converters.
Chemicals are a paperwork-heavy import. The US importer must certify TSCA compliance at entry, hazardous products move under the IMDG Code with the carrier's approval, and some products carry trade-remedy duties. AGF arranges chemical imports from Belgium through WCA partner agents there — AGF has no office in Belgium — with dangerous goods handled by certified partners and the entry filed by our licensed customs brokers.
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Shipping Chemicals & Plastics from Belgium to USA
Packaged chemicals ship in drums, IBCs and bags on pallets inside standard containers, and bulk liquids in ISO tank containers. Flexitanks are for non-hazardous liquids only. Polymers in primary form — pellets and powders in 25 kg bags or big bags — are weight cargo that reaches the container's payload before its volume. Antwerp to the US East Coast takes roughly 10–14 days on the water and 22–28 days to the West Coast, and Houston, at the heart of the US petrochemical industry, is a common destination.
Hazardous products need a dangerous goods declaration, correct packaging, labels and placards, and segregation from incompatible cargo. Not every carrier or sailing accepts every class, and many consolidators restrict hazardous LCL, so dangerous-goods bookings need lead time. On the US side, hazmat drayage needs hazmat-endorsed drivers, and some terminals limit how long certain classes may stay.
- Drums, IBCs and bagged goods in standard containers; ISO tanks for bulk liquids
- Flexitanks for non-hazardous liquids only
- IMDG declarations, packaging and segregation agreed with the carrier from booking
- Hazmat drayage and partner warehouses with the right permits at destination
What Drives the Cost
- Hazard class and packing group — dangerous-goods surcharges and carrier acceptance
- Packaging: drums and IBCs versus ISO tank versus bagged polymer
- Duty — many chemical and plastics lines have low base rates, topped up to 10% in total under the Section 301 measure on EU goods; AD/CVD on specific products
- Weight utilization for polymers and dense liquids
- Hazmat drayage and storage at destination
- Lead time for dangerous-goods space on the sailing you need
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 28 / 29 chapters | Inorganic and organic chemicals | Classification turns on the exact chemical identity, so the CAS number and purity belong on the documents. Many lines carry low base rates topped up to 10% under the EU measure. |
| 2918.14 / 2918.15 | Citric acid and citrate salts | Under a US antidumping order on Belgian origin, continued after its 2024 sunset review. Company-specific rates are reset in annual reviews — check before ordering. |
| 3901–3914 | Plastics in primary forms — polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, PET and engineering polymers | Weight cargo in bags or big bags. Some polymers face AD/CVD orders from other origins, so confirm the position for Belgian origin per product. |
| 3808 / chapter 38 | Pesticides, additives, catalysts and other chemical preparations | Pesticides are regulated under FIFRA rather than TSCA and need EPA's Notice of Arrival before import. |
Regulations and Compliance
TSCA import certification
Every chemical substance or mixture imported into the US needs a TSCA certification at entry: positive, that the product complies with TSCA including the Inventory, or negative, that it is not subject to TSCA — pesticides, drugs and food additives, for example. A substance not on the TSCA Inventory needs EPA premanufacture notification before it can be imported. The importer of record certifies, so the supplier's composition data must be available in advance.
IMDG Code, US hazmat rules and hazard communication
Hazardous chemicals move by sea under the IMDG Code — dangerous goods declaration, UN-specification packaging, labels, placards and segregation — and once landed, under US DOT hazmat rules for the inland leg. Safety data sheets and labels must meet OSHA's hazard communication standard for US workplaces. Dangerous goods are handled by certified partners; AGF coordinates the booking and the documents.
EU export notification under the PIC Regulation
Some hazardous chemicals listed under the EU's Prior Informed Consent Regulation need an export notification by the Belgian exporter before they leave the EU, and the resulting reference number goes on the export declaration. This sits with the supplier, but a missing notification stops the shipment at origin.
Antidumping duties on specific products
Trade-remedy duties are product- and origin-specific. Citric acid and certain citrate salts from Belgium are under an antidumping order with company-specific rates set in annual reviews, and other chemicals carry orders from other origins. We check AD/CVD scope for your product at quoting, alongside the Section 301 measure that tops most EU goods up to 10% in total.
DEA-listed chemicals and pesticides
Chemicals on DEA's List I and List II — precursors including certain solvents and acids — need an import declaration filed with DEA in advance of the shipment. Pesticides and their active ingredients are regulated under FIFRA and need EPA's Notice of Arrival before they are imported.
Door-to-Door Import Service
We start with the safety data sheet and the composition: UN number, hazard class, TSCA status and the HTS line. That decides the packaging, the carrier, and whether an AD/CVD or DEA requirement applies. Our partner agents in Belgium then collect from the plant or tank terminal and book the dangerous goods with the carrier's approval.
On arrival our licensed customs brokers file the entry with the TSCA certification, and partner hazmat carriers deliver to your plant or to a partner warehouse permitted for the product's hazard class — on the Gulf Coast, the East Coast or inland.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TSCA certification for imports?
How are hazardous chemicals shipped from Antwerp to the USA?
What tariffs apply to chemicals from Belgium?
Can chemicals be shipped in a flexitank?
Chemicals & Plastics 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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