Japan
USA trade laneJapan's short ownership cycles and strict inspection regime put a steady supply of used engines, transmissions and parts onto the export market, and US engine importers, tuning shops and restorers buy them by the pallet and the container: 2JZ, RB, SR, K-series, 4G63 and EJ engines, gearboxes, front clips, wheels, seats and aero. The freight is ordinary; the details are not — engines have to be drained for ocean freight, duty depends on the part, and what you can legally do with an engine once it lands depends on federal and state emissions law.
AGF ships JDM engines and parts by full and shared container. On the Japan side we work through WCA partner agents, who can consolidate several suppliers into one container — AGF has no office in Japan. We coordinate the US end from Glendale: devanning at partner facilities near the ports in Los Angeles, entry through our licensed customs brokers with each line classified correctly, and LTL or truckload delivery to shops anywhere in the country.
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Shipping JDM Engines & Parts from Japan to USA
Engines travel on pallets or in crates, strapped so they cannot shift, with gearboxes and parts packed around them; dense loads of engines can reach a container's weight limit before its volume, so the load plan starts from the supplier's weights. Smaller orders go as LCL or in a consolidation. Yokohama to Los Angeles/Long Beach takes about 11–20 days.
Every engine and gearbox is drained of fuel, oil and coolant, and batteries come out of anything that has them. Drained, clean engines can usually ship as general cargo with the carrier's declaration or letter of indemnity; an engine that cannot be shown to be empty of fuel has to be declared as dangerous goods — typically UN3530, Class 9 — which changes the booking and the price. We settle which applies with the carrier before loading.
- Engines drained of fuel, oil and coolant; batteries removed
- Palletized or crated and strapped; ISPM-15 wood packaging
- Full container, shared container or LCL consolidation from several suppliers
- LTL or truckload delivery from Los Angeles to shops nationwide
What Drives the Cost
- Duty by part: engines, gearboxes and other listed auto parts pay 15% all-in under Section 232; parts outside that list pay 12.5% in total under Section 301 — line by line at quoting
- Dangerous-goods status: drained-and-clean general cargo versus a UN3530 declaration
- Weight — a container of engines often weighs out before it fills
- Consolidating several Japanese suppliers into one container
- Packing: pallets, crates and ISPM-15 timber
- US distribution: LTL to individual shops or truckload to one warehouse
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8407.34 / 8408.20 | Petrol and diesel engines for vehicles | Typically on the Section 232 auto-parts list: 15% all-in for Japan, and therefore outside the Section 301 layer. Verify the exact line at quoting. |
| 8708.40 / 8708.50 | Gearboxes, drive axles and differentials | Typically Section 232 auto parts at 15% all-in for Japan. Verify at quoting. |
| 8708 (other) / 8409 | Body parts, wheels, suspension; engine parts such as heads and blocks | Some lines are on the Section 232 auto-parts list (15% all-in); lines that are not pay 12.5% in total under Section 301. Classification decides which. |
| 9401.20 | Seats for motor vehicles | Check against the Section 232 auto-parts list; otherwise 12.5% in total under Section 301. |
Regulations and Compliance
Section 232 auto parts or the Section 301 layer
Japanese auto parts on the Section 232 list pay 15% all-in, including the normal duty, and are exempt from the Section 301 layer; Japanese parts not on the list pay the Section 301 layer, which brings the total to 12.5%. The list is set by HTS line, not by what you plan to do with the part, so each line on the invoice is classified on its own. Our customs brokers confirm the total before you buy a container.
Draining and dangerous goods
Ocean rules treat an internal-combustion engine as dangerous goods unless it is empty of fuel. Drained and cleaned engines with no other dangerous goods are generally not subject to the code, but carriers decide how they accept them — often against a letter of indemnity — and an engine that still holds fuel must be declared, typically as UN3530, Class 9. Misdeclared dangerous goods draw carrier penalties and can stop a container, so draining is checked before loading.
EPA rules for engine swaps
Installing an engine in a US-certified vehicle is governed by EPA's anti-tampering policy: broadly, the engine must be of the same or a newer model year and certified for that vehicle class, with all of its emission controls in place. A swap into a 25-year-old import also matters at the border, because EPA admits those cars only in original configuration.
California engine changes
In California an engine change must use an engine certified for that vehicle and pass a BAR referee inspection. A Japanese-market engine that was never certified for California generally will not pass, whatever its condition. Shops selling into California should check before they buy for that market.
Clean parts and wood packaging
Parts and half cuts must be free of soil, which USDA refuses. Pallets and crates must be ISPM-15 heat-treated and stamped, or they are refused or re-exported at the importer's cost.
Door-to-Door Import Service
Send us the supplier list and packing lists: we check classification and duty line by line, and agree draining and dangerous-goods treatment with the carrier. Our WCA partner agent in Japan collects from each supplier, checks that engines are drained and batteries removed, consolidates and loads, and files the export declaration in NACCS; we file the ISF at least 24 hours before loading.
In Los Angeles our licensed customs brokers file the entry, the container is devanned at a partner facility near the ports, and the engines and parts go out by LTL to individual shops or by truckload to your warehouse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a tariff on JDM engines imported from Japan?
Do engines have to be drained to ship from Japan?
Is a JDM engine swap legal in the US?
Can you consolidate engines from several Japanese suppliers into one container?
JDM Engines & Parts 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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Transit, duty exposure and container loads side by side in our auto parts import guide.
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