Machine Tools & Robots from Japan to USA | Import

Japanese builders supply a large share of the machining centers, CNC lathes, EDMs, press brakes and industrial robots in American plants, and a busy used market moves them on through dealers and auctions in Japan. These machines are heavy, high-value and, in some cases, export-controlled in Japan — so a purchase can be ready to ship from the buyer's point of view and still not be cleared to leave from the seller's.

AGF ships machine tools and robots from Japan to US plants. On the Japan side we work through WCA partner agents — AGF has no office in Japan — for collection, export packing coordination and the NACCS export declaration. On the US side, entry is filed by our licensed customs brokers, and partner carriers and riggers handle heavy-haul delivery and placement at your plant.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Shipping Machine Tools & Robots from Japan to USA

Weight and height decide the equipment. A compact vertical machining center usually weighs several tonnes and fits a 20ft or 40ft container; taller machines, large lathes and press brakes go on open-top containers or flat racks. Machines are skidded, wrapped in corrosion-inhibiting (VCI) film with desiccant against salt air, and secured to the container floor; robots ship with the arm in its transport position and the controller crated separately. Yokohama or Nagoya to Los Angeles/Long Beach takes about 11–20 days; New York about 25–38 days and Savannah about 28–42 days all-water.

Plan the paperwork before the packing. If the machine is export-controlled in Japan, the seller needs a METI licence before it can leave, and that can take weeks. Japanese New Year, Golden Week and Obon close factories and dealers, so build them into the schedule.

20ft or 40ft for compact machines; open top or flat rack above container height
Skidded, VCI-wrapped with desiccant, and secured against shifting
Robots with arms in transport position, controllers crated separately
Heavy-haul delivery and rigging at your plant through partners

What Drives the Cost

Dimensions and weight: container, open top or flat rack
Export packing in Japan: skids, VCI wrap, crating and ISPM-15 timber
Duty: machining centers and industrial robots carry a temporarily reduced Section 232 rate until the end of 2027; most other machine tools pay 12.5% in total under Section 301 — verified at quoting
Rigging and lifting at both ends, and heavy-haul trucking to the plant
Export-licence lead time in Japan for controlled machines
Reinstallation: builder service to reactivate relocation-locked controls, electrical work and levelling

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
8457.10	Machining centers for working metal	On Annex III of the Section 232 steel and aluminum derivatives action, where the derivative tariff is temporarily reduced until 31 December 2027; as a Section 232 good it is outside the Section 301 layer. Rate confirmed at quoting.
8428.70	Industrial robots	Also on the Annex III temporary reduction list until 31 December 2027. Rate confirmed at quoting.
8458 / 8456 / 8462	CNC lathes; EDM, laser and waterjet machines; press brakes and presses	Not on the current Section 232 derivative lists, so they pay the Section 301 layer, bringing the total to 12.5% including the base rate. Verify the exact line at quoting.
8466	Parts, tooling and accessories shipped with the machine	Classified separately from the machine; duty confirmed per line.

Regulations and Compliance

Japanese export control and the 該非判定書

Japan controls exports of high-precision machine tools, some robots and their controllers under its Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, administered by METI. If an item is on the control list, the exporter needs a METI licence even for a shipment to the US. Ask the seller for a 該非判定書 (gaihi hantei-sho), the statement of whether the item is listed, before you pay, and if it is listed, for confirmation that the seller will obtain the licence. Used machines are covered as much as new ones.

Relocation-locked controls

Many export-controlled Japanese machine tools carry a relocation-detection function: once the machine is moved, the control locks until the builder's service team reactivates it at the new site. Budget for that service visit and agree it with the builder or its US subsidiary before the machine ships.

Section 232 derivatives and the Section 301 layer

Machining centers (8457.10) and industrial robots (8428.70) are on the Section 232 list of steel and aluminum derivatives with a temporarily reduced rate until the end of 2027, and Section 232 goods are exempt from the Section 301 layer. Most other machine-tool headings are not on the derivative lists and pay the Section 301 layer, which brings Japanese goods to 12.5% in total. Classification decides everything, so our customs brokers confirm the heading from the specification before you order.

Electrical approval and lasers

Japanese machines are often built for 200-volt supply, and US plants usually run 480 or 240 volts, so a transformer or a US-voltage build is needed; many jurisdictions also require a field evaluation by an NRTL (UL or ETL) before the machine is operated. Laser cutting and marking machines are subject to the federal laser performance standard (21 CFR 1040), with certification and labelling the manufacturer must provide.

Used machines: clean and drained

Used machines must be free of soil and cleaned of chips, with coolant drained and tanks emptied. Skids and crates must meet ISPM-15, or they are refused or re-exported at the importer's cost.

Door-to-Door Import Service

Send us the machine's specification, dimensions and weight. We confirm the HS heading and duty with our customs brokers, check that the seller has issued a 該非判定書 and, if needed, a licence timeline, and choose the equipment. Our WCA partner agent in Japan coordinates collection from the builder, dealer or plant, export packing, the NACCS declaration and loading; we file the ISF at least 24 hours before loading.

In the US, our licensed customs brokers file the entry, and partner heavy-haul carriers deliver from the port — by truck from Los Angeles/Long Beach, or by rail and truck inland — to your plant, where partner riggers place the machine for the builder's installation team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 該非判定書 and why does my Japanese seller need one?

It is the seller's written determination of whether the item is on Japan's export control list. High-precision machine tools and some robots are listed, and a listed item needs a METI export licence even when it is going to the US. Ask for the 該非判定書 before you pay; if the machine is listed, the licence adds lead time and the seller has to apply for it.

What is the tariff on machine tools imported from Japan?

It depends on the heading. Machining centers and industrial robots are on the Section 232 steel and aluminum derivatives list with a temporarily reduced rate until 31 December 2027, and are exempt from the Section 301 layer. Most other machine tools — lathes, EDMs, press brakes — pay the Section 301 layer, which brings the total to 12.5% including the base rate. The total is confirmed for your exact line at quoting.

How do you ship a CNC machine from Japan to the USA?

Skidded, wrapped in VCI film with desiccant, and secured in a 20ft or 40ft container if it fits, or on an open top or flat rack if it does not. Yokohama or Nagoya to Los Angeles/Long Beach takes about 11–20 days, then heavy-haul trucking or rail inland, and riggers place it at your plant.

Can I buy a used Japanese CNC machine at auction and export it?

Often yes, but export control applies to used machines as well as new ones. Confirm the 該非判定書 before bidding, check whether the control has a relocation lock that will need the builder to reactivate it, and agree who handles export packing at the auction site. We plan the move from the specification before you commit.

Machine Tools & Robots 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.