China
USA trade laneChinese industrial machinery — CNC routers and lasers, packaging lines, food processing equipment, plastics machinery, construction equipment — has become a serious option for US small manufacturers and startups priced out of European and domestic equipment. The savings are real; so are the pitfalls: freight damage on badly crated machines, electrical systems that fail US inspection, and support gaps when something breaks.
AGF imports machinery from China with the same project discipline we apply to German equipment — origin crating inspection, correct mode selection, and honest guidance about the compliance work between the port and production.
How Machinery & Equipment Ships from China to USA
Most Chinese machinery containerizes: crated, bolted to skids, and braced in 20ft or 40ft equipment depending on weight distribution. Oversized units move flat rack or open top. Chinese factory export crating varies wildly in quality — our origin inspection before loading is not optional on this cargo.
Moisture is the silent killer of precision machinery at sea: VCI wrapping, desiccants, and sealed crating protect ways, spindles, and electronics through four weeks of ocean air.
- Container for in-gauge machines; flat rack/open top for oversized
- Crating inspection at origin — the single highest-value step in this trade
- Weight verification and center-of-gravity marking before booking
- Rigging and placement at destination arranged before the vessel arrives
What Drives the Cost
- In-gauge vs out-of-gauge dimensions
- Section 301 tariffs on many machinery lines from China
- Crating quality (and the cost of upgrading it at origin)
- Destination rigging and electrical installation scope
- Insurance at replacement value
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8457–8465 | Machine tools for metal and other materials | Base rates low to moderate; Section 301 lists cover many Chinese machinery lines — check current status per code. |
| 8422 / 8438 | Packaging machinery / food processing equipment | Food-contact equipment adds sanitary design expectations (NSF/3-A) on the commercial side. |
| 8429 / 8427 | Construction equipment / forklifts | Self-propelled equipment brings EPA engine compliance into play — non-compliant engines are refused entry. |
Regulations and Compliance
Electrical compliance and NRTL field evaluation
Chinese machines often arrive wired to standards US inspectors reject. Plan for NRTL field evaluation (UL/ETL) and possible control-panel rework — order the machine built to US electrical specs (UL 508A panels, correct voltage) to minimize this.
EPA engine requirements
Any machine with a combustion engine (generators, construction equipment, forklifts) must have an EPA-compliant, certified engine. Non-certified engines are seized or exported — verify certification before purchase, not at the port.
Customs valuation and Section 301
Machinery entries get valuation attention, and Section 301 makes the classification consequential. Clean commercial documents and accurate 10-digit codes keep entries defensible.
Door-to-Door Import Service
From factory floor in China to positioned in your facility: crating inspection, ocean or flat-rack booking, customs entry, heavy trucking, and rigging coordination — one project manager across the chain.
We tell clients honestly when a machine's spec sheet raises compliance flags — solving voltage, certification, and crating questions before shipment is what makes Chinese machinery economics actually work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth importing machinery from China?
Will a Chinese machine pass US electrical inspection?
How do you protect a machine during ocean shipping?
Machinery & Equipment 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.
Machinery & Industrial Equipment from Germany