Italy
USA trade laneItaly is one of the largest exporters of packaging machinery in the world — much of it built in the cluster around Bologna known as Packaging Valley — and a major builder of food-processing lines for pasta, bakery, dairy, tomato and meat plants, of machine tools and sheet-metal machinery from Lombardy and Piedmont, and of plastics, woodworking and stone-working machinery. US food and beverage plants, contract packers and job shops buy Italian lines because they are built to order around the customer's product, which also means each shipment is a one-off: a filling and capping line arriving in a dozen crates, or a press brake that weighs more than a container's payload.
We work through WCA partner agents in Italy; AGF has no office there. Our partner coordinates collection with the manufacturer, checks crated dimensions and weights against the booking, and loads containers, flat racks or breakbulk. AGF plans the US end from Glendale — the tariff check, the entry filed by our licensed customs brokers, heavy haul and rigging through our partners — before the machine leaves the factory.
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Shipping Machinery from Italy to USA
Machines within container gauge — roughly 2.3 m in height and width — ship crated in standard or high-cube containers, or in open tops when they need to be crane-loaded. Larger units go on flat racks as out-of-gauge cargo, and the biggest sections go breakbulk. Complete lines are a sequencing job: the crates for one line may fill several containers plus a flat rack, and they should arrive in the order your millwrights install them. Precision surfaces travel in VCI wrapping with desiccant, because an ocean crossing is a humidity test.
From Genoa or La Spezia, New York is 9-22 days depending on whether the service calls direct, Savannah about 21-25 days and Los Angeles about 35 days through the Panama Canal; for the Midwest, East Coast discharge plus rail or truck is usually the shorter route. Build the schedule around the Italian calendar: much of the industry closes for two to three weeks around Ferragosto in August, so plan factory acceptance tests and dispatch for July or September.
- Crated machines in 20ft, 40ft or open-top containers within gauge
- Flat racks or breakbulk above roughly 2.3 m height or width
- VCI wrapping and desiccant for the ocean leg
- Rigging and millwrights booked at the US end before sailing
What Drives the Cost
- In-gauge or out-of-gauge — the biggest price fork on any machine
- How many crates, containers and flat racks a complete line needs
- Section 232 metals exposure: listed derivative lines pay on the machine's full value, with no EU cap
- Duty on other lines: EU goods at 10% all-in under the Section 301 measure — confirmed at quoting
- Electrical conversion and NRTL field evaluation to run on a US floor
- Heavy haul, permits and rigging at destination, and 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 8422 | Packaging machinery — filling, capping, labeling, cartoning, wrapping and palletizing | Zero or low base duty, topped up to 10% all-in under the Section 301 measure on EU goods, unless the line is on the Section 232 derivative list — checked per 10-digit line at quoting. |
| 8438 / 8434 | Food-processing machinery — pasta, bakery, confectionery, meat and tomato lines; dairy machinery | Same EU position as packaging machinery. Production lines often span several headings, so one classification plan for the whole project keeps entries consistent. |
| 8456-8463 | Machine tools — laser and waterjet cutting, machining centers, lathes, press brakes | Some machine-tool lines are listed as steel or aluminum derivatives under Section 232; whether yours is, and at which tier, is confirmed at quoting. |
| 8477 / 8465 / 8464 | Plastics and rubber machinery; woodworking machinery; stone-working machinery | Generally low base rates plus the EU 10% all-in layer; check the Section 232 list for metal-intensive lines. |
| 8537 / 9032 | Control panels and controllers shipped with the line | Classified separately from the machine they control; declare them as their own lines. |
Regulations and Compliance
Section 232 steel and aluminum derivatives
Section 232 tariffs reach beyond steel and aluminum products to machinery lines listed as derivatives. Since April 2026 they are charged on the full customs value of a listed machine, at a rate set by the annex the line sits in, and machines whose steel and aluminum make up less than 15% of their weight fall outside. The EU's 15% all-in cap covers cars, auto parts, upholstered wooden furniture and cabinets — not metals — so an Italian machine on the list is not protected by it. We check the 10-digit line before you sign the purchase order.
The EU tariff layer
Machinery outside Section 232 pays its normal duty topped up to 10% in total under the Section 301 measure on EU goods, in force since 24 July 2026. Many machinery lines have a zero or low base rate, so the layer is usually the larger part of the duty. Rates change and are confirmed at quoting.
CE is not a US listing
A CE mark is a European declaration, not a US approval. Italian machines are often built for 400 V, 50 Hz supplies and European control components; US plants run 480 V or 208 V at 60 Hz, inspectors look for NFPA 79 wiring practice and UL 508A-style panels, and many jurisdictions require an NRTL field evaluation (UL or ETL) before the machine runs. Specify US electrics in the purchase order rather than rewiring after arrival.
Food-contact and sanitary design
Machines for food plants must use materials that meet FDA food-contact rules, and dairy and meat processors often require 3-A sanitary standards or USDA-accepted designs. These are buyer requirements rather than import rules, but they are far cheaper to build in at the factory than to retrofit on your plant floor.
Valuation and installation
Installation and commissioning by the manufacturer's technicians can be excluded from dutiable value when they are genuine post-importation services shown separately on the invoice; tooling, molds or designs the buyer supplies free of charge are assists that must be added. Structuring the commercial documents correctly before shipment avoids a valuation query after it.
Export controls at origin
Some high-precision machine tools are dual-use items under EU export-control rules. Exports to the United States generally move under the EU's general export authorisation, which the Italian exporter must register for and cite on the export declaration; the manufacturer handles this, but it should be confirmed before the shipping date is fixed.
Door-to-Door Import Service
We start with the crating specification — dimensions, weights and centers of gravity for every crate — and the HTS lines, which settles both the equipment and the Section 232 question before you commit. Our partner agent in Italy coordinates collection with the manufacturer after the factory acceptance test, checks crates against the booking and loads containers, flat racks or breakbulk at Genoa or La Spezia, with the ISF filed before loading.
On arrival our licensed customs brokers file the entry, and our trucking and rigging partners handle heavy haul, permits and placement on your floor, with crates sequenced to your installation schedule rather than arriving all at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the import duty on machinery from Italy?
Does a CE-marked Italian machine meet US requirements?
How do you ship a complete packaging line from Italy?
When do Italian machinery makers close for August?
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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