Import Guide
How to Import Steel from China: Process, Documents & Country Tariffs (2026)
The complete import workflow — specification, documents, shipping and customs — with a verified tariff guide for 17 destination countries. Cross-checked against official customs schedules and trade-remedy notices, updated as rules change.
The Import Process in 7 Steps
From specification to customs release.
| Step | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Specify the steel | Grade, standard (GB/EN/ASTM), tolerance class and impact requirement — see the grade equivalents & tolerance guide. |
| 2 | Request quotation & Incoterms | FOB Shanghai is the reference; CFR/CIF available on request. State the tolerance class in writing. |
| 3 | Contract & payment | Typical terms: 30% T/T in advance, 70% against B/L copy; irrevocable L/C for first orders. |
| 4 | Production & inspection | Mill production per standard; optional SGS/BV pre-shipment inspection and load-port weight verification. |
| 5 | Document preparation | Commercial invoice, packing list, B/L, certificate of origin and mill test certificate — checklist below. |
| 6 | Shipping | Container for ≤25 t lots; break-bulk for full plates. Typical transit 2–5 weeks to main ports. |
| 7 | Customs clearance & taxes | File with the tariff line and C/O from step 5; pay duty and VAT to release the goods. |
How to Choose a Reliable Steel Supplier
Vetting first, pricing second — the cheapest quote can be the most expensive mistake.
- Business licence & export record — verify the registered scope covers steel and the company has real export history.
- Mill traceability — the MTC must carry a heat number you can trace back to the mill (how to verify).
- Trial batch first — for a new supplier, order a small trial quantity and test it with your own equipment before scaling up.
- Independent inspection — SGS / BV / TÜV pre-shipment inspection is inexpensive insurance for full orders.
- Stable stock & delivery — a supplier holding real stock (see our weekly stock report) can ship in days, not months.
Quality Control: Inspect, Test & Verify the MTC
What to check before the steel leaves the mill — and after it arrives.
Visual inspection
Check flatness (four corners balanced, no warping), surface quality (rust, pits, scratches), thickness against the tolerance class on the order, and the steel marks stamped on each plate or bundle — they are the ID that ties the goods to the MTC.
Laboratory testing
Accredited-lab tests per the governing standard: tensile (Rm/ReL/A), hardness (HBW for wear plate), impact at the specified temperature, and ultrasonic testing for internal soundness on thicker plate.
The MTC is your anchor
Insist on an EN 10204 3.1 mill test certificate with the heat number, chemistry and mechanical results — then verify it against the mill. Watermarked MTC samples are available on our stock page.
Steel Processing & Fabrication
Specify processing up front so the delivered plates are ready to use.
- Cutting — flame, plasma and laser cutting to your drawings; wear plate keeps hardness at the cut edge when cut with the right parameters.
- Bending & forming — press-brake forming within the minimum bend radius of the grade.
- Drilling & machining — CNC drilling of bolt patterns; counterbores and tapped holes on request.
- Welding — suitable consumables and (for higher grades) preheat/interpass control to keep the HAZ tough.
- Share your drawings at the quotation stage — we quote processing as part of the same FOB price. See our processing guide.
Packing & Container Loading
How steel plate travels 20,000 km without damage.
- Bundling — plates are strapped into steel bundles (typically 5–10 t) for mechanical handling.
- Edge & surface protection — edge protectors and, where ordered, anti-rust paper / VCI film for sea freight.
- Loading & lashing — bundles are spread and dunnaged inside the container; photos of each loaded container are shared before departure.
- Break-bulk option — full plates above container limits travel as break-bulk with mill certificates per parcel.
- Typical payload: about 25 t per 20'GP; exact weights are on the packing list.
Waterproof packing & wooden pallets
For humid, long-haul sea routes we offer waterproof packing (moisture-barrier film, desiccants, sealed seams) and a full wooden-pallet service: our warehouse accepts custom pallet orders — plywood pallets and ISPM-15 fumigated pallets built to your cargo — so the packing meets the strict customs requirements of every destination country. Blasted and primer-painted plates are packed with surface protection so multi-week ocean transit still delivers installation-ready material. Options are quoted per order — see our processing services.
Documents Your Shipment Needs
Six documents, three issuers, one rule: names and weights must match across all of them.
| Document | Issued by | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Seller | Customs valuation basis; must match the contract and B/L. |
| Packing list | Seller | Per-bundle weights and dimensions; used for discharge and tally. |
| Bill of lading (B/L) | Carrier | Title to the goods — the document that releases cargo at destination. |
| Certificate of origin (C/O) | CCPIT / China Customs | Unlocks FTA preferential rates: Form E (ACFTA), Form F (Chile), Form R (Peru), RCEP where applicable. |
| Mill test certificate (MTC) | Mill, EN 10204 3.1 | Heat-number traceability of chemistry and mechanical tests — how to verify one. |
| Insurance policy | Insurer | Required under CIF; recommended for break-bulk cargo. |
MTC samples are available for download on our stock & price pages. Anonymised, watermarked samples of the four main shipping documents: commercial invoice · packing list · bill of lading · certificate of origin.
Landed Cost: Worked Example
One formula, one real-world example.
Landed cost = FOB + freight + import duty (on CIF) + VAT (on duty-paid value). Example — 1 t of NM400 wear plate to Jebel Ali, UAE: FOB US$1,020/t (see this week’s list) + freight US$45/t = CIF US$1,065; duty 5% = US$53; VAT 5% = US$56 → ≈US$1,174/t, about 1.15× the FOB price. In Brazil the same tonne lands at roughly 2× FOB once the 25% tariff and tax stack apply — the country guide changes the deal more than the mill price does. Ask us for a quote with the current tariff line and freight built in.
Anti-Dumping & Trade-Remedy Alerts
The clause that protects your margin.
Anti-dumping (AD) and safeguard duties sit on top of the normal tariff and are often mill-specific — the same plate can clear customs at different duty levels depending on which Chinese mill produced it. As of November 2026 the active hotspots for Chinese flat steel: Brazil (25% tariff since Jan 2026 + US$211.56/t HRC/CRC AD), Mexico (25–35% general tariff + US$0.3087/kg HRC AD), Australia (final AD 38–79% on Chinese HRC), South Africa (safeguard glide path 13→9% plus new 2026 AD cases) and Vietnam (HRC AD plus 27.83% anti-circumvention on wide plate). Before signing a contract: (1) confirm the mill-specific AD rate for your exact HS line, (2) add a duty-change clause, and (3) check the country guide — we update each one as official notices are published.
HS Codes for Our Products
Six-digit international headings; national suffixes vary by country.
| Product | Typical HS heading | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NM wear plate (quenched / Q&T) | 7225.40 | Alloy steel flat-rolled ≥600 mm, hot-rolled, not in coils — the line most NM plate is declared under. |
| High-strength plate Q550D–Q690E, BS700MCK2 | 7225.40 / 7225.50 | 7225.50 if cold-rolled; TMCP and Q&T plate both commonly declare under 7225.40. |
| Structural plate Q355B (as-rolled, non-alloy) | 7208 (7208.51–7208.53) | Non-alloy hot-rolled plate; subheading follows thickness and coil/not-in-coils form. |
The 6-digit heading is harmonised worldwide; the 8–10 digit national code (NCM, HTS, CN…) follows your country’s schedule. Confirm the final code with your customs broker — the MTC’s chemistry section supports the alloy/non-alloy classification.
Incoterms & Payment
Where risk and cost shift, and how to pay safely.
| Incoterm | Cost/risk split | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| EXW | Buyer takes over at the mill gate | Only if you have a China forwarder |
| FOB Shanghai | Seller to vessel; buyer from loading | Default for our quotes — most control for buyers |
| CFR | Seller adds ocean freight | Convenient; buyer still insures |
| CIF | Seller adds freight + insurance | Good for first-time importers |
Payment: 30/70 T/T (30% advance, 70% against B/L copy) is the industry standard for repeat trade; irrevocable L/C at sight for first orders; avoid 100% advance with unverified sellers. Currency: USD or CNY settlement available.
Related guide: electrical steel
HS 7225 also covers grain-oriented (GO) and non-oriented (NGO) electrical steel — the silicon steel grades used in transformer and motor cores. Read our guide: What is electrical steel — grades, GO vs NGO, and the global market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an import licence for steel plate?
Most countries require no licence for ordinary steel plate — a registered importer number (EORI, CNPJ, RFC, IEC…) is enough. Exceptions exist: Saudi Arabia requires SABER certificates per shipment, Argentina requires the SEDI pre-shipment declaration, and some lines face licensing during safeguard investigations. Check your country guide.
Can I get the FTA preferential rate?
Yes — if your country has an FTA with China and you ship with the correct certificate of origin (Form E for ACFTA countries, Form F for Chile, Form R for Peru, RCEP where applicable). Without the C/O the customs office applies the higher MFN rate. Our export team prepares the C/O with every FTA shipment.
How long does shipping take?
Typical port-to-port transit from Shanghai: 2–3 weeks to Southeast Asia and the Gulf, 3–4 weeks to South Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean, 4–5 weeks to South America and West Africa, about 2 weeks to Australia. Add 3–7 days for C/O and B/L issuance before departure.
What happens if the duty rate changes after we sign the contract?
Duties are paid by the importer of record, so a new AD decision or tariff hike lands on your side of the ledger. Two protections: (1) our quotes state the HS line and current duty explicitly, and (2) we flag active investigations in the country guides so you can price the risk or time the shipment before a decision lands.
Get a Quote
Tell us the grade, size and quantity — get FOB price, stock and lead time in one reply.
We reply within 2 hours (GMT+8 working time). No spam — your email is only used for this quotation.
WhatsApp: +86 19117008946Quality guarantee: if the products do not conform to the specifications on the mill test certificate, we accept returns within 30 days of arrival and bear the return shipping cost.
