Metal Products Shipping from China
Ocean freight for metal products — container selection and loading plan, packing specification, HS classification and import clearance at destination. Quoted EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP or delivered duty-paid.
- Full container, LCL and breakbulk — priced per box, not per kilo
- Loading plan agreed before booking, not improvised at the warehouse
- Classification settled before the vessel sails
Shipping Metal Products from China is a planning problem before it is a price problem. The cargo dense fabricated goods that reach the payload with the box half empty, and every sensible decision downstream starts there.
The pricing follows from it. The tonnage sets the freight; the length sets the equipment, and equipment is where the money moves. Internal length runs about 5.9 m in a 20ft and 12.03 m in a 40ft. Anything longer needs an open-top, a flat rack or breakbulk, and each of those is a different rate structure rather than a surcharge on the same one.
A caution particular to this commodity. Surface corrosion in transit. Bare or lightly finished steel flashes rust in a humid box, and the customer sees a rusted delivery even where the metal is sound.
On the compliance side the recurring item is straightforward to state and easy to leave too late: Material certificates; CE marking where the part is load-bearing or safety-critical. HS classification generally falls in chapter 73 / 82 / 83, though the exact heading depends on specification and should be confirmed against your own product before you rely on a duty estimate.
Freight reference — Metal Products
| Typical HS chapter | 73 / 82 / 83 |
|---|---|
| Cargo behaviour | Dense fabricated goods that reach the payload with the box half empty |
| How it prices | Weight-limited, equipment-driven |
| Usual service | Sea FCL / flat rack |
| Main compliance step | Material certificates; CE marking where the part is load-bearing or safety-critical |
| Trade terms available | EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP or delivered duty-paid |
HS chapters are indicative. The binding classification depends on your exact specification — confirm the heading before relying on a duty estimate.
Packing and protection
Bundled and strapped to timber-bearered pallets rated for the real mass. Distribute along the container floor rather than concentrating the load over the bogies.
Loading the container
On loading: Bed the bundles on dunnage so nothing rests directly on the floor, and chock the sides so the load cannot roll. Long stock that starts rolling at sea takes the container wall and its neighbours with it.
Choosing the service
On routing: Ocean FCL at standard lengths. Over-length goes flat rack or breakbulk — quote both, because on some lanes breakbulk beats an out-of-gauge container once the surcharges are totalled.
Where it usually goes wrong
Surface corrosion in transit. Bare or lightly finished steel flashes rust in a humid box, and the customer sees a rusted delivery even where the metal is sound.
Live rates on lanes that carry this cargo
Published per-kilo and per-CBM rates from China, updated from carrier feeds. Rates are lane-based rather than commodity-based, so these apply to metal products as much as to any other general cargo on the same route.
Clearing metal products at destination
The freight is the easy half. What decides whether this cargo lands on time is the HS heading it is entered under, the certification the destination applies to it, and whether the consignee is registered to import it. We file the entry in 160 markets and settle duty and tax as part of the movement, so the classification we quote is the classification that gets used.
Clearance requirements by market →Frequently asked questions
How is freight priced for metal products?
The tonnage sets the freight; the length sets the equipment, and equipment is where the money moves. Internal length runs about 5.9 m in a 20ft and 12.03 m in a 40ft. Anything longer needs an open-top, a flat rack or breakbulk, and each of those is a different rate structure rather than a surcharge on the same one.
How should metal products be packed for export?
Bundled and strapped to timber-bearered pallets rated for the real mass. Distribute along the container floor rather than concentrating the load over the bogies.
Air or sea for metal products?
Ocean FCL at standard lengths. Over-length goes flat rack or breakbulk — quote both, because on some lanes breakbulk beats an out-of-gauge container once the surcharges are totalled.
What customs paperwork does metal products need?
The step that most often holds a shipment is Material certificates; CE marking where the part is load-bearing or safety-critical. Classification normally falls in HS chapter 73 / 82 / 83, but the exact heading depends on your specification — send the product details and we will confirm the code and the duty position for the destination before you commit.
What goes wrong most often with metal products shipments?
Surface corrosion in transit. Bare or lightly finished steel flashes rust in a humid box, and the customer sees a rusted delivery even where the metal is sound.
Is there anything specific to metal products we should know?
Long stock rolls. Chock it, bed it on dunnage, and cap the ends — an unrestrained bundle destroys the container wall and everything stowed beside it.
Can you quote metal products on FOB or CIF rather than duty-paid?
Yes. We quote EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP and delivered duty-paid on this cargo. The term decides how much of the journey is already inside the price — the trade-terms table on any of our rate pages sets out exactly who carries which cost at each stage.