How do I transport building materials from China?

Transport and logistics affect the price of final building materials. Ocean freight or rail freight is the cheapest mode of transportation of building materials in China, some inland cities not only need ocean freight but also need rail transport. To help you understand it easily, we call it shipping because they belong to the same delivery line. We simply divide the delivery of Chinese building materials into five steps: loading, Exporting from China, transportation, importing to the destination, and door-to-door.

1. Before shipping loading and unloading materials from China

When you place an order with a building materials supplier, you will know what trading terms they offer. There are many trade terms in international business. But for the building materials business, there are three main trade terms used in Fen.

A: EXW (previous work)

The buyer picks up the goods from the seller’s factory or warehouse. The buyer shall handle the entire delivery process from China to its destination and pay the fee.

Sellers like the term because they don’t have to worry about delivery, doing export, and paper engineering.

This term is always used for orders with less than one container. In particular, you buy from different building materials suppliers and integrate them into a complete container. It will be more convenient for sellers and buyers.

B: FOB (free onboard)

The building materials supplier is responsible for loading the container and delivering it to the port of loading until it is received by the shipping company. The buyer shall then arrange all the processes for the carriage of the ship to use the goods to reach the destination address.

Always use this term when you purchase a complete container from a vendor. For example, when you plan to purchase a complete container tile, you can ask your tile vendor for an ANOB price.

C: CIF (cost insurance and shipping)

Building materials suppliers charge all fees for transporting products from the factory to the port of destination, which we can consider FOB plus OCEANSCO freight and insurance.

Because shipping changes every week. This is unfair to both sides. For example, a building materials supplier would ship $1,000 per container, which would mean an overpayment of $300 for the buyer if the sea freight dropped to $700. If the shipping charges were raised to $1,500, the seller would have to lose $500. In this case, some suppliers will delay shipments until shipping drops below $1,000. This means that there is nothing to do for buyers other than wait.

2020® International Trade Import and Export Interpretation

Under EXW and FOB, it is the buyer’s responsibility to arrange the shipping agent. Therefore, when the goods are ready, you need to check the seaborne cargo from China to the port. There are two different modes of transport for the goods you order.

• Reduce container load (LCL). This is when the shipper does not have enough items to fill the container. This means that you need to share container space with other shippers.
• Full container load (FCL). At this point, the shipment can be filled with a container. You can choose from different container sizes that are suitable for your goods.

Regardless of FCL or LCL, the buyer should confirm the fee with the shipping agent and then ask the building materials supplier to contact the shipping agent to book a container for your order.

2. China’s building materials export customs clearance

A: Customs clearance and import duties from China to your country.

When importing building materials from China, the additional costs in the form of import taxes and taxes will affect the final cost of the product. Although customs clearance costs are already part of the supplier’s sales price, import duties and taxes are yours, the buyer.

Strolling through fairs or wholesale building materials markets from China may make you feel like you can find great deals. However, these prices still do not include increased tax and tariff costs.

B: China’s export customs clearance

Building materials you purchase from China require an export license before shipment. Sea Defense or Chinese customs compliance with export clearance is quite strict.

The cost of exporting customs clearance documents is already part of the FOB cost. Getting suppliers to handle this part of the shipping process is more costly and time-saving.

3. Shipbuilding materials from China’s loading and unloading port to your country’s unloading port/destination

This is what shipping companies/carriers do. The normal shipping companies we use are CAM, COSOO, Evergreen, Harper-Lloyd, Maersk, MSC, ONE, etc. No matter which shipping company you choose to work with, you can easily pick up the required documents as long as you have the documents you need. Typically less than 4 paper works are required:

• bill of lading
• Commercial invoices

• The list of packages
• Okin Certificate

In some countries, work under paper may be necessary. This should be confirmed by your import agent, who will help you with customs clearance. Different countries have different requirements.

• Fumigation certificate
• Isf

• Test report
• Security certificate

4. Building materials destination import customs clearance

A: Import agent/broker

Under EXW, FOB, or CIF terms, it is the responsibility of the importer of building materials to hiring a local import agent to assist with the import clearance process. You can check and compare locally to find the best middlemen for building materials imported into customs. If you have any difficulty doing so, please feel free to contact us

B: Import duties and duties

Taxes and fees shall be levied on the wholesale goods of building materials arriving at the port of destination and on customs clearance procedures.

If you are traveling from China to the United States, import duties (paid at U.S. ports of entry) depend on the type of product. For example, if you ship LED bulbs from China to the United States, the import tax is 3.9%, excluding tariffs of 10% to 25%.

An important thing you need to remember. Some lawmakers impose high anti-dumping duties on building materials. Importers, for example, pay about 270 percent tax when buying kitchen cabinets from China. If normal tariffs are added, importers are subject to 300% tax. When you plan to import panel furniture from China, it’s a big deal. The EU also imposes high anti-dumping duties on Chinese tiles. If you would like to know more about the import of Chinese building materials, please contact us.

5. Transport building materials from the port of discharge/destination to your home?

Shipping from your port to your home depends on whether you have an FCL or LCL. Domestic transport or destination port to final address is the last stop in the delivery process.

Usually, delivery will be handled by your import agent. This agent not only performs import custom customizations but also helps to deliver goods to your address. Final delivery can be done by rail or truck, or both. The cost depends on the warehouse in your area close to the freight forwarding company. If your house is located on a narrow residential street and containers cannot be delivered to this location. Then you need to rent a warehouse where trucks can be easily driven.

6. How long does it take to shipbuilding materials from China to your address?

Normal shipping times are determined by the following factors

• Mount the port
• Destination port

• Shipping company
• Shipping lines

If you need to know the exact shipping and time, please contact us without hesitation!