Shanghai Steel Import Agency: Solve All Issues in Full Process of Customs Clearance, Valuation, Commodity Inspection and License Handling

Customs Valuation: Core Dispute Point of Steel Import

I once met Mr.Cheng,who imported hot-rolled stainless steel coils from South Korea.The seller quoted EXW transaction price,and Mr.Cheng arranged transportation on his own.When declaring,he only filled in the EXW cargo value,and did not add freight and insurance premiums,packaging fees and seller’s commission into the dutiable value.His declaration was directly detained by the valuation department of Shanghai Customs,and he finally paid an extra 130,000 CNY in taxes and more than 20,000 CNY in late fees,incurring unnecessary extra costs.

In 2026,Shanghai Customs’ valuation focus on imported steel concentrates on three aspects: underreported transaction price,omitted additional fees in import links,and evasion of anti-dumping duties through third-country transshipment.Especially for steel in entrepot trade,the customs will focus on verifying the authenticity of the certificate of origin,and compare cargo flow and capital flow.Once origin tampering is found,anti-dumping duties will be imposed directly,and the enterprise will be added to the key supervision list.

Commodity Inspection Pre-audit and Quality Control

The core of commodity inspection for imported steel lies in two points: first,verify that the Material Test Certificate (MTC) matches the composition and specifications required by the contract; second,control weighing errors to avoid short shipment and tonnage loss.Two weighing methods are commonly used for bulk steel import,with comparison as follows:

We found in actual operation that many sellers will deliberately overstate the alloy content of steel in MTC,and the actual delivered goods fail to meet contract requirements.We will arrange pre-inspection at the loading port in advance to verify MTC information,so as to avoid quality non-conformity found only after the goods arrive at the port,which will generate return and replacement costs.

Animal and Plant Quarantine: An Easily Overlooked Compliance Detail

Many cargo owners believe that steel is a metal product and does not require animal and plant quarantine,which is a common misunderstanding.Imported steel is usually transported with wooden pallets and wooden packing boxes.If the packing is not stamped with IPPC mark,or carries bark or live insects,it will be directly ordered to be returned or the packing will be destroyed,resulting in extra costs.

We once met Ms.Wan,who imported a batch of channel steel from Southeast Asia.The wooden packing was not fumigated and had no IPPC mark.After the goods were detained at Yangshan Port,the cost of re-fumigation and destruction of unqualified packing amounted to more than 32,000 CNY,and delivery to downstream factories was delayed for two weeks,leading to a breach of contract penalty of 100,000 CNY.The inspection rate of wooden packing at Shanghai ports increased by 15% in 2026,so this detail must not be missed.

Import License Handling: Pre-audit to Avoid Customs Blockage

In 2026,China implements automatic import license management for some special steel and specific steel categories.The license must be obtained in advance before shipment.Many cargo owners do not have a clear understanding of regulatory requirements,and start to apply for the license only after the goods arrive at the port,which delays customs clearance and generates demurrage fees.

For steel import in Shanghai,we have sorted out common risk traps as follows:

• Certificate of origin verification risk: For steel imported from countries subject to anti-dumping measures,the customs will verify the authenticity of the certificate of origin.Tampering with origin information will lead to the imposition of high anti-dumping duties,and will also affect the enterprise’s subsequent import customs clearance qualification
• Hidden demurrage trap: Some small and medium-sized agencies do not confirm the demurrage rate with shipping companies in advance.The overdue storage fee at Shanghai Port triples per container per day,and finally the hidden costs are passed on to cargo owners.We will lock the rate in advance and clarify all cost items
• Exchange loss risk: Most bulk steel imports are settled in US dollars.When the exchange rate fluctuates greatly,the exchange loss of a single order can reach more than 100,000 CNY.We can assist enterprises to handle exchange rate locking,lock costs in advance,and reduce exchange loss risks

Zhongshitong is headquartered in Shanghai,with on-site customs declaration staff at Yangshan and Waigaoqiao ports,who can follow up inspection and valuation communication at the first time.Meanwhile,we support cross-regional declaration at all national ports.Our global agency network can complete document pre-audit,MTC verification and certificate of origin verification at the loading port in advance,eliminating risks before shipment.

In 2025,we handled an emergency case: Mr.Ji imported 12,000 tons of hot-rolled steel plates from Australia.The agent he hired did not add the seller’s commission and long-distance freight to the dutiable value when declaring,so the declaration was detained by the customs.The ship had already arrived at the port anchorage,with a daily demurrage fee of 8,000 CNY.We sorted out import price data of similar steel in the past three years,supplemented all foreign exchange payment vouchers and transport documents,conducted price consultation with the valuation department,and provided complete proof of price rationality.Finally,we completed valuation and cargo release within three days without additional tax payment,saving the customer 280,000 CNY of demurrage fees and estimated supplementary tax,and ensuring on-time delivery to downstream factories.

The core of steel import is pre-compliance.Solving all problems before the goods arrive at the port is far less costly and more stable than dealing with emergencies after the goods arrive at the port.