What Qualifications and Compliance Declaration Requirements Must Be Met for Acting on Export of Ordinary Carbon Steel Products in 2026?
Importing from China?
Need help with sourcing, customs or shipping?
Your China Import Partner
Reliable sourcing and import agency services.
I am engaged in domestic carbon steel section trading and recently received an order for 300 tons of H-beams from a construction project in Southeast Asia, requiring delivery to Laem Chabang Port within 2 months. Our company has no import and export operating rights and has never conducted export business before.
I heard from peers that new requirements have been added for steel export supervision in 2026, and I am worried about making mistakes, such as goods being detained at the port and generating large storage fees, or failing to get tax refunds and even being fined. Now I want to cooperate with an import and export agency and want to know what the entire agency process is, what materials I need to provide, how the agency fee is charged, and how to ensure the safety of my payment and smooth tax refund processing, as well as any special risk points to note?
WilliamYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics AdvisorStart a Chat
The first step is pre-qualification and document pre-review. You only need to provide your business license，steel procurement contract，and product quality inspection report. The agency will match export qualifications in advance and focus on verifying whether the product's composition falls within the 2026 steel export tariff exemption list to avoid unnecessary tariff costs.
Core node connections are divided into three stages. First is pre-customs declaration preparation: the agency will handle commodity inspection on your behalf，apply for export licenses，complete manifest pre-declaration and customs document verification 3 working days in advance to avoid returns due to non-compliant declarations. Second is the customs clearance stage: coordinate priority machine inspection，if no issues are found，the overall customs clearance time at Shanghai Port will be controlled within 48 hours. Finally is the delivery and follow-up stage: provide a copy of the bill of lading within 3 working days after the vessel sails，release the order to the consignee after confirmation，and simultaneously collect all documents required for tax refund processing.
Exception plans cover common issues throughout the whole process: if customs price review is encountered，the agency will prepare transaction vouchers for the same category of products in the past 3 months in advance and complete price review defense within 1 working day at the earliest. If overbooking and container rejection occur，it will prioritize coordinating spare space from co-loading carriers on the same route to ensure shipment within 3 days of the original scheduled departure date at the latest.
Finally，in terms of compliance implementation，foreign exchange settlement and transfer to your designated account will be completed within 3 working days after receipt of payment，and tax refund declaration will be completed within 5 working days at the earliest if all tax refund documents are complete. The tax refund will be transferred within 1 working day after arrival. All documents will be archived for future reference throughout the entire process，in compliance with the supervision requirements of customs and tax authorities，eliminating subsequent verification risks.
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026, the customs price review logic for steel exports has been adjusted to match the benchmark price based on two dimensions: composition content and specification model. When declaring, core parameters such as carbon content and manganese content must be clearly marked in the remarks column, and the category name cannot be declared as generic terms like "steel" or "steel section".
If a price review query is encountered, vouchers such as domestic value-added tax special invoices for procurement, factory price certificates from upstream steel mills, and export customs declarations of the same category in the past 3 months must be submitted. The declared price cannot be changed at will; otherwise, it will be transferred to the audit and investigation link, which will take a minimum of 15 days and a maximum of 3 months to complete customs clearance. Serious cases may also be included in the list of untrustworthy entities, affecting the customs clearance efficiency of all subsequent export businesses.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
The overbooking rate for Southeast Asia routes has remained at around 30% in the past six months. Steel is a heavy cargo, so when booking space, it is necessary to confirm the cargo load requirements with the shipping company in advance to avoid being rejected due to overweight.
The free storage period at Laem Chabang Port is 7 days by default, and container detention fees will be charged at 25 USD per container per day starting from the 8th day. An extension of the free storage period by 3 days can be applied for in advance to reduce unnecessary costs.
If delivery time is tight, direct sailings can be chosen, which take 7 days to reach the port, saving 10-15 days compared to transshipment vessels. The container rejection rate for direct routes is about 20% lower than that of transshipment routes, making it more suitable for infrastructure orders with strict time requirements.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026, the export tax rebate rate for ordinary carbon steel sections is 13%. If the product composition meets the alloy steel standard, the tax rebate rate will be increased to 17%. A third-party testing agency can be entrusted to issue a composition test report, and declarations can be made according to the corresponding category if eligible, allowing an additional 4 percentage points of tax rebate benefits.
It should be noted that the product name and specification model on the domestic procurement input invoice must be completely consistent with the information on the export customs declaration form; otherwise, it will affect tax refund declarations. If there is entrusted processing of raw materials, a entrusted processing contract and processing fee invoice must be prepared in advance to ensure a complete input chain and avoid being identified as input inconsistency by the tax authorities.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Buyers in Southeast Asia now generally accept RMB cross-border settlement, and the CIPS channel can be prioritized for foreign exchange receipt, which is 2-3 working days faster than the SWIFT channel and has an exchange cost reduction of about 0.15 percentage points. When receiving foreign exchange, the payer must be informed in advance to mark the order number in the remarks column to avoid being mixed with other foreign exchange funds and failing to complete the settlement verification.
For L/C settlement, the L/C terms must be verified in advance to avoid soft clauses such as "the consignee must issue a quality inspection certificate before payment", which may lead to abnormal foreign exchange receipt. The settlement exchange rate can be locked for forward transactions to avoid losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations.
JohnYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Export Tax Rebate AdvisorStart a Chat
When signing a cooperation agreement with the agency, it is necessary to clearly define the cargo ownership clause, stipulating that the cargo ownership belongs to you before the completion of foreign exchange receipt, and the agency shall not dispose of the goods without permission. At the same time, the charging standard of the agency fee must be clearly defined, including whether it covers additional fees such as commodity inspection fees, customs declaration fees, and port miscellaneous fees, to avoid subsequent hidden charges.
If the transaction amount exceeds 1 million USD, you can require the agency to issue a performance bond; in case of default by the agency, you can directly apply for compensation from the bond-issuing bank. The force majeure clause must clearly include delivery delays caused by non-subjective factors such as port congestion and customs inspections to avoid being held responsible and claimed by the buyer.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Key inspection items for steel exports include checking for contraband, whether the specification model is consistent with the declaration, and whether there is false declaration of composition content. Before machine inspection, surface rust and oil stains should be cleaned in advance to avoid manual container inspection due to unclear imaging, which costs 800-1200 yuan per container and delays customs clearance by 2-3 days.
If inspection is required, priority can be given to expedited testing, with test reports issued within 3 working days at the earliest, about 7 days faster than ordinary testing. Photos of the seal lock should be taken for future reference to avoid disputes in liability determination for cargo damage or shortage during transportation.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
H-beams are heavy cargo, so when packaging, they should be bound with steel strips, with each bundle weighing no more than 2 tons and binding spacing not exceeding 1.5 meters to avoid bundling and falling during transportation. For sea transportation, anti-rust paint should be sprayed on the steel surface or waterproof film should be wrapped to prevent rust caused by salt spray and subsequent rejection by the buyer.
The MSDS report must clearly mark the product's composition, weight, and storage and transportation precautions, and be sent to the buyer with the goods for customs clearance at the destination port. For extra-long H-beams, frame containers should be used, and lashing and reinforcement should be done in advance to avoid cargo damage caused by displacement during transportation.
SophiaYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
Export tax refund declarations must meet the requirement of consistency of four streams: cargo flow, capital flow, invoice flow, and document flow, with no capital backflow or invoice-cargo separation. Pre-declaration verification will be conducted before tax refund declarations to identify problems such as abnormal input invoices and inconsistent customs declaration information, avoiding rejection of formal declarations.
If a tax inquiry is received, a full set of documents such as procurement contracts, transportation vouchers, and inventory in/out slips must be submitted, and the inquiry response can be completed within 10 working days at the earliest, without affecting the tax refund progress. All tax refund documents must be retained for 5 years for future reference to avoid having tax refunds recovered and fines imposed by the tax authorities due to lack of supporting documents.