2026 Full Process Guide for Aluminum Ingot Import Freight Forwarding, Practical Risk Avoidance Manual for Customs Valuation and Inspection

2026 Core Prerequisites for Aluminum Ingot Import Freight Forwarding Practice

Last month we provided service for Mr.Gong from Ningbo,who imported 2000 tons of aluminum ingots from Malaysia.He hired a local small freight forwarder that did not pre-verify the Mill Test Certificate (MTC) and declaration information in advance.After the cargo arrived at the port,customs random inspection found that the aluminum content deviated 0.8% from the declared value,the cargo was directly detained for verification.The total detention period lasted 14 days,with demurrage alone costing 120,000 yuan,and he also paid 50,000 yuan as penalty for delaying production orders of downstream factories.Such problems are very common in aluminum ingot import business,the core reason is that the freight forwarder is not familiar with supervision requirements for bulk cargo and has no pre-risk control links.

Aluminum ingots are ordinary bulk cargo,not dangerous goods or special supervised goods.However,due to high value and large batch size,the control standards of customs valuation,inspection and weighing links are much stricter than ordinary goods.In 2026,major ports including Shanghai,Ningbo and Shenzhen have included non-ferrous bulk cargo into the dual supervision channel of "fast review and release + key verification".Under compliance premise,customs clearance efficiency is 40% higher than that in 2025,while the penalty intensity for violations also increased by 30% simultaneously.

Freight Forwarder Responsibility Boundaries Under Different Trade Terms

Commonly used trade terms for aluminum ingot import are EXW,FOB and CIF.The service scope and responsibility boundaries of freight forwarders differ greatly under different terms,cargo owners can compare and match their demands in advance:

Core Risk Control and Pitfall Avoidance Points for Aluminum Ingot Import Freight Forwarding

• Valuation risk prevention: In 2026,the customs valuation benchmark for aluminum ingots is calculated based on weekly updated London LME spot price plus premium and discount of corresponding routes.Purchase contract,invoice and foreign exchange payment voucher shall be submitted for pre-audit 3 days before declaration.If the declared price deviates from the customs benchmark price by more than 3%,it will enter the price consultation process,delaying customs clearance by at least 3 to 5 days,and may also require supplementary payment of tax difference.
• Weighing deviation prevention: Bulk aluminum ingots usually adopt draft survey weighing,and some container-transported ones adopt weighbridge weighing.Third-party inspection institutions shall be arranged in advance to conduct two-way verification at port of loading and port of discharge.Deviation within 0.3% is within reasonable range,and the excess part can be claimed directly from shipping company or supplier to avoid bearing cargo loss on your own.
• Tax compliance prevention: In 2026,China still imposes an additional 25% anti-dumping duty on aluminum ingots originating from the United States and some regions of the European Union.Certificate of origin shall be verified before import.For aluminum ingots from RCEP member countries,as long as they meet origin standards,they can enjoy up to 10% tariff concession after submitting valid certificate of origin,and some aluminum ingots originating from ASEAN can be imported with zero tariff.
• Demurrage prevention: The free storage period at loading and unloading ports for bulk carriers is usually 3 to 5 days,and daily demurrage after exceeding is calculated at 0.1% of cargo value.Freight forwarder shall confirm berth situation with shipping company in advance,arrange port transfer or cabin adjustment in advance in case of port congestion,complete all document pre-audit 7 days in advance,and declare directly after arrival at port to avoid extra demurrage caused by document problems.

Aluminum Ingot Import Freight Forwarding Service Capability Description

Zhongshitong is headquartered in Shanghai,with cross-regional declaration authority covering all first-class ports across the country,and 32 global agency outlets covering major aluminum ingot exporting countries including Australia,Malaysia,Indonesia,Russia,etc.We can provide full-chain aluminum ingot import agency services,the customs clearance time for conventional bulk aluminum ingots at Shanghai Port is 3 days,which is 2 days faster than the industry average.

In March 2026,we provided service for Manager Zhan from Shenzhen,who imported 3000 tons of aluminum ingots from Indonesia.The original plan was to berth at Shenzhen Port,but we detected in advance that bulk cargo berths at Shenzhen Port were congested,with expected anchorage waiting time of 10 days,and demurrage alone would cost nearly 200,000 yuan.We immediately coordinated to transfer customs clearance to Shanghai Port,completed pre-audit of MTC and certificate of origin 10 days in advance,and used RCEP tax reduction channel to directly reduce 180,000 yuan of tariffs.After customs clearance,we arranged inland barge delivery to the factory in Foshan.The overall time limit was only 2 days later than the original plan,and total cost was 220,000 yuan lower than original expectation.

It should be noted that quotations of many small freight forwarders only include basic customs clearance service fees,while bill of lading exchange fees,inspection escort fees,demurrage prediction and other items are not included in the quotation scope,and they will charge temporary extra fees when problems occur after cargo arrival.We will issue a detailed list of all service fees in advance,all charging items are fully open and transparent,no hidden consumption exists.We will also issue a risk prediction report to cargo owners in advance,marking possible extra costs and response solutions in each link.

If you have batch aluminum ingot import demands,you can provide cargo list,place of origin,trade terms and other information in advance,and we will issue a customized operation plan and cost details within 1 working day.