Full Process of Polished Grinding Floor Import Agency: Practical Guide for Customs Declaration and Inspection

1.Core Threshold for Polished Grinding Floor Import Agency: Compliance First

The primary risk of polished grinding floor import agency comes from compliance.Customs supervision over building material products is tightening in 2026,especially with frequent cases of wrong HS code classification and missing declaration elements.Last year,a client surnamed Zhai imported polished grinding floors from Germany,which was inspected by Shanghai Customs due to wrong HS code: the precast polished grinding floors made of stone abrasives and resin base materials were incorrectly classified as natural stone products under Chapter 68,resulting in the return of the customs declaration form.

It shall be clarified that polished grinding floors can be divided into natural stone category (such as marble grinding stone,Chapter 68) and synthetic resin category (such as epoxy grinding stone,Chapter 32) according to their compositions.If they contain hazardous chemical components (such as epoxy resin curing agent),it is required to check the MSDS in advance and confirm whether they belong to Class 3 flammable liquids; if they are general cargo (such as composite grinding stone without hazardous chemical components),they shall be declared as stone products under Chapter 68.The key point: suppliers must be required to provide factory inspection reports to clarify material composition and environmental protection standards,to avoid inspection triggered by inconsistency between declared material and actual goods.

Consistency of declaration elements is also the core.Zhongshitong will focus on checking the following contents during agency service: ① Brand and model (such as "German XX Brand Epoxy Grinding Stone"); ② Specification parameters (such as "1220mm×2440mm×10mm"); ③ Material composition (such as "80% resin + 20% quartz sand").The Declaration Element Verification System for Building Material Products newly launched by the customs in 2026 will directly trigger high-risk inspection if the declared material is inconsistent with the physical test report.

2.Practical Risk Control for Customs Valuation: Avoid Price Dispute Traps

Customs valuation is the second threshold for import agency.Raw material prices in the building material industry fluctuate greatly in 2026,and disputes over polished grinding floor imports are often caused by deviation between declared price and reference price in the customs database.When a client imported products from Italy,the declared unit price was 150 RMB per square meter,while the benchmark price of similar products in the customs system was 180 RMB per square meter,which directly triggered price query.

Response plans shall be carried out from three aspects:

• ① Prepare price rationality proof in advance: including ex-factory price (with factory seal),international transportation cost breakdown (details of sea/air freight),importer commission ratio (such as 3%);
• ② Reduce tax rate by using rules of origin: if the goods come from RCEP member countries (such as Japan,Thailand),you can apply for RCEP Certificate of Origin,and the tariff on polished grinding floors will be reduced from 12% to 5%-8% in 2026;
• ③ Avoid under-declaration price trap: the customs follows the cost plus method for price query of building material products,and the declared price shall cover raw materials + processing fees + reasonable profits.Zhongshitong will use the average price calculator for similar products to conduct simulation calculation in advance to avoid tax supplementation.

Zhongshitong’s original valuation prediction model: based on the Valuation Guidelines for Building Material Products issued by the customs in 2026,polished grinding floors are classified into three categories: natural stone,synthetic resin and metal base,and historical declaration data (such as the average declared price of similar products in Shanghai Port in the past six months) are matched in advance,to help customers complete price compliance self-inspection before customs declaration.

3.Commodity Inspection Pre-check and Inspection Response: From Passive Cooperation to Active Prediction

Risks in the commodity inspection link are often hidden in hidden standards.Since 2026,imported polished grinding floors shall comply with the GB 6566-2010 Limits of Radionuclides in Building Materials standard.If declared as natural stone grinding stone,a radioactivity test report (CMA certified) must be provided.A client was detained by Shanghai Commodity Inspection Bureau after the goods arrived at the port due to missing radioactivity index inspection,with detention costs exceeding 200,000 RMB.

Zhongshitong provides commodity inspection pre-check package service,including:

• ① Pre-inspection of wooden packaging: if solid wood pallets are used,the IPPC fumigation certificate shall be checked in advance (new electronic fumigation code verification added in 2026);
• ② Environmental protection standard verification: check whether EU CE certification,US CARB certification (for resin grinding stones) are within the validity period;
• ③ Radioactivity test: contact institutions such as SGS in advance to ensure that the test report is consistent with the declared stone radioactivity category (such as Class A ≤ 1.0Bq/kg).

If inspection is unfortunately triggered,Zhongshitong’s rapid inspection response team will arrive at the site within 2 hours: ① Check the consistency between declaration elements and actual goods; ② Compare electronic declaration data with paper documents on site; ③ Provide original factory contract + payment voucher simultaneously in response to customs queries,to ensure inspection and release are completed within 3 working days.

4.Import License and Special Supervision: Customs Clearance Codes for Different Countries

Is an import license required for polished grinding floor import?The 2026 policy clarifies that:

• ① Ordinary polished grinding floors (natural stone category): no import license required;
• ② Special function polished grinding floors (such as anti-static,wear-resistant floors): if they contain special metal coatings (such as zinc-aluminum alloy),it is required to apply for 3C certification in advance;
• ③ Imports from RCEP member countries: origin declaration shall be submitted during customs declaration to ensure compliance with the rule of regional value content ≥ 40%.

New dynamic tariff adjustment added in 2026: since July 2026,the tariff on polished grinding floors from RCEP member countries such as Malaysia and Thailand has been reduced from 8% to 5%,but it is also required to meet the requirement that the date of issuance of the certificate of origin is ≤ 90 days from the declaration date.Through the global agency network,Zhongshitong completes the pre-check of certificate of origin before the goods are shipped,and has helped 12 enterprises save more than 1.5 million RMB in tariff costs in 2026.

5.Hidden Costs and Risk Avoidance: Value Anchor of Agency Services

The hidden costs of imported polished grinding floors are often ignored.Zhongshitong summarizes the three major traps:

• ① Demurrage fee: if the bill of lading exchange is delayed for more than 3 days,a demurrage fee of 500-800 RMB will be incurred per day (data of Shanghai Port in the past six months);
• ② Declaration modification fee: if the declaration elements are wrong,leading to return of the declaration form,the single modification fee is about 2000 RMB;
• ③ Exchange loss: the RMB exchange rate fluctuates greatly in 2026,and failure to lock the exchange rate in advance may lead to a cost loss of 3%-5%.

Avoidance solutions: ① Enable the 24-hour bill of lading exchange channel of Shanghai Port to ensure that the exchange is completed within 12 hours after the bill of lading arrives at the port; ② Establish a double review system (document clerk + document review expert) to check the declaration elements in advance; ③ Cooperate with banks on exchange rate locking agreement to lock the exchange rate of the day (applicable to large-value procurement).

In 2026,Zhongshitong launched the full-process visualization service for polished grinding floor agency: the customs declaration progress,inspection status and expense details are pushed in real time through the Zhongshitong Cloud Platform,allowing enterprises to change from passive waiting to active control.We always believe that the real value of agency service is to help customers turn compliance risks into customs clearance advantages.