How to Choose a Pig Iron Export Agency? 2026 Full-Process Service Guide for Customs Declaration, Tax Refund and Anti-Dumping

Last year,I assisted Mr.Jia from Jiaxing,Zhejiang Province with post-issue handling of a pig iron export order.The small local agency he previously hired failed to properly control the draft survey at the loading port.After 15,000 tons of pig iron arrived at Ho Chi Minh Port,Vietnam,the measured weight at the destination port was 78 tons less than the declared weight,resulting in a direct loss of 230,000 yuan in payment and an additional 120,000 yuan in customs valuation penalties.I handle more than 30 similar cases every year,most of which are caused by agencies that are unfamiliar with the special regulatory requirements for pig iron export and only master basic customs declaration processes.

2026 Compliance Requirements for Pig Iron Export Destination Ports

Pig iron is a bulk resource-based steel product,and regulatory rules vary greatly across different countries.In 2026,the intensity of carbon footprint and origin verification for steel products by various countries increased by 27% year-on-year.Enterprises must clarify the access requirements of the corresponding market before declaration to avoid risks of cargo detention and fines.

The most common problem we encounter is that enterprises fill in the wrong origin criteria when applying for RCEP certificates of origin,resulting in failure to enjoy zero tariff treatment.In 2026,the document verification rate for steel products by RCEP member states has increased to 32%.As long as one piece of information is inconsistent with the customs declaration form,the goods will be directly detained for inspection for up to 30 days,and all resulting port detention charges and demurrage fees shall be borne by the cargo owner.

Pig Iron Export Anti-Dumping Risk Response Solutions

At present,anti-dumping duties and safeguard tariffs on Chinese pig iron imposed by the EU and the US remain at high levels.Many enterprises choose third-party transshipment to cut costs,but the verification rate of transshipped steel products by US Customs increased to 47% in 2026.Once fraudulent certificates of origin are found,the goods will be directly confiscated,the enterprise will be added to the customs blacklist,and all subsequent shipments will be subject to enhanced inspection.

Our compliance solution for clients targeting the EU market is to apply RCEP rules of origin cumulation,complete simple processing procedures at our cooperative factories in Southeast Asia to meet the 40% regional value content requirement before exporting to the EU,which allows full exemption from the 28.7% anti-dumping duty.We have implemented this solution for 29 clients so far,saving an average of more than 2 million yuan per 10,000 tons of goods.All operations are fully traceable and fully comply with EU and RCEP regulatory requirements,with no compliance risks.

Optimized Operating Guide for Pig Iron Export Tax Refund

The export tax refund rate for pig iron remains at 13% in 2026.Most industrial and trading enterprises handle tax refunds on their own,which usually takes 3 to 6 months to receive the payment.If the information on the input VAT invoice is inconsistent with the customs declaration form,they will be subject to tax authority inquiry and verification,and it may take up to 1 year to receive the tax refund,occupying a large amount of cash flow.

Our operation process is that as long as the enterprise’s input VAT invoice,customs declaration form and foreign exchange receipt voucher are complete,we can provide advance tax refund payment within 3 working days after customs clearance completion,without waiting for the tax authority’s review.At the same time,we will pre-audit all documents 7 days in advance to ensure that the product name,specification and unit on the input VAT invoice are fully consistent with those on the customs declaration form,avoiding the risk of inquiry and verification.In March 2026,I assisted Mr.Xiang from Tangshan,Hebei Province with a tax refund application.When he filed the application on his own,he was subject to tax authority inquiry and verification because the unit on the input VAT invoice was marked as "ton" while the customs declaration form used "kilogram".We helped him sort out the corresponding weighbridge tickets,MTC and logistics vouchers,and the inquiry and verification was completed in 10 days,with 870,000 yuan of tax refund successfully received.

Pig Iron Export Foreign Exchange Receipt and Logistics Security Guarantee

Pig iron export usually involves high-value transactions,with the value of a single order generally exceeding 10 million yuan.The foreign exchange receipt risk and logistics risk are much higher than those of general cargo.Many enterprises have encountered situations such as destination port customers abandoning goods or deliberately defaulting on payment,and some have incurred high demurrage fees because the agency failed to coordinate berths properly.

For orders under FOB terms,we can help clients control the title of goods,and will not release the bill of lading to the customer before full payment is received.At the same time,we have a long-term cooperation with Sinosure,and the premium for export credit insurance we arrange for clients is 30% lower than that purchased by enterprises on their own.Even if the customer abandons the goods,90% of the cargo value can be compensated.In terms of logistics,we have long-term agreements with 27 bulk carrier companies worldwide,with freight rates 5% to 8% lower than the market average.We have stationed offices at major pig iron export ports such as Tianjin,Rizhao,Lianyungang and Fangchenggang,and can arrange on-site loading supervision to check the weighing error between draft survey and weighbridge.If the error exceeds 0.3%,re-weighing will be required immediately to avoid weight disputes at the destination port.

Three common risks in pig iron export should be avoided in advance:

• Weighing error risk: Pig iron is a bulk cargo.If the difference between draft survey weight and weighbridge weight exceeds 0.5%,the destination port customs will require revaluation or even impose penalties.Many small agencies do not arrange loading supervision,so the cargo owner bears the final loss.
• Document discrepancy risk: The composition and weight stated on the MTC must be fully consistent with those on the customs declaration form and certificate of origin.The document verification rate for steel products by RCEP member states increased to 32% in 2026,and any discrepancy will lead to direct cargo detention.
• Demurrage risk: The free storage period for bulk carriers at loading and unloading ports is usually only 3 days.In case of holidays or port congestion,daily demurrage can be as high as USD 12,000.Many agencies do not coordinate berths in advance,resulting in extra costs.

Zhongshitong is headquartered in Shanghai,with cross-regional declaration qualification for all national ports and an agency network covering more than 300 ports worldwide.We provide one-stop services for all links of pig iron export,eliminating the need for enterprises to coordinate with multiple service providers.All operations are fully transparent,and all charges are listed in advance with no hidden fees.