For contractors, developers and importers
Import building materials from China
Before you pay a deposit, establish whether the product meets your project requirements and what it costs delivered to your site. Start with its duty and certificate checks, then compare factory quotes against the same drawings.
Use this guide to decide which product lines are ready for an RFQ and which still need evidence. The process applies across markets; the duty links marked US apply only to US imports.
Start with the product you plan to import
Each product guide covers specification and certificate checks. US duty pages show their sources and check dates; confirm the current rate for the entry date. For other destinations, use import duty by country.
Kitchen cabinets and vanities
Panel material, cabinet drawings, exporter identity and the documents for composite wood.
US duty and order-scope checksAluminum windows and doors
The exact frame, glass and size covered by the test report or listing, and the project performance requirements.
US duty and order-scope checksSPC and LVP flooring
Product construction, wear layer, click system, emissions evidence and batch labels.
US duty and order-scope checksQuartz countertops
Material composition, slab or finished-top dimensions, packing and the exporter named on the invoice.
US duty and order-scope checksAluminum extrusions
Alloy, temper, profile drawing, finish and the form in which the goods will enter customs.
US duty and order-scope checksOther project materials
Start with tile, doors or faucets. Send the exact material, specification and destination for items outside these guides.
Compare delivered project costs
Your comparison starts with your own factory quote and local quote. List each cost once, and mark whether the quote already includes it.
- Goods, tooling, samples and factory changes needed to meet the specification.
- Origin transport and consolidation, freight and cargo insurance.
- Import duty and any trade remedies, clearance, broker and port charges.
- Site delivery, unloading, inspection, testing and installation.
For the US, enter your own figures in the US landed cost calculator. Check which costs the result includes and add any missing project costs. For shipment volume, use the CBM calculator.
A US broker can help with entry, but CBP says the importer remains responsible for compliance. CBP guidance on customs brokers, checked October 19, 2026.
From specification to delivery
1. Confirm the destination requirements
Give your designer, installer or project approver the product specification before ordering. Ask which standards, labels and test evidence the delivered product must meet. A certificate accepted for another market may not answer your project requirements.
2. Get quotes for the same specification
Send every factory the same revision of your drawings, quantities, materials, finish and packing requirements. Ask for the sample cost, minimum order, production schedule and shipping term with a named place. Keep installation and replacement parts in the comparison.
3. Verify the company and the product evidence
Match the contracting company, exporter and payment beneficiary. Ask why any names differ. For certificates, use the issuing body’s directory and match the company, model, plant where listed and covered standard. A logo in a catalog is not a product listing.
4. Resolve duty before paying a deposit
Give your customs broker the product description, construction, country of manufacture and proposed classification. For a US shipment, ask whether an antidumping or countervailing order covers the goods, and which exporter or producer rate applies. Do not assume a supplier’s HS code resolves the order scope.
5. Approve samples and inspection criteria
Keep an approved sample and drawing revision. Confirm the sample uses the materials and process planned for production. Record its finish, color, dimensions, weight, hardware and accessories, with acceptable production tolerances. Agree inspection timing, payment conditions, defect handling and reinspection terms before production. Name who can release the shipment and what evidence they need.
6. Plan one shipment through to the site
Get packed dimensions, weight and carton counts from each factory. Coordinate production dates before reserving consolidation space. Ask the forwarder to itemize origin handling, ocean freight, destination charges and delivery. Confirm access, unloading equipment and who pays if delivery cannot be completed.
US composite wood example: the EPA rule covers specified plywood, MDF and particleboard, including covered panels in finished goods. Use its TSCA Title VI overview to identify the documentation checks for your order. Source checked October 19, 2026.
Keep the supplier evidence with the order
Ask whether you are contracting with a factory, trading company or sourcing agent. Request the business license, production address and evidence that the factory can make your product. If you need an agent to coordinate several factories, agree who checks specifications, inspects goods and resolves defects.
- Request product data sheets, model-specific reports and relevant shipment references. A company certificate alone does not establish that your model meets the project requirements.
- Before shipment, check dimensions, finish, function, accessories, labels and carton marks against the approved sample and order.
- Keep packing photos, pallet or crate details and the inspection report. Put rework, replacement and credit terms in writing.
- File the RFQ, approved drawings, proforma invoice, packing list and reports under the same order reference.
Pause the order if company names keep changing, product reports do not match, or packing details remain unresolved. Request evidence before paying the next balance.
What to put in your first RFQ
Send the following as one package so factories can quote the same work:
- Product schedule, quantities and drawing revision.
- Materials, grades, thickness, dimensions, tolerances, finish codes, hardware and required standards.
- Delivery country, site address, access restrictions and required-on-site date.
- Certificate or test-report requirements and who approves them.
- Packing, inspection, replacement parts and any repeat-order or private-label requirements.
- Your requested shipping term and named place, payment terms, sample needs, production schedule and any factory quote you already hold.
Questions before ordering
Is it cheaper to import building materials from China?
Compare the same specification at the job site. Add freight, insurance, duty, clearance, delivery, inspection, installation and any testing or replacement allowance to your factory quote. Use your own quotes; a lower factory price does not establish a lower project cost.
Is there one US tariff rate for building materials from China?
No. Classification, material, origin and applicable trade measures change the calculation. Antidumping and countervailing orders also depend on their written scope and may require exporter or producer details. Start with the product-specific US pages, then confirm the current entry treatment with your broker.
Can different materials share a container?
Ask the forwarder for a loading and consolidation plan based on each factory’s packed dimensions, weight, readiness date and handling needs. Keep each product line and supplier identified on the packing list. Sharing freight does not make different products share one tariff classification.
Does a customs broker take over my US import responsibility?
CBP says the importer remains responsible for compliance even when using a broker. Agree who will be the importer of record before ordering, and keep the classification, value, origin and supporting documents with the entry records.