A Complete Guide to Importing Road Construction Equipment: Process and Practical Steps

Five Key Control Points for Importing Road Construction Equipment

Amid the 2025 global infrastructure boom, domestic engineering companies saw a 23% year-on-year increase in imports of road construction equipment like asphalt pavers and rollers. Asforeign tradeagency experts with 20 years of hands-on experience, we revealImport Representationthe core control factors through real-world cases.

Pre-Qualification and Equipment Compliance Standards

Three essential qualifications to confirm before importing:

• Importers legal entity status
  • Customs AEO certification level (recommended M or above)
  • Construction machinery business license
• Technical compliance for equipment
  • CE certification/EPA emission standards (depending on the country of origin)
  • Chinese operation manual filing

Transportation solution cost comparison model

Below is a cost analysis for transporting equipment of different tonnages (unit: USD):

Equipment type	Ro-ro ship transportation	Flat Rack Container Transportation	Bulk carrier transportation
30-ton asphalt paver	18,500	22,000	15,800
50-ton roller	Not feasible	28,500	23,200

Key Practical Points of Customs Clearance Operations

According to Announcement No. 38 of the General Administration of Customs in 2025, special attention should be paid to the import of construction machinery:

• The processing time for the Import Registration Certificate of Electromechanical Products has been shortened to 3 working days
• Used equipment must provide original factory refurbishment certificates
• Declaration of residual oil in hydraulic systems requires third-party testing reports

Agency service provider selection criteria

Four core competencies of high-quality agents:

• Special equipment transportation qualifications (such as Oversize Load Permit)
• Configuration of self-operated customs clearance teams at destination ports
• Capability to handle tariff guarantee insurance
• Temporary storage services during equipment debugging periods

Typical case analysis

Three major problems encountered by a central state-owned enterprise importing Wirtgen milling machines from Germany in 2025:

• Technical parameters not matching the declaration causing port delays (Solution: Emergency processing of parameter change filings)
• Penalties for not declaring accompanying tools separately (Improvement plan: Establish a mechanism for separate declaration of accessories)
• Storage fees incurred due to extended equipment debugging periods (Countermeasure: Pre-book bonded maintenance workshops)

Risk prevention and control system construction

Three recommended risk control nodes to establish:

• Pre-shipment equipment status notarization (Recommended to use SGS inspection)
• Access to GPS monitoring systems during transportation
• 48-hour emergency response mechanism upon port arrival