Shipping Used Machinery and Equipment Internationally: What to Prepare

Shipping used (second-hand) machinery and industrial equipment is harder than shipping the same machine new, because the machine's history becomes part of the shipment. Importing countries can restrict or condition used equipment, customs wants the invoice to say it is used and to explain the value, quarantine services inspect it for soil and plant material, and carriers want to know what is left in the tanks and batteries. The practical takeaway: before you book, confirm the destination's rules for used goods, clean and drain the machine, document its condition with serial numbers and photos, and choose the loading method (container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk) from the machine's real dimensions and weight. This guide, current as of October 2026, walks through each step.

Why is used equipment treated differently from new?

A new machine arrives with a manufacturer's paperwork trail, a clean surface and a predictable value. A used one arrives with wear, residue, unknown history and a price that depends on an opinion. Governments respond in three main ways:

• Import conditions on used goods. Some countries restrict or condition second-hand capital goods, for example by requiring a permit, an age or residual-life test, or an independent inspection certificate. India is a commonly cited example: its Foreign Trade Policy has long set conditions on second-hand capital goods, and an inspection report from a chartered engineer is widely reported as a customs expectation. I could not retrieve the current DGFT text for this guide, so treat that as a lead and confirm the present rule with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade or your customs broker. Other destinations set their own tests; the rule belongs to the importing country and changes, so check it for your own route.
• Biosecurity controls. Soil, mud, seeds and insects on used equipment are a quarantine risk. Australia is the best-known strict regime (see the cleaning section below).
• Product and safety conformity. Machinery sold into the EU or UK from outside generally has to meet that market's conformity requirements, and second-hand machinery brought in from abroad is commonly treated as new to that market on import. Whether CE or UK conformity documents are expected for a specific machine is something the importer should confirm before shipping, not after arrival.

The common misconception is that used equipment simply attracts a lower value and otherwise follows the new-goods route. In practice the route can be closed, conditional or slower for used goods, and the shipper is expected to find that out before the machine is loaded.

Which documents does used machinery need?

The core set is the usual commercial set (invoice, packing list, transport document), with extra detail that customs and quarantine staff look for in used goods. The commercial invoice should be specific enough that an officer who has never seen the machine can match the paperwork to the steel.

• Commercial invoice stating the goods are used. Say "used" or "second-hand" in the description, never leave it out to avoid a restriction. Mislabelling a used machine as new, or hiding the age, is a misdeclaration problem on its own.
• Make, model, serial number and year of manufacture. Many used-goods rules, and most valuation checks, turn on age. Match the numbers to the machine's data plate.
• Value and its basis. State the price actually paid, or, where there is no sale (a company moving its own plant to another site), how the value was set, for example an independent appraisal or net book value. Customs may ask.
• Condition and purpose. Describe the condition (working, for parts, for scrap, reconditioned) and, where the importing country restricts resale, a plain statement that the equipment is for the importer's own use and not for resale, if that is true.
• Packing list with dimensions and weights. Include the gross weight of each piece and any detachable attachments.
• Ownership evidence. A bill of sale, and for self-propelled units a title or registration document (this is a hard requirement in the US export process, covered below).
• Inspection certificate and cleaning record. Where the importing country asks for an independent condition certificate, allow time to arrange it. Keep the wash record with the file, and make sure wood crating meets ISPM 15.

How is used machinery valued for customs?

Customs values used goods on the same framework as new ones, usually starting from the price actually paid or payable. The difficulty is that a used price is easy to challenge: officers compare it with new-equipment prices, age and market listings. A price far below what the age and condition suggest invites questions, and so does a sale between related companies. Keep the sale contract, payment proof and any independent appraisal together, and see how the dutiable value is calculated for the transaction-value method and the alternatives used when there is no arm's-length sale.

What cleaning and biosecurity checks apply to used machinery?

Australia is the clearest published example. According to the US Commercial Service's Australia country guide, vehicles, machinery, parts and tyres must arrive clean and free of contamination of biosecurity concern, inside and out, and the listed contaminants include live insects, seeds, soil, mud and clay. The same guide notes that equipment that has only been field-tested counts as used for quarantine purposes and may need an import permit, that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) can order contaminated machinery re-exported, and that importers have little recourse once a shipment fails. The guide points to DAFF's BICON import conditions database for product-specific rules. Other countries publish their own cleanliness rules, so check the destination's plant and animal health authority, not just customs.

What this means in practice for the shipper:

• Pressure-wash the whole machine, including the undercarriage, tracks, tyres, radiators, cab floor, air filters and cavities where soil packs in. Used agricultural and earthmoving equipment is the highest risk.
• Wash close to the loading date, then photograph the clean machine from every side and keep the wash record.
• Expect that an inspector who cannot reach all areas may require cleaning on arrival, at the importer's cost.

Do fluids and batteries make used machinery dangerous goods?

They can, and the common misconception is that draining a machine automatically makes it non-regulated. It depends on the rule and on the mode. Machinery with engines, fuel, hydraulic oil, lead-acid or lithium batteries and other hazardous contents can be regulated as dangerous goods when carried as cargo, and carriers apply their own acceptance policies on top of the regulations.

The US hazardous materials rule for engines and machinery, 49 CFR 173.220, gives a useful picture of how the conditions work. It covers vehicles and machinery that contain fuel, a battery or other hazardous materials. Fuel is treated as absent only if the engine or tank and the fuel lines are completely drained, sufficiently cleaned of residue and purged of vapours. A drained flammable-liquid tank must be securely closed, and the rule tolerates up to 500 mL of residual fuel. Batteries must be securely installed and protected, or removed and packaged separately, and installed lithium batteries carry extra conditions, especially for air. That rule governs US transport; international sea carriage runs under the IMDG Code and air under the IATA rules, which follow a similar logic but with their own provisions, so confirm the classification with your forwarder before the machine arrives at the terminal.

Practical steps: drain fuel systems as the applicable rule requires, close tanks, secure or remove batteries and protect their terminals, and state on the booking what the machine contains. For the regulations themselves, see the IMDG Code and IATA regulations explained.

Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?

Choose from the machine's measured dimensions and weight, not its catalogue size. Attachments, mirrors and exhaust stacks add height and width, and removing them is often the easiest way to change the category. Use the container types and dimensions guide to check the internal door openings and payload limits, then compare:

For the trade-offs on powered equipment see RoRo vs container shipping for vehicles and machinery, and for oversized or heavy pieces project cargo and out-of-gauge shipping.

Lashing plans and a photo record

A machine that shifts in transit damages itself, the container and sometimes other cargo, and a claim without evidence is hard to win. Agree a lashing and blocking plan with the packer or forwarder before loading: where the machine sits, how its weight is spread, which points it is secured to, and what dunnage supports it. Our guide to dunnage, lashing and bracing explains the materials and methods.

Build a photo record as you go: condition at handover (all sides, hours meter, data plate), existing damage, the cleaned undercarriage, the lashing once complete and the sealed unit. Time-stamped photos taken before the carrier takes custody are what an insurer will ask for after a loss. Check what your cargo insurance excludes for used goods and pre-existing wear before relying on it.

What does the US export side require?

If the machine leaves the United States, three checks matter, whatever its age or value:

• Classification and licensing. Used items remain subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and age does not remove a control. Classify the machine, check whether its ECCN needs a licence for the destination and end user, and screen the parties. Machine tools and some industrial equipment can fall under controlled entries. See how ECCN and EAR99 classification works.
• Electronic Export Information (EEI). Under 15 CFR 758.1(b), EEI is required for commodities under a single Schedule B or HTS number worth more than $2,500, subject to exemptions in the Foreign Trade Regulations. It is also required regardless of value for some destinations and for items that need a licence, so do not assume a low price means no filing.
• Used self-propelled equipment. Under 19 CFR Part 192, exporting used self-propelled vehicles, a definition that includes self-propelled construction and agricultural equipment, has its own reporting. The ownership documents (for a US-titled unit, the original certificate of title and copies, and a lienholder letter where there is a lien) must be submitted at least 72 hours before export. Exporting without meeting it can carry penalties.

Pre-shipment checklist for used machinery

• Destination rules for used goods checked (permit, age or residual-life test, inspection certificate, resale limits).
• Importer or customs broker confirmed the HS code and any conformity documents needed.
• Invoice says "used", lists make, model, serial number, year and value basis.
• Packing list with each piece's weight and dimensions, attachments listed.
• Machine washed, inspected and photographed; wash record filed; wood packaging marked for ISPM 15.
• Fluids drained and tanks closed, or declared as required; batteries secured, protected or removed.
• Loading method chosen from measured dimensions and weight; lashing and blocking plan agreed.
• Export classification, screening and EEI or equivalent export filing done; title documents ready for self-propelled units.
• Insurance arranged with used-goods conditions read; photo record kept.

What to do next

1. Ask the importer or their customs broker for the destination's written rules on used goods, and what documents or certificates they expect, before you pay for transport.
2. Measure and weigh the machine as it will ship (attachments removed or fitted) and get quotes for at least two loading methods.
3. Book cleaning, fluid draining and any inspection with enough lead time that the unit is ready and clean at loading, not days earlier.
4. Complete the export checks (classification, screening, EEI, title) and assemble the document set and photo record into one file.

If you need a forwarder with machinery, flat rack or RoRo experience, more than 29,300 logistics companies are searchable by country and service in the CargoLinked directory, and the public requests board lists freight that shippers have posted for forwarders to quote on directly.

This article is general information as of October 2026, not legal, tax, financial or customs advice. Rules for used goods differ by country and change often; confirm requirements with the destination's customs and agriculture authorities, the export control authority and a licensed customs broker before you ship.