Packaging, Shipping & Incoterms

Metal parts are prone to scratching and deformation in transit, so packaging and shipping are specified here rather than improvised at the dock. This page covers the Incoterms we quote on, the packing standard each order ships to, the documents that leave with the goods, and how production progress is reported until delivery.

Incoterms 2020: what each term commits us to

Incoterms are published by the International Chamber of Commerce and answer three questions: who pays the main carriage, who clears the goods for import and pays duty, and where risk passes from seller to buyer. Before comparing prices from two suppliers, confirm the quote’s basis — tooling, quantity, material grade, finishing, packaging and Incoterm. Two numbers on different terms are not comparable.

Term	Main carriage paid by	Import clearance & duty	Insurance	Risk transfers	With us
EXW — Ex Works (our premises)	Buyer	Buyer	Buyer’s choice	At our factory in Nanpi	Quoted as standard
FCA — Free Carrier (named place)	Buyer	Buyer	Buyer’s choice	Into the buyer’s carrier at the named place	Quoted as standard
FOB — Free on Board (named port)	Buyer	Buyer	Buyer’s choice	Once loaded on board the vessel	Quoted as standard
CFR — Cost and Freight (named port)	Us, to the destination port	Buyer	Buyer’s choice	On board at the port of shipment	Available on request
CIF — Cost, Insurance and Freight (named port)	Us, to the destination port	Buyer	Us, minimum cover	On board at the port of shipment	Available on request
DAP — Delivered at Place (named destination)	Us, to the named destination	Buyer	Us, in transit	At the named destination, ready to unload	Available on request
DDP — Delivered Duty Paid (named destination)	Us, to the named destination	Us	Us, in transit	At the named destination, cleared	Available on request

Two points that decide most disputes

FOB, CFR and CIF are sea and inland-waterway terms. Air freight and courier shipments use FCA, CPT/CIP, DAP or DDP. A quotation that says “FOB” over an air waybill has no defined meaning under Incoterms 2020.
Under CFR and CIF, cost runs to the destination port but risk ends at the origin. The buyer owns the sea leg even though the seller paid for it. We state the term and the named place on the quotation so this is never a matter of interpretation.

Packaging standard

We have more than ten years of export experience and are familiar with international logistics requirements, so packaging is designed for the transport mode and the part, not for the lowest carton price.

Layer	What we do	Why it matters on metal parts
Inner packaging	Hard corrugated paper partitions between parts	Stops direct contact and friction, which is where surface scratches start
Cushioning	Selected by part weight and transport mode	A stamped bracket and a machined housing do not vibrate the same way
Outer box	Five-layer reinforced corrugated boxes, sized to the load	Stack strength on a container floor, not just shelf presentation
Cases and pallets	Glued wooden cases made to export standards for heavy or large assemblies	Prevents deformation on parts that cannot be re-bent after shipping
Marking and paperwork	Detailed packing list and product certificate of conformity attached to each box	The receiving team can check in against the box, not against an email

Special packaging, marking or labelling requirements are confirmed at quotation stage. An inappropriate pallet or box does not only reduce efficiency — it causes quality accidents that appear after the goods have crossed an ocean.

Documents that ship with the order

Document	Status	Purpose
Commercial invoice	Every shipment	Declared value for customs entry
Packing list	Every shipment	Matches cartons and cases to order lines
Certificate of conformity	Every shipment	Declares the goods against the agreed specification
Bill of lading (sea) / air waybill (air) / courier tracking	Issued by the carrier, copy to you	Proof of handover and title
Inspection and batch test reports	Per the agreed inspection plan	First-piece, in-process and final packaging inspection records
Material certificate	On request	Confirms grade and batch of the sheet or bar used
Certificate of origin	On request	Where your entry requires it
ISPM 15 treatment on wood packaging	Marked where timber is used	Mandatory for wooden cases and pallets in most markets

Your customs broker confirms the exact list for your entry; requirements differ by market and by product. Send us the list before the goods leave.

Lead time and how progress is reported

Stage	Time
Rough quotation	Within 8 hours of the drawing
Samples	Within 72 hours on a dedicated sample line
Tooling	One to two weeks for simple tooling; complex dies take longer and are fixed at quotation
Mass production	One to four weeks for small batches; volume runs are scheduled to a confirmed date
Shipping	By the freight mode chosen

Monthly production capacity is more than 500,000 pieces, which is what allows large orders to hold a schedule rather than queue behind other work. During production the business team synchronises progress every week — from raw material warehousing, through first-piece inspection, to finished-product packing — with all information provided in pictures and text. You do not have to keep asking whether it is done.

Freight booking, tracking and after-sales

• Mode selection. Our business and logistics team arranges sea, air or express delivery and quotes the options against your deadline and budget, so you choose the trade-off rather than inherit ours.
• Tracking. Complete tracking is provided so delivery deadlines stay precise from handover to arrival.
• Split shipments.Yes — split shipments across several dates are standard practice. Each batch passes the same inspection checks and ships with its own document set.
• After-sales. Quality objections are answered within 8 hours, and usage feedback is followed up after delivery.

Where your goods ship from

Our factory is in Nanpi, Cangzhou, Hebei — China’s hardware manufacturing county — between Beijing and Tianjin, and has been manufacturing here since 1999. Tianjin port lies close to the factory, which is what keeps the inland leg short enough for the lead times above to mean something. We export mainly to the United States and Europe, and ship to Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Frequently asked questions

Sea, air or express — how do I choose?

Express for samples and a handful of parts. Air for a late production batch where the line is stopped. Sea for anything that can wait and is heavy. We quote all three against the same order so the difference is a number, not a guess.

Who pays duty and import VAT?

The buyer, on every term except DDP. Under DDP we pay them, and the amount appears inside the delivered price rather than as a separate bill at your border.

Do you pack to our specification?

Yes, when it is stated before production. Retail-ready packaging, barcodes, set kits, inner boxes and pallet patterns are all possible; each one changes the packing time and therefore the lead time, so it is priced at quotation rather than added at the dock.

Can we inspect before shipment?

Yes. Your own inspector or a third party is welcome before handover. Final inspection already covers geometry, surface and packaging, so an independent check is an additional sign-off rather than a substitute for ours.

What happens if parts arrive damaged?

Who bears the loss follows the term you bought on. Risk passes at the point named in the table above: damage before that point is ours; damage after it is a claim against the party that holds the cover — us under CIF, DAP and DDP, your insurer under EXW, FCA and FOB. Send photos of the outer carton, the dunnage and the damaged parts against the packing list, and the claim is answered within the same 8-hour after-sales window as any other issue, with a remedy agreed in writing: replacement, repair or credit.

Page last updated: 22 September 2026. Packaging, documents and lead times above reflect current practice; a specific order is governed by its own quotation and confirmation.