Shipping Heavy Equipment to Canada

The four ways to ship machinery to Canada

Container, flat rack, RoRo and breakbulk, with where each one lands. RoRo availability is by U.S. coast; the other three are booked on the services that run when the cargo is ready.

What the U.S. ships to Canada

U.S. exports to Canada by machine class, 2025 against 2024, as reported by the United States to UN Comtrade^[1]. Units are as declared; the average is customs value divided by units.

A dash means the quantity was not reported for that year. Classes the U.S. did not ship here in either year are left out.

Import duty on machinery in Canada

The most-favoured-nation (MFN) duty applied to each machine class, as a simple average of the national tariff lines under its HS subheading^[2]. Preferential rates under trade agreements can be lower.

The range shows the lowest and highest line within the subheading; a dash means every line has the same rate.

Worked example: a $100,000 excavator

Import duty: 0% of $100,000 CIF is $0 (HS 8429.52, 2023 tariff)^[2].

GST: 5% of the duty-inclusive $100,000 is $5,000 (CBSA / Transport Canada (RIV), checked June 2026)

Total duty and tax: $5,000, or 5% of CIF.

• Excise, port charges, broker fees and any registration tax are extra. The final rate depends on the exact tariff line your broker declares.

Vehicles and other taxes

Under CUSMA, qualifying US-origin vehicles are duty-free, but 5% GST applies at import (plus provincial tax at registration). Important: as of 2025 a 25% Canadian surtax applies to US-origin motor vehicles (on the non-Canadian/Mexican content for CUSMA-compliant units) as a trade countermeasure — confirm current status with CBSA before shipping. Non-North-American vehicles carry ~6.1% duty.

Source: CBSA / Transport Canada (RIV), checked June 2026.

• Import duty: 0% (CUSMA-qualifying US origin) / ~6.1% (non-North-American); plus a 25% US-vehicle surtax (2025 countermeasure — confirm current status)
• VAT: 5% GST (plus provincial tax at registration)
• Other charges: A/C excise tax (CAD $100), possible Green Levy (CAD $1,000–4,000), and Luxury Tax over CAD $100,000
• Age limits: No general age cap, but vehicles must clear Transport Canada's Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) program and meet Canadian safety standards (check the admissibility list). Vehicles 15+ years old are exempt from RIV; vehicles 25+ years old are exempt from the US-origin surtax.

Rules for used machinery in Canada

No age limit on used heavy machinery. Every used machine must arrive free of soil and plant debris (CFIA/CBSA inspection). Off-road diesel engines need an ECCC import declaration. On-road trucks under 15 years must qualify for RIV. CUSMA certification claims preference.

• Inspection: Used earth-moving vehicles and equipment, farm equipment and other used vehicles must be free of soil, sand, earth, plant residue, manure and related debris, whatever their origin. CFIA import requirements, inspection procedures and fees apply.^[4]
• Inspection: Machinery, equipment and vehicles contaminated with soil or soil-related matter are prohibited from all countries. Inspection happens at the first point of entry (seaport, airport or land border) to confirm freedom from soil.^[5]
• Conformity: CEPA emission rules cover importers of new or used off-road engines and machines. Importers must file an ECCC importation declaration, usually before import, or via the CBSA Single Window, and hold conformity evidence such as a U.S. EPA label.^[6]
• Conformity: Regulated on-road vehicles under 15 years old, such as highway dump trucks, need: FMVSS certification, retail sale in the U.S., no 'inadmissible' listing on the VIC List, a Form 1/RIV registration, and a passed post-entry RIV inspection.^[4]
• Trade agreement: To claim CUSMA preference, the importer must hold a certification of origin. It has no set format but needs the minimum data elements (certifier, exporter, producer, importer, 6-digit HS, origin criterion, signature) and may cover 12 months.^[7]

Documents for Canada

The papers a machinery shipment to Canada usually needs at destination. Your consignee and their customs broker confirm the list for the exact cargo.

• Commercial Invoice
• Packing List
• Bill of Lading
• Certificate of Origin (CUSMA)
• Import Declaration
• CSA Certification (if required)
• Equipment Specifications

U.S. export rules

What every shipment from the U.S. has to clear before it sails, whatever the destination.

Electronic Export Information (15 CFR 30)U.S. Census Bureau

Electronic Export Information is filed in AES for each Schedule B number worth more than $2,500 going to one consignee on one conveyance, and for every vehicle whatever its value. For vessel cargo it is due at least 24 hours before loading; the Internal Transaction Number (ITN) goes to the carrier with the booking.^[8][9]

Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle

Used self-propelled vehicles: 72-hour ruleU.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. regulations count self-propelled construction and agricultural machinery as vehicles. A used one must be filed in AES at least 72 hours before export, whatever its value or destination, and the ITN, the VIN or serial number and the ownership documents go to CBP at the port of export. Filing after departure is not allowed.^[10][11][9]

Applies to: Used machines that drive: excavators, loaders, dozers, tractors, trucks

ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS

Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.^[12]

Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage

Export classification under the EAR (ECCN or EAR99)BIS (U.S. Department of Commerce)

An item subject to the EAR is either listed on the Commerce Control List under an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) or classified EAR99, the basket for items not listed. The ECCN’s reasons for control, read against the Commerce Country Chart, decide whether the destination needs a license. An EAR99 item rarely needs one, but no item, EAR99 included, may go to a person under a denial order or to a prohibited end use or end user without BIS authorization.^[13][14][15]

Applies to: Every export of goods subject to the Export Administration Regulations

Exports to Canada: EEI exemption (15 CFR 30.36)U.S. Census Bureau

A shipment from the U.S. whose country of ultimate destination is Canada needs no Electronic Export Information. The exemption does not cover goods stored in Canada for a later move to a third country, goods passing through Canada to another country, or shipments that always need EEI whatever their value or destination: goods under an export license and used self-propelled vehicles. A used excavator, loader or tractor sold to a Canadian buyer is still filed in AES.^[16][17]

Applies to: Shipments whose final destination is Canada

Advance cargo data for trucks entering Canada (ACI eManifest)Canada Border Services Agency

The highway carrier, or a service provider it authorizes, transmits the cargo and conveyance data to the CBSA no earlier than 30 days and no later than one hour before the truck reaches the first Canadian port of arrival. Data received later is accepted with an insufficient review time warning, and the carrier can be fined under the Administrative Monetary Penalty System.^[18]

Applies to: Every commercial truckload crossing into Canada

Clearance notes for Canada

Winter (December–March) affects Eastern/Great Lakes ocean routes and overland moves — plan for weather delays.

• Check the RIV admissibility list before purchase; a US recall-clearance letter and the title are required.
• Claim CUSMA preference correctly in CARM; the 25% US-vehicle surtax status changes with trade negotiations — confirm current applicability with CBSA.
• The 2025 25% US-origin vehicle surtax is the big variable — confirm current applicability and CUSMA content rules before shipping.
• RIV compliance and provincial registration add steps even for duty-free CUSMA vehicles.

Questions buyers ask

Export checklist (PDF)

A one-page checklist with the facts on this page for shipping Canada: methods, duty, rules and documents. Give it to your customs broker.

Nearby destinations

• US Export Operations - Heavy Equipment to the World
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Mexico
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to United Kingdom
• Shipping Heavy Equipment to Australia

All destinations in North America