Industries
Shipping machinery from the U.S., by industry
Seven guides to exporting construction, mining, oilfield, farm, forestry, power and factory equipment: machine sizes from the manufacturers, how each class ships, the export rules that apply and where U.S. exports go.
Construction
Shipping construction equipment overseas
The U.S. exported $1.15 billion of excavators and $1.96 billion of front loaders in 2024; most of these machines leave on a flat rack or a RoRo ship, because few pass a 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) container door without the bucket, cab or counterweight coming off.
Read the Construction guideMining
Shipping mining equipment overseas
The U.S. exported $2.79 billion of off-highway dump trucks and $636 million of self-propelled drill rigs in 2024; the large ones are wider than the 102 in road limit, so each needs a permit from every state on the way to the port, and the largest trucks and shovels ship in modules on heavy-lift ships whose cranes lift up to 2,205 US tons (2,000 t) together.
Read the Mining guideOil & Gas
Shipping oilfield equipment overseas
U.S. exports of parts for drilling and boring machinery reached $2.22 billion in 2024, led by Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Canada; most oilfield cargo ships on flat racks and open tops or as breakbulk, and a machine that still holds fuel or a battery travels as a hazardous material.
Read the Oil & Gas guideAgriculture
Shipping tractors and farm machinery overseas
The U.S. exported $2.48 billion of wheeled tractors and $1.48 billion of combines in 2024, half the tractors and nearly three quarters of the combines by value to Canada; overseas, most large farm machines go RoRo or on flat racks because few pass a 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) container door, and Australia and New Zealand inspect every used machine for soil and seeds on arrival.
Read the Agriculture guideForestry
Shipping forestry equipment overseas
Forestry machines work in soil, bark and seed, so the destination inspection usually sets the schedule: Australia and New Zealand inspect every used machine on arrival, and machinery shipped from the U.S. to Australia between 1 September and 30 April on a flat rack or as breakbulk must be treated for stink bugs before it sails.
Read the Forestry guideEnergy & Power
Shipping turbines, generators and transformers
The U.S. exported 964 gas turbines over 5 MW, worth $1.81 billion, and 117 large liquid-filled transformers in 2024; a turbine or transformer over the 154 US tons (140 t) a roll trailer takes in one RoRo fleet moves by rail or permitted road haul to a port where a heavy-lift ship can lift it.
Read the Energy & Power guideManufacturing
Shipping CNC machines and factory equipment overseas
The U.S. exported 9,711 metal machining centres worth $640 million in 2024, more than a third of the value to Mexico; a precise CNC machine can need an export license, because whether it falls under ECCN 2B001 or 2B991 depends on the positioning repeatability the manufacturer states.
Read the Manufacturing guideIndustry not listed?
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