Manufacturing equipment
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[1]; 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[3].
How factory equipment usually ships
| Method | Use it when | Avoid it when |
|---|---|---|
| Container | Machines on skids that pass a 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) wide door and can be pulled in on rollers or forks[5]. | The machine has to be lifted in from above, or it is wider than the door. |
| Open top | Tall machining centres, presses and moulding machines up to 7 ft 4 in (2.23 m) wide that are lowered in by crane through the roof[5]. | The machine is wider than the roof opening. |
| Flat rack | Large presses, boring mills and line sections too wide for any container. | The press frame is heavier than the rack takes on its footprint. |
| Breakbulk | Press frames, rolling-mill stands and other single pieces beyond flat rack limits. | A flat rack or a roll trailer takes the piece. |
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Container, open top and flat rack limits
| Figure | 40' high cube container[5] | 40' open top container[5] | 20' open top container[5] | 40' high cube flat rack[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO size-type code | 45G1 | 42U1 | 22U1 | 45P3 |
| Inside length | 39 ft 6 in (12.03 m) | 39 ft 6 in (12.03 m) | 19 ft 4 in (5.9 m) | 38 ft 3 in (11.65 m) |
| Inside width (flat racks: floor) | 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) | 7 ft 9 in (2.35 m) | 7 ft 9 in (2.35 m) | 7 ft 8 in (2.35 m) |
| Inside height (flat racks: floor to top of end walls) | 8 ft 10 in (2.7 m) | 7 ft 10 in (2.38 m) | 7 ft 10 in (2.38 m) | 7 ft 5 in (2.27 m) |
| Door opening, width × height | 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 8 ft 6 in / 2.6 m | 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 7 ft 6 in / 2.28 m | 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 7 ft 6 in / 2.28 m | – |
| Roof opening, length × width | – | 37 ft 11 in / 11.55 m × 7 ft 4 in / 2.23 m | 17 ft 6 in / 5.34 m × 7 ft 4 in / 2.23 m | – |
| Floor height above ground | – | – | – | 2 ft 2 in (0.65 m) |
| Maximum gross weight | 71,700 lb (32,500 kg) | 71,700 lb (32,500 kg) | 71,700 lb (32,500 kg) | 61 US tons (55,000 kg) |
| Tare weight | 8,490 lb (3,850 kg) | 8,930 lb (4,050 kg) | 5,400 lb (2,450 kg) | 13,000 lb (5,900 kg) |
| Maximum payload | 63,200 lb (28,650 kg) | 62,700 lb (28,450 kg) | 66,200 lb (30,050 kg) | 54 US tons (49,100 kg) |
| Volume | 76.3 m³ | 66.5 m³ | 32.5 m³ | – |
| Rating per lashing point | 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) | 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) | 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) | 11,000 lb (5,000 kg) |
- 40' high cube container: The door opening, not the interior, decides what drives in: 8 ft 6 in (2.60 m) high.[5]
- 40' open top container: Older 40′ open tops are rated 67,200 lb (30,480 kg) gross (58,700 lb / 26,630 kg payload).[5]
- 20' open top container: Loaded by crane through the roof; the door header swings out. Cargo above the side walls ships under a tarpaulin as over-height.[5]
- 40' high cube flat rack: Series range from 97,100 lb to 60 US tons (44,050 to 54,200 kg) payload. The weight must reach the two main beams, directly or through cross timbers; on a 6 ft 7 in (2 m) resting length this rack takes 56,400 lb (25.6 t).[8]
Export rules for machine tools
A machine tool’s ECCN decides whether the destination needs a license. Packing and securing rules apply to every crate and skid.
- Numerically controlled machine tools (ECCNs 2B001 and 2B991)BIS (U.S. Department of Commerce)
Machine tools that can be fitted with numerical control and reach the precision thresholds of ECCN 2B001 are controlled for national security (NS column 2), nuclear non-proliferation and anti-terrorism reasons, so many destinations need a license. Numerically controlled machine tools below those thresholds fall under 2B991, controlled for anti-terrorism reasons only (AT column 1). For turning, milling and grinding machines the thresholds are set on the stated unidirectional positioning repeatability (for a turning machine, 0.9 µm or better along an axis with under 3 ft 3 in / 1 m of travel), so the manufacturer’s specification decides which entry applies.[3][4]
Applies to: Machine tools for cutting metal, ceramics or composites that can take numerical control
- 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.[9][4][10]
Applies to: Every export of goods subject to the Export Administration Regulations
- 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.[11][12]
Applies to: Any Schedule B line over $2,500, and every vehicle
- 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.[6]
Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage
- SOLAS verified gross mass (VGM)IMO
Since 1 July 2016 the shipper must give a signed verified gross mass for each packed container, found by weighing the packed unit or by adding the weighed cargo, lashing and dunnage to the container tare. The carrier needs it before the stowage plan is drawn up; without it the container is not loaded.[13]
Applies to: Every packed container, flat rack and open top
- Cargo securement on trucks (49 CFR 393.106 and 393.130)FMCSA
The tiedowns on a load must together have a working load limit of at least half its weight. A machine on wheels or tracks weighing 10,000 lb or more needs at least four tiedowns, fixed as close as practicable to its front and rear or to its designed tie points; buckets and shovels are lowered and secured, and articulated machines are locked so they cannot articulate.[14][15]
Applies to: Machines on wheels or tracks moved by truck, and every other load on a public road
Where U.S. manufacturing machines go
U.S. exports by HS subheading in 2024, as reported by the United States to UN Comtrade. Mexico is the largest market for both.
| Product | U.S. exports, 2024 | Units | Largest markets, share of value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machining centres for metalHS 845710 | $640 million[1] | 9,711 | Mexico 37% · Belgium 20% · Canada 14% · India 5% · China 4% |
| Injection-moulding machinesHS 847710 | $168 million[2] | 1,503 | Mexico 61% · Canada 20% · Germany 5% · Thailand 3% · China 2% |
Preparing a machine tool for export
The machine is cleaned, its axes locked with the manufacturer’s transport brackets, and bare metal coated against corrosion before it is wrapped. It is bolted to a skid or crated; any solid wood in the skid, crate or blocking is heat-treated and stamped under ISPM 15[6].
The manufacturer’s specification sheet goes with the export file. It states the positioning repeatability that decides the ECCN[3], and the weight and lifting points we need to plan the rigging.
Questions about shipping manufacturing equipment
Does a used CNC machine need an export license?
It depends on its ECCN and the destination. A machine that meets the 2B001 precision thresholds is controlled for national security, nuclear non-proliferation and anti-terrorism reasons, so many countries need a license; a 2B991 machine is controlled for anti-terrorism only.
Can a machining centre ship in a container?
Many can. A machine on a skid that passes the 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) door is pulled in on rollers; a taller one up to 7 ft 4 in (2.23 m) wide is lowered into an open top by crane. Wider machines go on a flat rack.
Which countries buy the most U.S. machining centres?
In 2024 Mexico was the largest market for U.S. machining centres by value, followed by Belgium, Canada, India and China.
Our Services for Manufacturing
- Crating and Packing
Skids, ISPM 15 crates and corrosion protection
- Container Loading
Machines rolled into containers or lowered into open tops
- Machinery Skidding
Moving machines out of the plant and onto the truck
- Flat Rack Shipping
For presses and machines too wide for a container
Equipment We Ship for Manufacturing
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]World Bank WITS (UN Comtrade), U.S. exports of HS 845710, 2024, checked October 18, 2026
- [2]World Bank WITS (UN Comtrade), U.S. exports of HS 847710, 2024, checked October 18, 2026
- [3]eCFR, Supplement No. 1 to 15 CFR Part 774, Commerce Control List (ECCNs 2B001 and 2B991), checked October 18, 2026
- [4]eCFR, 15 CFR 738.4 Determining whether a license is required, checked October 18, 2026
- [5]Hapag-Lloyd, Container Specification (2024 update), checked October 18, 2026
- [6]USDA APHIS, Export ISPM 15-compliant wood packaging material, checked October 18, 2026
- [7]Hapag-Lloyd, 40′ High Cube Flatrack, checked October 18, 2026
- [8]Hapag-Lloyd, Weight distribution in containers for safe transport (guideline), checked October 18, 2026
- [9]eCFR, 15 CFR 734.3 Items subject to the EAR (EAR99), checked October 18, 2026
- [10]eCFR, 15 CFR 732.3 Steps regarding the ten general prohibitions, checked October 18, 2026
- [11]eCFR, 15 CFR 30.37 Miscellaneous exemptions (Foreign Trade Regulations), checked October 18, 2026
- [12]U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Regulations FAQs, checked October 18, 2026
- [13]IMO, SOLAS verified gross mass requirement enters into force (1 July 2016), checked October 18, 2026
- [14]eCFR, 49 CFR 393.106 General requirements for securing articles of cargo, checked October 18, 2026
- [15]eCFR, 49 CFR 393.130 Securement of heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery, checked October 18, 2026
Send us the machine and the destination
Give us the model or the measured dimensions and weight. We come back with the method, the sailing and a price, and the figures behind them.