To import machinery from India, you move through seven steps: specify the machine, request quotes, verify the maker, agree terms, inspect before shipment, ship, and clear and check the machine on arrival. Skipping a step is how most problems start.
Machinery shipping from India is the easiest part to arrange. The harder work is the earlier steps, where the purchase order decides who bears the risk if the machine is wrong.
Step 1 and 2: specify the machine and request quotes
Write down what the machine must do: material, output, power supply, accuracy and the standards it must meet in your country. A vague request returns quotes you cannot compare. See what to send for an engineering quote.
Ask three to five makers for a quote on the same specification, and compare the scope line by line. Differences in included accessories, spares and packing often explain gaps between quotes better than the machine itself.
Step 3 and 4: verify the maker and agree terms
Confirm that the company makes the machine rather than reselling it, and visit or audit the plant. Then fix the contract: specification, delivery time, Incoterm, warranty and acceptance test criteria.
Payment terms should follow progress. A balance held until the machine passes its test gives you leverage that a full advance payment never does. Compare the options in safest payment terms for machinery.
Step 5: inspect before shipment
Inspect the machine while it is still in the factory, because any fix is cheaper there. Typical checks are a run test under load, accuracy checks against the agreed figures, a review of the electrical and safety features, and a check that the nameplate, manual and spares match the order.
You can attend yourself, send a representative, or hire an independent inspector. The checklist in inspections before machinery shipment covers the usual items.
Step 6: pack, ship and prepare documents
Packing for sea freight needs rust protection, secure lashing and, for wooden crates, heat treatment marking under ISPM-15. Large machines may need a flat rack or open-top container instead of a standard box.
The maker prepares the commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading, and you or your broker prepare the import side. The full set is in documents to export machinery. Check every document against the machine before it leaves, because a mismatch costs time at the border.
Step 7: clearance and checking on arrival
Your customs broker classifies the machine, calculates duty and VAT or equivalent, and checks whether a conformity document is needed. Classification depends on the exact machine, so read how to find the HS code for a machine or part.
When the crate arrives, photograph it before opening, note any damage on the delivery paperwork, and check the contents against the packing list. Then run the machine against the acceptance test. Checking a machine on arrival lists what to record, and why it matters for any claim.
Next step
We find and audit machinery manufacturers, check samples and documents, and supervise testing and loading, for one written fee agreed in advance. To plan your first import, book a free sourcing review.