As an important raw material for steel production, the import process of iron ore plays an important role in global trade. With the expansion of the global iron ore market, China, as the worlds largest iron ore importer, the customs clearance policies and processes for importing iron ore have attracted much attention.

It is particularly important to understand the customs clearance policies and processes for importing iron ore. This article will deeply analyze each link of iron ore import, revealing the challenges and opportunities therein.

Iron ore refers to a mineral aggregate containing iron單質(zhì) or iron compounds that can be economically utilized and is the core raw material for steel production. According to different mineral compositions, iron ore is generally divided into the following types:

Magnetite:Its main component is ferrous ferric oxide (Fe?O?), which is an ore with strong magnetism. Usually, the crystals appear as octahedrons or dodecahedrons.
Hematite:The main component is ferric oxide (Fe?O?), which belongs to the oxide mineral of the hexagonal crystal system and appears reddish - brown or steel - gray.
Limonite:The main component is hydrated iron oxide, which belongs to cryptocrystalline goethite and usually appears brown.
Siderite:The main component is ferrous carbonate (FeCO?), usually in the form of crystal grains or dense massive, spherical or gel - like without showing crystals.

These ores are the foundation of the steel industry. The different characteristics of each ore determine their specific uses in the industry.

The supervision process of imported iron ore mainly focuses on several aspects to ensure that it complies with Chinas safety, environmental protection and trade policies.

1 Radioactivity detection

According to the provisions of the Rules for the Radioactivity Inspection of Imported Mineral Products (SN/T 1537 - 2023), the customs will conduct radioactivity detection on iron ore at the first port of entry into China. This is to prevent radioactive - contaminated ores from entering the country and affecting the environment and human health.

2 Inspection of foreign inclusions

The customs inspects imported iron ore for foreign inclusions, focusing on checking whether there are harmful substances in terms of safety, health and environmental protection. These inclusions include:

(1) Quarantine inclusions:Such as weeds, soil, animal residues, etc.
(2) Hazardous inclusions:Such as flammable, explosive or toxic substances.
(3) Other sundries:Such as plastics, fibers, paper products, etc.

The presence of these substances may affect the quality of the ore and even cause harm to the industrial equipment or the environment that uses these ores. Therefore, it must be thoroughly investigated before entry.

3 Solid waste inspection

According to the Announcement on Issuing the Identification Procedures for the Solid Waste Attributes of Imported Goods (Announcement No. 2, 2023 of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the General Administration of Customs), the customs conducts a whole - process solid waste inspection of imported iron ore. Ensure that waste slag or other solid waste is not mistakenly imported as iron ore, thus protecting Chinas environmental safety.

To promote trade facilitation, the Chinese customs has implemented a series of customs clearance facilitation measures for imported iron ore. These measures aim to improve efficiency and reduce corporate costs.

1 Release first, inspect later policy

According to the Announcement of the General Administration of Customs on Adjusting the Supervision Methods of Some Imported Mineral Products (Announcement No. 134, 2018 of the General Administration of Customs), the release first, inspect later supervision method can be adopted for imported iron ore.

(1) Release first:That is, after the imported iron ore passes the on - site inspection and quarantine and meets the requirements, the enterprise can take the ore away from the customs supervision place.
(2) Inspect later:That is, after the iron ore is taken away, the customs will continue to conduct laboratory tests and issue a quality inspection certificate.

This method speeds up the circulation of the ore, reduces the port storage time, and enterprises can obtain the goods more quickly.

2 Precautions

When implementing the release first, inspect later policy, the following points need to be noted:

After the imported mineral products pass the on - site inspection and quarantine and meet the requirements, the consignee can take the ore away from the customs supervision place, but the enterprise can only sell or use these ores after the customs completes the conformity assessment and issues a certificate.
If problems such as excessive radioactivity, inclusion of solid waste, and inconsistency between the goods and the certificates are found during the on - site inspection and quarantine process, the release first, inspect later policy is not applicable, and the customs will immediately adopt more stringent supervision measures.
If major problems involving safety, hygiene, environmental protection, trade fraud, etc. are found during the supervision, the customs will handle them in accordance with laws and regulations and may adjust the supervision methods.

3 Weight identification implemented upon enterprise application,

According to the Announcement of the General Administration of Customs on Adjusting the Supervision Method of Weight Identification of Imported Bulk Commodities (Announcement No. 159, 2019 of the General Administration of Customs), the weight identification of imported iron ore has been adjusted from batch - by - batch implementation to implementation upon enterprise application.

If an enterprise needs the customs to issue a weight certificate, it should choose the one - time complete declaration mode when declaring to the customs and apply to the customs by checking the need weight certificate option. If the enterprise does not have this need, the customs will no longer conduct weight identification, which further simplifies the customs clearance process.

4 Quality inspection implemented upon enterprise application,

According to the Announcement of the General Administration of Customs on Adjusting the Inspection and Supervision Method of Imported Iron Ore (Announcement No. 69, 2020 of the General Administration of Customs), the quality inspection of imported iron ore has also been adjusted to be implemented upon enterprise application.

If an enterprise needs the customs to issue a quality certificate, it can choose the complete declaration mode when declaring and check the quality certificate option. The customs will conduct on - site inspections and quality tests according to the enterprises needs and issue a quality certificate after passing the inspection. This measure is also to reduce the enterprises time and logistics costs.

The customs clearance facilitation policies for imported iron ore have brought many benefits to enterprises, mainly reflected in the following aspects:

1 Improve customs clearance efficiency

Through the release first, inspect later policy, the goods can be directly released after passing the on - site inspection and quarantine, which greatly shortens the inspection and release time at the port, and enterprises can put the goods into production and use more quickly.

2 Reduce enterprise logistics costs

Enterprises can complete tax payment and customs clearance immediately after the goods are unloaded from the ship and take the goods away from the customs supervision place. This can reduce logistics costs such as port storage fees and warehousing fees and improve the capital turnover efficiency.

3 Improve port turnover efficiency

The utilization rate of berths and yards at the port terminal is increased, and the loading and unloading efficiency is also improved. This not only helps the comprehensive competitiveness of the port but also further promotes the healthy development of the port.

Conclusion

As an important industrial raw material, the import process of iron ore involves a number of strict regulations and complex customs clearance procedures. However, through a series of facilitation policies such as the release first, inspect later system and weight identification and quality inspection implemented upon enterprise application, the Chinese customs has effectively improved the customs clearance efficiency and reduced the enterprises logistics costs. For enterprises engaged in iron ore import business, being familiar with these processes and policies and making rational use of policy dividends can better optimize business efficiency and gain an advantageous position in the fierce market competition.