Country Buyer Guides
Before you import structural steel, you need to know what your country's code enforcer, customs authority and bank will require. These ten guides tell you the standards to specify, the certification to demand, the duties to budget and the timelines to plan — for the ten markets we ship to most.
One Supplier Cannot Mean One Standard
A portal frame for Dubai is engineered differently from the same frame for Melbourne: different design codes (EN 1993 vs AS 4100), different corrosion environments (C4 coastal desert vs C3-C5 cyclone zone), different fire approvals and completely different customs procedures. We have delivered steel to 40+ countries since 1999. These guides consolidate what we learned about each market so your first inquiry is better informed.
Standards First
Every guide lists the design code (AISC 360, EN 1993, AS 4100, NBR 8800, IS 800, SNI, TCVN), the welding acceptance document and the certification your fabricator must hold.
Duties & Landed Cost
Section 232 in the US, UKCA changes in Britain, GST and PPN, GCC tariffs, ex-tarifário in Brazil — each guide estimates what duty actually adds to your landed price and how to optimise classification.
Timeline & Payment
From shop drawings to port arrival, each guide gives a realistic worst-case schedule per destination and the payment structures (T/T, LC, DDP) banks will accept.
Choose Your Destination
Each guide is built on the same six questions: What standard? What certificate? What duty? What port? What timeline? What payment?
United States — AISC, AWS & Section 232
AISC 360-22 design, AWS D1.1 welding, ASTM A992 material, ISF filing, Section 232 tariff exposure, Los Angeles / Houston routing. Best for: warehouses, logistics hubs, retail.
United Kingdom — UKCA & EN 1090
UKCA marking in Great Britain vs CE in Northern Ireland, BS EN 1993 with the UK National Annex, Building Safety Act golden thread, Felixstowe and London Gateway routing.
Australia — AS/NZS & Cyclone Zones
AS 4100 design, AS/NZS 5131 fabrication certification, NCC compliance, AS 1170.2 cyclone wind, biosecurity checks, ChAFTA tariff treatment and Melbourne / Sydney routing.
Germany — EN 1090 & CE Marking
Mandatory EN 1090-1/2 with CE marking, EXC2/EXC3 execution classes, DIN EN 1993 with the German NA, welder certification per EN ISO 9606-1, TÜV witness inspection, Hamburg routing.
UAE — Gulf Codes & Corrosion Class C4-C5
Dubai Municipality structural review, Civil Defence fire approval, ISO 12944 C4-C5 coating strategy, Jebel Ali and Khalifa Port routing — with our Qatar airport and faculty projects as local evidence.
Indonesia — SNI & Seismic Design
SNI 1729 / SNI 7860 design and seismic requirements, BMKG seismic zones, API import licensing, PPN 11% VAT, Tanjung Priok routing in 4-6 days — supported by our 9,000-tonne coke plant project.
Vietnam — TCVN & Fast Sea Routes
TCVN 5575 design, Ministry of Construction approval, 3-5 day shipping to Cat Lai, 10% VAT, 30/70 payment. Best for: the fastest-growing manufacturing corridor in Southeast Asia.
Nigeria — SONCAP & Port Congestion
SONCAP certificate of conformity, SON regulation, Apapa / Tin Can Island congestion planning and the Lekki deep-sea port alternative, 7.5% VAT — supported by our Congo airport and Angola housing projects.
Brazil — NBR 8800 & ex-tarifário
NBR 8800 design, INMETRO scope, the II + IPI + PIS/COFINS + ICMS tax stack and how ex-tarifário reduces capital goods duty, Santos / Itaguaí routing — supported by our Vitória shipyard project.
India — IS 800 & BIS
IS 800:2007 design, IS 2062 material mapping, BIS Quality Control Order scope, 10-18% customs duty plus 18% GST input credit, Nhava Sheva / Mundra routing — honest guidance on when importing makes sense.
Don't See Your Country?
We deliver to 40+ countries. If your market is not listed — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Chile, Mexico, Poland, Russia or elsewhere — send us a message and we will prepare a one-page market brief with the applicable standards, duties and logistics for your specific port.
Start with a Drawing Review, Not a Sales Call
Send your drawings or specifications and we will reply with a code-compliance assessment, a landed-cost budget and a fabrication schedule — engineered for your country's standards.
Send Your Project