Hydrogen-richEquipment ImportsBreaking through customs barriers under new trends

According to the International Hydrogen Energy Councils forecast, the global hydrogen-rich equipment market will exceed $28 billion by 2025. As the worlds largest hydrogen application market, China saw a 67% year-on-year increase in imports of hydrogen-rich water machines and hydrogen-oxygen generators in 2023. However, General Administration of Customs 2024 special inspection data shows that 31% of imported hydrogen-rich equipment faced customs delays due to classification errors or missing technical documents.

Three critical risk areas in the import process

Verification of technical parameters against certification standardsis the primary challenge:

• Differences between EU CE certification explosion-proof level requirements and domestic GB3836 standards
• Hydrogen concentration test reports must include 6 core indicators specified in ISO 16111: 2008
• Equipment pressure vessels must meet both ASME and TSG 21 dual certification

HS code classification disputesDirectly impacts tariff costs:

• Electrolyzers may involve multiple tariff codes: 8421/8405/8543
• Classification differences between hydrogen generation modules and complete hydrogen-rich water machines
• The tax rate difference between core component imports and complete machine imports reaches 12%

Value creation points of professional agency services

High-quality agency companies throughFour-Dimensional Service SystemEnhancing Customs Clearance Efficiency:

• Pre-Review Mechanism
  • Technical Document Pre-Review (including drawings, parameter tables, test reports)
  • It is recommended to verify through the following methods:Document-Trade Agreement Compatibility Verification
• Dynamic Risk Warning
  • Real-time Monitoring of Customs Classification Guidance Updates
  • FDA/CE Certification Change Automatic Alert System

Five Key Indicators for Selecting an Agency Company

Based on the latest customs supervision requirements for 2025, it is recommended to focus on:

• Industry precision: Whether a dedicated classification database for hydrogen energy equipment has been established
• Emergency handling capacity: Whether there is a channel for pre-ruling applications on technical disputes
• Cost - control system: Whether tariff deferral and VAT optimization solutions are provided

Case Study: Optimization Path for a Japanese Equipment Manufacturers Customs Clearance

In March 2025, a Japanese hydrogen-rich water machine manufacturer achieved the following through professional agency services:

• Successfully applied for the reclassification of equipment originally classified under 8421.21 to 8405.10
• Tariff rate reduced from 8% to 5%
• Technical document rectification cycle shortened from 45 days to 12 days

Through systematic risk prediction and compliance management, professional agency services can save importing companies an average of 17% in comprehensive operating costs. In the field of hydrogen energy equipment imports, choosing a partner with deep industry service capabilities has become a key measure for companies to establish market competitive advantages.