Overseas buyers lose weeks when a compressor quote arrives as “FOB China” with no port, no packing method and no commodity code. This desk note is the packing and Incoterm file we put next to a published plant. It is written by CompressorB2B, the platform — not a freelance byline, not the factory’s marketing department.
Incoterms® names are used here as trade practice on Chinese compressor POs. They are not legal advice. The commercial quotation from the works governs.
What FOB Ningbo actually covers
Most screw and piston packages from Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai quote FOB Ningbo or FOB Shanghai. Guangdong PET and oil-free skids often quote FOB Shekou or FOB Shenzhen.
Under Incoterms® 2020, FOB means the seller delivers the goods loaded on board the vessel nominated by the buyer at the named port of shipment, and the risk of loss or damage passes to the buyer at that point [1]. On a typical FOB Ningbo compressor PO the plant:
- builds, tests and drain-oils the package
- packs to the method stated on the packing list
- completes Chinese export customs
- delivers the packed machine on board the buyer's nominated vessel at Ningbo
The buyer nominates the vessel or forwarder and arranges ocean freight and cargo insurance.
Most screw packages travel in containers. When goods are containerised, the seller typically hands them over at the container terminal rather than on board, and ICC guidance points to FCA (Free Carrier, named terminal) as the more appropriate rule [1]. If your plant quotes “FOB Ningbo” for a container load, agree in writing where the hand-over and the risk transfer actually happen. CIF named port is a different file: freight and insurance appear as separate lines so a landed-cost number can be compared.
Do not accept “FOB China”. Name the port. Ningbo, Shanghai and Shekou are not interchangeable for cut-off and trucking.
HS 8414 on the packing list
Industrial air compressors usually ship under HS 8414 — the heading for air or vacuum pumps, air or other gas compressors and fans. At six digits the split that matters for this desk is:
| Subheading | Covers |
|---|---|
| 8414.40 | Air compressors mounted on a wheeled chassis for towing, such as portable diesel units |
| 8414.80 | Other air or gas compressors, which is where stationary screw and piston packages normally fall |
National tariffs divide 8414.80 further by machine type, pressure and flow. The UK/EU tariff, for example, separates reciprocating compressors at 15 bar gauge and by hourly flow, and lists multi-shaft screw compressors on their own line [2]. China's export code follows its own national digits, so the plant's customs broker states the exact code on the packing list and commercial invoice. Refrigeration screw packages and some process-gas machines may sit on a different heading. This desk does not invent a code.
The packing list should also call out:
- package count, net / gross kg, and dimensions
- wood treatment under ISPM 15, the IPPC standard for regulation of wood packaging material in international trade [3], with its treatment mark, if the case or skid uses solid wood
- lifting points and centre of gravity
- whether oil is drained for air freight or left for ocean
Ask the plant to confirm the applicable HS code and wood-treatment details on a sample packing list before the purchase order.
Packing that survives a Ningbo berth
A nameplate compressor is not a carton SKU. The usual export pack for a 15–75 kW screw package:
| Item | Practice on this desk |
|---|---|
| Case | Plywood case or crate, ISPM 15 if solid wood |
| Barrier | Moisture barrier / VCI on the airend and control panel |
| Fastening | Bolted to base, not strap-only |
| Marks | Lifting marks, this-way-up, centre of gravity |
| Loose gear | Intake filter, manuals, certificate copies in a document pouch |
| Oil | Stated: drained / filled. Air freight usually drained |
Portable diesel and high-pressure PET skids need a method of their own. State it on the RFQ, not after the vessel cut-off.
Inspection before the vessel
A usable inspection is either:
- factory trial run with a recorded pressure / FAD / kW sheet, or
- a third-party visit (SGS / BV / the buyer’s inspector) booked against that sheet
Photos of a painted canopy are not an inspection. If the plant will not run the machine against the duty on the PO, do not treat the quote as export-ready.
Request the current CE, PED, ASME or ISO 8573 documents relevant to the quoted machine when your project requires them.
What to put on the RFQ so FOB is quotable
- Working pressure in bar(g) and FAD at that pressure
- 50 / 60 Hz and voltage
- Quantity and destination
- FOB Ningbo / Shanghai / Shekou or CIF named port
- Packing method if you already know air vs ocean
- Whether a third-party inspection is required before loading
Send that on the RFQ desk. The plant remains the seller. This platform holds the English nameplate so the packing list and the PO speak the same language.
Sources
Checked 30 October 2026.
- [1] ICC Academy, “FOB & FAS Incoterms® 2020 explained: Key differences”, 13 May 2025.
- [2] UK Trade Info, commodity code 8414 80 and its subheadings; 8414 40 description.
- [3] IPPC, ISPM 15 “Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade” (2018 version).
How this note is maintained
CompressorB2B writes and reviews desk notes as the publisher. We update them when Incoterm practice or the published plant list changes. We do not sell as a trader and we do not stamp a packing list for a factory we have not published.
For a current quotation or application-specific documents, send the duty sheet to the manufacturing plant.