Ordering Steel from China: A Buyer Checklist

Most disputes in overseas steel buying are born in the purchase order, not at the mill: an unnamed tolerance class, a certificate type left to chance, a packing clause nobody wrote. This neutral checklist covers the points worth fixing in writing before production starts.

1. Fix the specification completely

Name the standard and its edition year (EN, ASTM, JIS, or the governing GB standard), the grade, and the delivery condition — as-rolled, normalized, quenched and tempered, annealed. Mechanical properties are only defined for a stated condition.
Add the dimensional tolerance standard explicitly: for example EN 10029 tolerance classes for plate, EN 10060 for hot-rolled round bar. "Standard tolerance" without the document is not a specification.
State sizes, piece weights, lengths, and the permitted quantity tolerance (overall and per size).
Where a GB grade is offered against an EN or ASTM order grade, agree in writing which standard governs acceptance — equivalents overlap but are not identical.

2. Testing and certification

Require EN 10204 type 3.1 inspection certificates as the default for traceable material; specify 3.2 at order stage if the project needs witnessed testing, because it cannot be added afterwards.
Name additional tests explicitly, with method and acceptance values: ultrasonic class (e.g. EN 10160), Charpy test temperature and direction, intergranular corrosion practice for stainless, HIC testing for sour-service plate.
Agree how results will be reported — actual measured values per heat, not "conforms" statements.

3. Inspection before shipment

Decide the inspection level and write it down: mill release only, document review, or third-party pre-shipment inspection (international inspection companies and the buyer's own agent both perform this). A useful scope covers quantity and bundle count, dimensional sampling, certificate-to-heat-number verification, marking checks and packing condition — with a written report and photographs.

4. Marking and traceability

Specify how heat identity travels with the steel: hard stamping on each piece where the application demands it, or stencil/tag per piece or bundle for surface-sensitive products. Require the packing list to reference heat numbers per bundle, so certificates can be matched to bundles on arrival without opening everything.

5. Packing and logistics

Specify seaworthy packing in the order (see the packing guide on this site): wrapping type, corrosion protection, strapping, maximum bundle weight matched to the unloading equipment at destination.
Wooden dunnage and skids must carry the ISPM 15 mark for most destinations.
Fix the delivery term precisely — Incoterms 2020 with the named place (for example FOB Shanghai, or CIF with the destination port), and who arranges insurance and freight.

6. Commercial terms that prevent arguments

Payment terms (T/T balance against documents, or letter of credit at sight) and the quotation validity period, since prices move with the market.
Production and delivery lead time stated as a commitment, with what happens if it slips.
The claims procedure: the period for reporting shortages or damage, the evidence required (photographs, survey report, test results), and how nonconforming material is handled.

The one-line summary

A complete order reads like a test plan: standard, condition, tolerances, certificate type, extra tests, marking, packing, inspection and claims — each named, none assumed. Almost everything on this list is free to add before signing and expensive to argue about afterwards.