How to Import a Cleanroom from China

By ZY Cleanroom · Updated 2026-11-06 · Sources at the end of the page

Step 1. Choose the scope

Most of the risk in an import sits in the line between your team and the supplier. Fix it first.

If your country requires licensed local works, those go through a local partner named in the contract. Ask any Chinese supplier how that works in your country before you sign.

Step 2. Send what you have

A room list, a floor plan or only the floor area is enough to start. The more you send, the less the supplier has to guess:

• what each room is for and what is made there;
• the target class of each room (for example ISO 7 or GMP Grade C), with the occupancy state, or "to confirm";
• floor area and ceiling height;
• the site country and city;
• the stage: planning, design complete, tender open or ready to build.

If the drawings are confidential, ask for an NDA before you send them. Our room list builder and the URS guide help structure this.

Step 3. Check the factory before you order

You cannot inspect a factory from a brochure. Ask for:

• a live video tour of the production lines, or an in-person audit;
• the company's management-system certificates, with the scope and the company name as printed, and check them on the issuing body's register (in China, cnca.gov.cn);
• which items the supplier makes itself and which it buys in. A cleanroom package usually mixes both.

How ZY answers these: our panels and doors are made in our own factory in Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in production since 2002, with 4 panel lines and 80 workers. Air showers, pass boxes, FFUs and filters are bought in and checked before shipping. Our ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certificates cover production of metal building components and show our former company name. See how to audit a cleanroom panel factory.

Step 4. Compare quotations on the same basis

A price per square metre hides what it covers. Before comparing, check that each quotation states:

• panel family, core, both faces, thickness and effective cover width;
• door, window and pass-box schedules, with clear passage separate from construction opening;
• what is included in the air system, and who balances it;
• accessories: floor tracks, profiles, coving, sealant, ceiling supports;
• packing, freight term and destination;
• tests, documents and who performs each test;
• site work and supervision.

See cleanroom cost per m² and what drives cleanroom cost.

Step 5. Agree documents and tests in the contract

Write down what you get at each stage. On our projects the stages and deliverables are:

Room tests normally cover airborne particles, airflow, pressure difference and filter leakage. The contract names who performs each test, and independent third-party testing can be arranged.

If your project needs product certification, such as CE marking or an FM approval, name it in the tender. Ask the supplier to confirm in writing which certified products it can offer, and who holds each certificate.

GMP approval belongs to your facility and your regulator, not to the supplier. The supplier builds to your requirements and hands over test reports and documents for your review.

Step 6. Payment

Payment terms are agreed in each contract. Common methods for cleanroom imports are bank transfer (T/T) and letters of credit (L/C), with milestones tied to the stages above. Under an L/C, the documents the bank checks are listed in the credit, so agree them with the supplier before the credit is opened.

Step 7. Packing, shipping and the customs code

Packing. Ask for panels cut to length, numbered to match the layout drawing and packed in bundles. Our panels are strapped and stacked on timber pallets. Agree edge protection and bundle labels with the order, and check the packing list on arrival.

Freight term. State the Incoterms rule and place in the quotation, for example FOB at the Chinese port or CIF at your port (Incoterms 2020, ICC). It decides who pays and carries the risk at each step.

Inland sites. If the site is far from a port, give the supplier the city so the route can be planned.

Customs code. Cleanroom panels are not always classed the same way. A US customs ruling (N358876, March 2026) placed a steel-faced cleanroom partition panel with a rock wool core under subheading 7308.90; goods sold as a complete prefabricated building may fall under heading 9406. Your customs authority decides. Ask your broker to confirm the code, and any duties, before shipment.

Timber packing. Wooden pallets in international trade usually need ISPM 15 treatment and marking. Ask the supplier to confirm it.

Step 8. Install and hand over

On supply-only or design-and-supply orders your local crew installs. Ask what ships with the order. Ours ships with:

• a layout drawing with every panel numbered;
• an installation guide in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic or Russian, with short videos;
• an accessory kit sized to the project;
• a WhatsApp video call with our engineer for set-out and the first panels.

On-site supervision can be arranged for larger projects. See installation support and the panel installation guide. Then test the rooms against the agreed class: see validation and handover.

Risks to manage

Related guides

• Building a cleanroom inside an existing building
• The Cleanroom Project Lifecycle
• How to audit a cleanroom panel factory, on site or by video
• How to choose a cleanroom contractor: questions and evidence
• Turnkey cleanroom contractor
• Room list builder

Sources

• ICC, Incoterms 2020 rules (International Chamber of Commerce)
• IPPC, ISPM 15: Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CROSS rulings search (ruling N358876)
• CNCA, China national certification and accreditation information platform (certificate search)
• ICC, Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCP 600)