FOB, CIF or DDP: Choosing Shipping Terms for Heavy Equipment Imports

Why the term matters more for a weighbridge than for a parcel

A standard 3500 x 1000 mm platform and its ZDG multi-deck combinations do not fit a parcel network. They move as out-of-gauge or break-bulk cargo, which means road transport to the port, crane or ramp handling, booking space on a vessel, export clearance, import clearance and a final inland leg to a site that may be nowhere near a container terminal. Every one of those steps has an owner, a cost and a point where risk changes hands. The trade term is the shorthand that assigns all three. If the term is EXW, the buyer owns almost the whole chain. If it is DDP, the seller carries it to the named place with duty paid. Between those two ends sit FCA, FOB, CNF, CIF and DAP, each shifting a different slice of responsibility. For a compact, high-value electronic device the difference between two terms might be a modest fee. For a multi-tonne steel deck, the same difference can be the crane at origin, the ocean freight, the marine cover and the duty at destination combined. That is why the term belongs in the enquiry, not in the small print after the price is agreed. Decide it early and ask every supplier to quote on the same basis, otherwise you are comparing a delivered figure with an ex-works one.

EXW, FCA and FOB - when you control the freight

These three put the buyer, or the buyer's forwarder, in charge. Under EXW the goods are simply made available at our site and the buyer handles everything onward: collection, export clearance, the main carriage and the destination. It is the term for an importer with a local forwarder already operating near the factory. Under FCA we hand the goods over to the carrier the buyer nominates, which is useful when the buyer wants us to load but wants its own contracted carrier to take it from there. Under FOB we clear the goods onto the vessel at the port, and the buyer nominates the vessel and takes responsibility from that point. FOB is a common choice for sea freight because the handover is clean and the buyer controls the ocean contract. The catch with all three is capability: your forwarder must be comfortable with long steel loads, port lifting and the documentation that goes with them. If you do not have that partner in place, a term that looks cheap on the quotation can become an expensive exercise in coordination. Our shipping terms page lists where responsibility sits for each one in plain language, and it is worth reading alongside your forwarder's own quotation so the two match at the handover point.

CNF and CIF - when we arrange the sea leg

CNF and CIF move the main carriage onto our side of the ledger. Under CNF we arrange and pay for carriage to the named destination port; the buyer still handles import clearance, duties and everything inland from that port. CIF is the same arrangement plus marine insurance to the destination port, which suits a buyer who wants freight and cover bundled into one figure rather than sourced separately. Both terms are useful when the buyer does not have a forwarder at origin but does have one at destination. Two practical points are worth keeping in view. First, the risk on these terms passes at the origin port when the goods are loaded, even though we pay the carriage to the far end - so the buyer carries the transit risk and should understand what the insurance actually covers. Second, the insurance arranged under CIF is a defined baseline; if the cargo or the route needs broader cover, say so in the enquiry rather than assuming it is included. Neither CNF nor CIF removes the destination tasks: unloading, customs, duties and the inland haul to the site all remain the buyer's responsibility. If you want those removed too, you are looking at the delivered terms below.

DAP and DDP - delivery inland or door to door

DAP and DDP are the delivered end of the range. Under DAP we deliver to a named place, ready for unloading, and the buyer unloads and handles import clearance and duties. It fits a buyer who has a site team and a customs broker but wants the seller to manage the whole transport chain to the gate. Under DDP we deliver to the named place with duty paid, which is the closest thing to a door-to-door handover in the set. The decisive question between them is not distance but who can legally act as importer of record in the destination country. Some buyers cannot clear customs or pay duties in their own name and need DDP. Others hold the licences, bonds and broker relationships to do it themselves, and prefer DAP so they keep control of clearance and the duty paperwork. State the named place precisely - a port, a warehouse, a site - because "delivered" without a point is not a specification either side can price cleanly. Whichever delivered term you choose, confirm in writing who unloads and who obtains any permits the last mile needs. These are the same seven options collected on our shipping terms page, and the term you pick should also be written into the quote inputs described on the weighbridge price page.

A one-pass way to choose

You can settle the term with four questions before you write a single email. Do you have a forwarder at origin who can handle out-of-gauge steel? If yes, EXW, FCA or FOB are open to you; if no, look at CNF, CIF, DAP or DDP. Who will be importer of record at destination, and can that party pay duties there? If the answer is the buyer, DAP usually fits; if it must be the seller, DDP is the realistic option. Do you want marine insurance bundled into the price, or sourced separately? That separates CIF from CNF. And exactly where should the goods be delivered - port, city or site? That fixes the named place on the delivered terms. Answer those four and the choice is usually obvious. Two commercial facts stay constant regardless of the term: minimum order quantity is one unit and payment is T/T, with a typical lead time around 60 days from confirmed configuration. We state those up front so the logistics discussion is not confused with the order basics. When you are ready, put the chosen term, the named place and your importer-of-record arrangement into the enquiry and we will quote on that basis through the contact page.