IMPORT GUIDE
Importing PAC from China: From Inquiry to Container in Seven Steps
Importing polyaluminium chloride is a mature, low-drama trade once the process is understood: PAC is non-hazardous, ships in standard containers, and documentation is straightforward. The buyers who get burned are the ones who skip the sample stage or accept a quotation without terms in writing. Here is the sequence we run with first-time buyers.
The seven steps
- Inquiry with real data: your application, water type or sludge type, monthly volume, and the form you want - solid 28% industrial, 29% drinking-water, or liquid. A one-line email asking only for a price gets a price with no substance behind it.
- Quotation on agreed terms: FOB or CIF port, packaging, validity period, payment terms. Compare suppliers on the Al2O3-normalised delivered cost, as in our pricing guide.
- Samples: 1 - 2 kg couriered free with a batch COA. Run your jar tests on your own water before committing anything.
- Contract: specification written into the contract with the standard (GB/T 22627-2022 or GB 15892-2020), not just a product name. Content, insolubles, basicity and packaging all get numbers.
- Production and pre-shipment check: your batch COA before loading, and optionally a third-party inspection (SGS, CCIC) at the factory for larger orders.
- Shipment: container loading plan agreed in advance, documents couriered or released electronically - invoice, packing list, B/L, certificate of origin, COA, MSDS.
- Arrival: photograph bags, sample an arrival bag against the shipped COA, and file the result. This closes the loop and makes the next order a formality.
Money, timing and moq
Minimum orders start at one tonne for trial volumes, though a trial tonne ships uneconomically - the sensible entry point is a part-container or full 20-foot load. Production lead time runs about a week to ten days for solid; liquid production is quick but freight planning dominates. Payment is commonly telegraphic transfer with a deposit and balance against the bill-of-lading copy; letters of credit are workable for larger, regular orders.
Port matters: we ship FOB Qingdao, Shanghai or Ningbo, and the choice moves your inland cost as much as the ocean freight. Ask each supplier to quote the same incoterm so the comparison stays honest, and remember currency swings can move the landed cost between contract and arrival - agree the adjustment rule in the contract.
The two mistakes that cost the most
Skipping the sample on your own water. A specification sheet cannot tell you how the product behaves in your plant's water, mixing and pH; the jar test is a few hours of work against a container that runs for months. Every serious supplier offers samples - declining them is the buyer's own risk taken voluntarily.
Leaving the specification verbal. 'Product as per discussion' gives you no recourse when a batch runs low on content or high on insolubles. Write the standard and the numbers into the contract, and the inspection stage becomes a formality instead of an argument.
Frequently asked questions
What minimum quantity can I order?
One tonne for trials, but freight economics make a 20-foot container - about 25 tonnes of bagged solid - the practical entry point for regular supply. Many buyers start with a part-container alongside other goods to prove the product, then move to full loads.
How do I verify quality before the container ships?
Ask for the batch COA before loading, and for larger orders book a third-party inspection - SGS or CCIC will sample and test at the factory against your contract specification. The cost is small against the container value and it removes the arrive-and-argue scenario.
Which documents arrive with the shipment?
The standard set is commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, batch COA and MSDS. Tell the supplier early if your customs authority needs extras - legalised invoices or additional certificates - because some documents can only be issued before the vessel sails.