How to Import a Custom Sculpture from China: A Practical Checklist

How to Import a Custom Sculpture from China: A Practical Checklist

The eight documents and decisions that keep a bespoke art shipment out of trouble, from design freeze to on-site assembly.

1. Start with a design freeze, not a price

A bespoke piece cannot be quoted accurately from a mood board. Freeze the dimensions, the viewing distance, the material and the installation environment first. Everything downstream - armature, split lines, crate size, freight class - depends on those four decisions.

2. Ask for shop drawings before fabrication

Shop drawings show how the piece is built, not just how it looks. Insist on an armature or fixing drawing, a materials list and a split-line plan. If a supplier cannot produce these, the piece has not been engineered for transport.

3. Confirm who owns the moulds and files

For any cast or printed work, agree in writing who keeps the master mould or the 3D file. Without it, a damaged panel becomes a full re-commission instead of a one-off replacement.

4. Specify the destination's electrical standard

Lit works must be built to the destination voltage and frequency, not the factory's. State 110 V / 60 Hz or 220-240 V / 50 Hz at order stage and ask for driver datasheets.

5. Get the packing list to match the installation sequence

Number every crate against the assembly drawing. A container that has to be unloaded and re-sorted on site costs more than the extra planning time.

6. Clarify Incoterms and the buyer's broker

FOB Shanghai and CIF destination put very different responsibilities on the buyer. Name the term in the contract and identify who files the entry, who pays duties and who arranges last-mile delivery.