Household Electrical Goods: 6 Containers from China
LED lamps need one energy label. Washing machines need another. Refrigerators a third. And the EU changed the scale in 2021. Getting 6 containers of mixed appliances through customs with correct labeling is a documentation marathon - especially when 4 Chinese factories are involved, each producing different product types with different regulatory requirements.
What happened
EU energy labeling regulations differ by product category. Our client was importing from 4 Chinese factories - each producing different product types with different labeling requirements. One wrong label means an entire pallet rejected at customs. The new EU energy scale (A to G) replaced the old A+++ system, and some factories were still printing outdated labels.
What made it difficult
- 14 different product categories - 4 different EU energy labeling regulations to comply with
- 2New EU energy label scale (A to G) - factories still had old A+++ labels on some products
- 3Product registration in EPREL database required before import - each model needs its own entry
- 4CE declaration of conformity needed per product model - not per batch, per model
- 56 containers from 4 factories - each with mixed product types, making inspection complex
How we handled it
We ran a pre-shipment audit at each of the 4 factories to verify correct energy labels were applied - checking against the current A-to-G scale, not the old A+++ system. EPREL registration was completed for all product models before the first container shipped. We reorganized container loading by product category rather than by factory origin, so customs could inspect one product type per container instead of mixed loads. A master compliance file per container was compiled with all CE declarations, energy labels, and test reports - customs clearance took 2 days per container with zero rejections.
Result
Household appliances from China with pre-shipment CE inspection? Zero customs issues guaranteed. +371 22302054 / info@langino.lv