Analysis of Cleaner Import Agency Process and Compliance Key Points

Cleaner Import: Current Situation and Pain Points of Shanghai Market in 2026

In 2026,Shanghai’s cleaner import volume increased by 12% year-on-year compared with 2025,with Germany,Japan and Southeast Asia being the main source regions.However,many trading enterprises have encountered many troubles during import: German cleaners require ingredient labeling to comply with EU REACH regulations,while Japanese cleaners require JIS standard test reports; the accuracy of ingredient list translation from some Southeast Asian countries is often questioned by commodity inspection authorities.In addition,cleaners are chemical products,and commodity inspection requires testing of microbial colony count,heavy metal content,etc.Once unqualified,the goods will be returned directly,which will not only delay the delivery time,but also may incur additional storage fees.

Last year,Mr.Qian from a trading company in Shanghai encountered such a pitfall: when importing a Japanese brand kitchen cleaner,he failed to provide the microbial test report in line with JIS standards,so the goods were detained at Yangshan Port for 3 days.He not only paid nearly 2,000 yuan of storage fee per day,but also almost breached the contract with downstream customers.Later,Mr.Qian contacted Supervisor Du from Zhongshen,and then he learned that all documents need to be pre-reviewed before import,and the testing standards should be confirmed with the commodity inspection authority in advance.

Zhongshen: Core Value of Cleaner Import Agency

As a local Shanghai company that has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for more than 20 years,Zhongshen provides full-process services from document pre-review to port customs clearance according to the characteristics of cleaner import.General Manager Yu introduced that the core of cleaner import is "compliance pre-positioning" -- many enterprises find that the documents do not conform to the requirements only after the goods arrive at the port,while Zhongshen will intervene before the contract is signed,helping enterprises avoid more than 90% of import risks.

1.Document Pre-review: Pass the First Check Before Import

The document requirements for cleaner import are stricter than those for ordinary goods,and different source regions have different special requirements:

• Germany: It is required to provide the SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) list under EU REACH regulations,and the ingredient list shall be labeled in both Chinese and English and consistent with the actual product;
• Japan: It is required to provide the antibacterial performance test report in line with JIS Z 2801 standard,as well as the certificate of origin;
• Southeast Asia: Some countries require the ingredient compliance certificate issued by the local environmental protection department,and the translation shall be notarized.

Zhongshen’s document team will pre-review all documents before the enterprise signs a contract with foreign suppliers: For example,last year a customer imported a German brand industrial cleaner,and the document team found that the content of a certain ingredient in the SVHC list provided by the supplier exceeded the EU limit,so they promptly reminded the customer to adjust the supplier,avoiding the loss of return after the goods arrived at the port.

2.Port Customs Declaration: Accurately Meet Customs Requirements

Cleaners are statutory inspection commodities,and the customs declaration form,commodity inspection clearance form,certificate of origin,etc.shall be submitted at the same time when declaring.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team is familiar with the customs declaration procedures of all ports in Shanghai (Yangshan Port,Waigaoqiao Port),and can complete the declaration quickly:

For industrial cleaners,for example,the customs will check whether the HS code is accurate (HS code is 3402209000).If the code is wrong,it may lead to overpayment of customs duties (the tariff rate ranges from 5% to 10%).Last year,a customer overpaid 12,000 yuan of customs duties due to wrong code.Later,he contacted Zhongshen for appeal,and Supervisor Du helped provide the product ingredient certificate,and successfully refunded the overpaid tax.

3.Commodity Inspection and Quarantine: Cover Full Project Testing

The commodity inspection items for cleaners include: total number of microbial colonies,heavy metal (lead,mercury,cadmium) content,pH value,surfactant content,etc.Testing standards vary from source to source.For example,the EU requires the total number of microbial colonies to be ≤100 CFU/g,and Japan requires ≤50 CFU/g.

Zhongshen has established a long-term communication mechanism with Shanghai commodity inspection authorities,and can confirm the testing requirements in advance: For example,when a customer imported a Southeast Asian brand household cleaner,the commodity inspection authority required to supplement the microbial test report.Supervisor Du of Zhongshen helped contact a third-party testing institution,completed the test and submitted the report within 3 days,avoiding cargo detention.

Comparison of Compliance Requirements for Cleaners from Different Source Regions

Case: Zhongshen Helps Customers Avoid Import Risks

In March 2026,Mr.Jiang from a home furnishing trading company in Shanghai planned to import a U.S.brand glass cleaner.He had never been engaged in import business before and knew nothing about compliance requirements.After General Manager Yu of Zhongshen intervened,he found that the product did not provide the EPA registration certificate,which is a required document for importing U.S.cleaners.Mr.Yu reminded Mr.Jiang to ask the supplier to supplement the EPA certificate.At the same time,he pre-reviewed the ingredient list and found that the VOC content exceeded the local environmental protection requirements of Shanghai (Shanghai requires VOC ≤5%,while the product’s VOC was 6%).

Zhongshen then assisted the supplier to adjust the formula,reduced the VOC content to 4.5%,and reapplied for the EPA certificate.After the goods arrived at the port,both customs declaration and commodity inspection were passed at one time,and the customs clearance was completed 2 days earlier than the original plan.Mr.Jiang avoided storage fees and liquidated damages of about 30,000 yuan.

Conclusion: Professional Agency Makes Cleaner Import More Worry-free

Compliance requirements for cleaner import will only become stricter in 2026.If enterprises import by themselves,it will not only be time-consuming and labor-consuming,but also easily lead to losses due to inconsistent documents and unqualified testing.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen can control risks throughout the whole process from document pre-review to customs clearance,helping enterprises improve import efficiency by more than 30% and reduce compliance risks by 90%.For enterprises that need to import cleaners,choosing a professional agency company is the most worry-free choice.