Freight Forwarding to France for Heavy Equipment and Machinery
You need to move industrial machinery, energy equipment, or project cargo from Texas to France, a leading European Union destination for heavy imports. Texas International Freight books ocean and air capacity from Houston to the French ports, prepares the export filing, and clears the cargo into the EU so your equipment reaches the site ready to work. We handle the oversized and heavy freight standard carriers cannot move.
Where Your Cargo Lands
Le Havre, the lead port of the HAROPA group that links Le Havre, Rouen, and Paris along the Seine, is the main container gateway and handles most boxed and breakbulk cargo from North America. Marseille-Fos on the Mediterranean serves energy, petrochemical, and heavy-industry projects in the south, with the Fos terminals built for project and bulk cargo. Dunkirk in the north handles steel, bulk, and roll-on roll-off. Once cargo clears in France it circulates freely across the 27-member EU, so the entry port can shorten the inland leg to your site.
Ocean, Air, and Project Options
Crated machinery moves in containers through container shipping, full or as consolidated part loads, while oversized units ship as breakbulk cargo on flat rack, open-top, and heavy-lift equipment through ocean freight. Time-critical parts fly into Paris Charles de Gaulle or a regional airport through air freight. For a multi-piece energy or industrial move, our project logistics team plans lift points, route surveys, and on-carriage.
EU Customs and the Common External Tariff
France follows the Union Customs Code, so US-origin goods clear at the EU Common Customs Tariff, classified under the Combined Nomenclature and TARIC. Machinery often carries a low or zero rate, and with no US-EU free trade agreement, most-favored-nation rates apply on the CIF value. French VAT of 20 percent applies on the duty-inclusive value and is recoverable by a registered importer. Your importer needs an EORI number and files on the Single Administrative Document. Steel, aluminium, and other carbon-intensive goods now fall under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, definitive since January 2026, so structural cargo carries an added reporting step. Equipment imported for a project and re-exported can move under temporary admission or an ATA Carnet.
Packing, Insurance, and the US Gateway
Sound export packing, blocking, and bracing protect machinery across the Atlantic, and cargo insurance covers the value in transit. As your Houston freight forwarder, we file the Automated Export System data, book the sailing, coordinate the heavy-haul trucking to the terminal, and clear the cargo through our customs broker network. Plan on roughly two to three weeks of ocean transit from the Gulf Coast to Le Havre.
Onward Across Europe
France connects to the wider European network. The same desk runs cargo to Belgium, Germany, and the Mediterranean, and routes Black Sea project cargo through Constanta, Romania. One forwarder coordinates every leg from Texas to the final site.
Ready to ship to France? Contact Texas International Freight with your dimensions, weight, and delivery point, and we return a routing and a quote. Call +1 877-489-9184 to reach our team.
Which French port should my equipment ship to?
Le Havre handles most container and breakbulk cargo from North America, Marseille-Fos serves energy and heavy-industry projects in the south, and Dunkirk handles steel, bulk, and roll-on roll-off. We route to whichever sits closest to your site.
Do US machines pay duty in France?
US-origin goods clear at the EU Common Customs Tariff, often low or zero for machinery, plus 20 percent French VAT on the duty-inclusive value, recoverable if your importer is registered. There is no US-EU free trade agreement, so MFN rates apply.
How long is ocean transit from Houston to France?
Plan on roughly two to three weeks to Le Havre depending on a direct service or transshipment, plus export filing and clearance. Air freight to Paris moves urgent parts in a few days.
Can you handle oversized and project cargo?
Yes. Breakbulk, flat rack, open-top, and heavy-lift cover oversized loads, and our project logistics team plans multi-piece moves for energy and industrial projects from Houston to the final French site.
Can you deliver beyond France into the EU?
Yes. Once cargo clears customs in France it circulates freely across the European Union, and we arrange on-carriage by truck or rail to neighboring markets.
