Standards, labeling, and paperwork that clear the path to import
If you are searching which standards apply to your product, how to pick the right HS code, what labels must be on the carton, or why customs flags shipments that look fine on paper, this page gives you clear, practical answers. Orient Exports turns vague rules into a concrete plan for your SKU and market, then we keep that plan tied to production, inspection, and export so arrivals are predictable.
Consulting and compliance is the step that keeps your first shipment from turning into a rework project. We map the rules that actually apply to your category and destination, advise on labeling and packaging, outline testing that is worth doing, and prepare the document set that importers and retailers expect. The goal is not a legal brief. The goal is a simple, accurate playbook that your team and your supplier can follow without friction.
Different destinations care about different marks and claims. Europe often centers on CE with directives like EMC, Low Voltage, RoHS, and REACH, plus the technical file that supports the mark. The United Kingdom uses UKCA with similar technical expectations. The United States tends to focus on the agency that touches your category. FDA for foods, cosmetics, and some devices. FCC for emissions on electronics. CPSC and CPSIA for many consumer goods that reach children. Safety listing through UL or ETL often satisfies retailer requirements for powered products. Canada frequently looks for CSA and bilingual labeling. In the Gulf, programs such as SABER or standards from local regulators can apply. Cleanroom and lab buyers care about ISO 14644 for air cleanliness and ISO 13485 where medical manufacturing is involved. Lighting buyers look for photometric evidence and safety listings. None of this is exotic when it is planned early. It becomes painful when discovered after cartons are sealed.
Teams often ask which HS code is correct and what duty to expect. Classification is a legal decision made by the importer of record and their broker. Our role is to provide well reasoned guidance based on materials, function, and construction so you can make that decision with your broker and document why it makes sense. The choice affects duty, admissibility, and the chance of inspection. It also affects your landed cost. We highlight the tradeoffs so finance understands the numbers before the first booking.
Most receiving issues start with labels that do not match the documents or the destination rules. We specify what must appear on the unit, the inner pack, and the outer carton. That can include country of origin, safety warnings, age grades, barcodes, and retail program marks. For Amazon FBA we align to ASIN labels, suffocation warnings where needed, carton weight limits, and pallet patterns. For retailers we work from the routing guide and return a simple mark up that shows location and size so your supplier is not guessing. When a claim appears on the box or the product, we confirm whether testing should support it.
Compliance means very little if it stays abstract. We create a file you can hand to operations, compliance, and finance. It includes the standards that apply to your product and market, any test plans or lab quotations, label and packaging diagrams, a draft commercial invoice and packing list that reflect the agreed HS code, and a checklist for factory sign off. On regulated categories we add a short note on market surveillance and record keeping so the team understands what to store and for how long.
A typical mapping for a single SKU can be returned in three to seven working days. If third party testing is appropriate, expect a clear scope, a price, and a realistic laboratory turnaround. Label reviews and packaging diagrams usually finalize within a few working days once dielines are available. The idea is to finish decisions before samples are approved so the first article and the box already reflect the rules you will ship under.
Compliance feels like overhead until a shipment holds at import or a retailer rejects an inbound. The cost then multiplies through storage, rework, and lost sell through. The savings come from eliminating those events. Picking a solid HS code once and documenting the rationale. Printing labels that match destination rules before a volume run. Testing the claims you plan to print so the report is ready when a marketplace or a buyer asks for it. These are small decisions that remove big surprises.
Consulting and compliance work best when they are connected to the same team that chose the factory, set the golden sample, inspected the run, and issued the export documents. The specification that engineering approved becomes the checklist that inspectors carry. The labels and HS codes that compliance agreed to flow into the invoice and the packing list. That continuity keeps language consistent from design through customs and prevents the mismatches that trigger holds.
Choose consulting and compliance first when you are entering a new category, when your product touches a regulated space, when a retailer has strict intake rules, or when you want to publish accurate landed cost for finance. If your factory is already selected and you only need inspections and shipping, go to Quality Control and Logistics. If your design still needs to become a repeatable part, start with Product Development and Samples.
Send your spec or BOM, target markets, any draft labels or packaging, and the kind of claims you want to make. If you have a preferred HS code from prior shipments, include it with the invoice. We will return a clear map of what applies, what to print, what to test, and what to keep on file, along with a timeline that matches your launch.
Ready to ship with confidence. Share your details and receive a compliance plan that keeps production, inspection, and import aligned.
Curated factory shortlists, price/terms, and on-site or remote audits before POs.
Tooling guidance and EVT/DVT samples to lock a golden standard.
DUPRO/PSI inspections, photo/video evidence, third-party testing, and CAPA.
CI/PL/COO/HS docs, consolidation, customs clearance, and FBA/Retail prep.
