Exporting wooden items to the United States

Sending wooden items from the Philippines to the United States has been quite a challenge for some of our customers before using ZendEase. We’ve heard many stories of shipments being held up in US customs or returned to the Philippines. Sending wooden items can be a difficult task to do but ZendEase is able to assist you in every step of the way.

In general, when sending wooden items, it is important to first identify if the products are considered as a “finished product”. This means that the wooden items have been varnished, waxed, or oiled. Wooden products are considered finished once a protective layer (in the form of varnish, wax, or oil) has been applied to the piece. If the wooden item is not considered a finished product, it will first need to be fumigated and a Phytosanitary Certificate will need to be secured. The purpose of a Phytosanitary Certificate is to ensure that the wooden products or any product considered a raw material is pest and disease free. 

You can send wooden products from the Philippines to the United States through an air courier or through a freight forwarding service. Protocols for sending wooden items will differ depending on the service chosen. Sending via air courier is much easier since these are mostly considered as personal items and additional documents are not necessary. When sending via freight forwarding, since the shipment is considered commercial, an additional declaration called the Lacey Act Declaration must be done and filed through the United States customs. This form provides the United States Customs with details on the type of wood and type of finish applied on the product and would cost an additional charge. The Lacey Act Declaration can still be present when sending through an air courier but only on rare occasions.