Clad metal for US cookware brands and importers
US buyers ask for material that clears their compliance file before it clears customs. The paperwork matters as much as the gauge, and it is easier to prepare before the order than after.
At a glance
Specification at a glance
| Item | What US buyers usually ask | How it is handled |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 3-ply and 5-ply, induction face mandatory | Structure drawing signed with the order |
| Food contact | A written statement that the grades used are suitable for food contact | Issued per batch with the material documents |
| Prop 65 | A statement on lead, cadmium and nickel where applicable | Supported by third-party test reports where they exist for the grade |
| Classification | HTS line and duty treatment | Your customs broker decides; we supply description and composition only |
| Packing | Palletised, banded, marked to the importer's spec | Packing record with photographs before dispatch |
| Traceability | Batch reference linked to the mill certificate | Batch reference on every label |
How US buyers qualify a material supplier
The first questions are rarely about price. They are about the compliance file: which grades are used, whether there is a written food-contact statement, what the material contains that could trigger a California warning, and whether the batch can be traced to a mill certificate. A supplier who can answer those four in writing moves to the sample stage; one who cannot stalls there.
Food contact: what a statement can and cannot say
Stainless steel and aluminium used for cookware are long-established food-contact materials, and US buyers normally ask for a written statement confirming the grades supplied and their intended use. What no material supplier can give is an FDA certificate of approval, because the FDA does not certify materials in that way: compliance is determined by the supplier and the finished article's maker. If your pan has a coating, the coating falls under a different part of the framework than the metal, and that conversation belongs with the coater.
California Proposition 65
Prop 65 is a warning requirement, not a ban. Buyers ask for a statement on lead, cadmium and nickel, and large retail programs ask for test reports behind it. We provide what exists for the grade and the surface finish supplied, and we tell you plainly when a report does not exist rather than substituting a generic claim. Where a warning is required for the finished pan, that decision sits with the brand and its counsel, based on the finished article, not on the raw material alone.
Duty, classification and the entry
This site does not state HTS codes or duty rates for clad circles. Classification is decided on the entry by the importer of record and its broker, and the treatment of goods of Chinese origin has changed repeatedly. Ask your broker to classify the actual goods, with the composition and the form stated exactly as they will appear on the invoice, and build your landed cost on that answer. A supplier's assurance about a code is worth less than your broker's ruling.
Programs versus trials
A US brand usually starts with a trial quantity and a forming run in its own tooling, then moves to a released program with a fixed structure and a repeatable batch record. The trial is where the diameter tolerance and the flatness are settled; the program is where the packing spec, the label format and the document set are locked. Both are easier when the structure is written down before the sample is cut.
Questions
Common questions
Can you provide an FDA compliance statement?
We provide a written statement of the grades supplied and their intended food-contact use, plus the mill certificate and inspection record. The FDA does not certify materials, so no supplier can issue an FDA certificate for clad metal; compliance of the finished pan rests with its maker.
Do you test for lead and cadmium?
Where a third-party report exists for the grade and finish supplied, it goes with the documents. Where it does not exist, we say so rather than supplying a generic claim, and a test can be arranged against the specification you need.
What HTS code applies?
Your customs broker decides that, on the entry, for the goods as declared. We supply the composition, the form and the dimensions, and we do not state a code or a duty rate.
Can you ship to a US warehouse or a co-packer?
Yes. The consignee and the delivery address are stated in the quotation, and the packing is agreed to suit whichever party receives it.
What is the minimum first order?
A trial quantity is possible before a program. The minimum depends on the diameter, the gauge and the structure, so it is quoted rather than published.
Do you support retail audits?
We can provide the mill certificate, the inspection record, the packing record and photographs of the dispatch. Audit formats differ between brands, so send the checklist and we will say which items we can fill.