MOFCOM 2025 No. 91 · 2026 No. 40

China export restriction checker

Know if the factory needs an export licence before you pay.

Search by name, CAS number, HS code or control code to see whether China requires an export licence for the item under the 2026 dual-use catalogue or the September 2026 precursor list.

Last updated 2026-09-28. Math runs in your browser, no data leaves your computer.

Paste what you plan to buy, one item per line: an English or Chinese name, a CAS number, an HS code, or a control code such as 3C001. The catalogue itself is in Chinese, so a CAS number or HS code finds more than an English name does.

Pick the country the goods ship to, because the precursor destination list applies to named countries only.

An HS code is matched on the first 6 digits when the longer code misses, since China's 10 digit lines split differently from US and Australian tariff lines. Up to 100 lines run at once.

These lists change every few months, so they must be checked monthly. This copy was checked against the MOFCOM list page on 28 September 2026 and is due for its next check by 28 October 2026.

Before the booking, screen the name on the invoice. Shipment pre-check is on the paid plans, from USD 59 a month.

General guidance only. Verify against the cited primary sources before you commit to a shipment, declaration, or contract.

What the tool checks and what it leaves out

The data is the export part of the 2026 dual-use licence catalogue: 846 rows from the dual-use export control list, 159 rows from the nuclear export control list and 63 precursor chemicals with no destination limit. The precursor chemicals that need a licence only for certain countries come from the later Announcement 2026 No. 40, which replaced the catalogue's own lists for the United States, Mexico, Canada, Myanmar, Laos and Afghanistan.

Names and descriptions are shown in Chinese exactly as MOFCOM printed them. English names are matched through a short built in dictionary of metals and common chemicals, so an English miss is weak evidence. CAS numbers are matched only where the catalogue prints them, which is mainly in the chemical rows of category 1C.

Three things sit outside the rows. Rules aimed at a buyer rather than an item still apply, and Announcement 2026 No. 1 bars every dual-use export to Japanese military users and uses. Temporary export stops, such as the sulphuric acid and fertilizer curbs reported in the trade press in 2026, are not always published as catalogue lines, and Sourzi has not found an official MOFCOM or GACC text for them, so they are not in this data.

Suspended controls are also out: the October 2025 rare earth, lithium battery and superhard material announcements are paused until 10 November 2026 under Announcement 2025 No. 70. The check date and the suspension date are both in the data file, so the result warns you when either has passed.

Worked example. The germanium order that sat at the factory

The booking. A US optics maker orders 50 kg of germanium metal from a Yunnan refiner, pays a 30 percent deposit and books a sailing four weeks out. The pro forma lists HS 8112.92, the price beats the last quote, and the order looks fine on paper.

The failure. Searching "germanium" returns control code 3C002.a, germanium metal, on the 2026 catalogue. The refiner needs a dual-use export licence for this shipment, with an end user certificate from the buyer, before customs will clear it, and the four week sailing never had room for that. The choice is simple: build the licence time into the order, or watch the cargo sit at the factory.

The fix. The buyer asks the refiner for its licence history on the item, sends a signed end user and end use statement with the second payment, and moves the booking back until the licence is issued. The deposit terms now say the balance falls due only after the licence number is on the export declaration.

Buying a solvent or acid rather than a metal? The precursor chemical checker explains China's three precursor categories and the explosive precursor list in English, and the chemical import flags tool checks the same CAS numbers on the US and Australian side.

Frequently asked

What is China’s export control list for 2026?

It is the 2026 Dual-Use Items and Technologies Import and Export Licence Management Catalogue, published by MOFCOM and GACC as Announcement 2025 No. 91 on 31 December 2025 and in force from 1 January 2026. Any item in its export part needs a dual-use export licence before Chinese customs will clear it, and the catalogue says the item description decides the scope, with the customs codes given only as a guide.

Does China restrict gallium, germanium, graphite and antimony exports?

All four appear in the 2026 catalogue: gallium and germanium metals and compounds under control codes 3C001 and 3C002, antimony ores and metal under 3C003, and several graphite grades under 1C108. A listing means the factory needs a licence for each export, which adds weeks and can be refused, not that the item is banned outright. Search the name or HS code to see the exact rows.

Which precursor chemicals need a Chinese export licence to the United States?

Since MOFCOM Announcement 2025 No. 73, the United States, Mexico and Canada are on China's list of specific destinations for precursor chemicals. The current list is Announcement 2026 No. 40 of 22 September 2026, with 18 piperidine derivatives and their salts that need a licence for those three countries only. A separate group of 63 precursors, including sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, toluene and acetone, sits in the annual catalogue with no destination limit.

What happened to the October 2025 rare earth and lithium battery controls?

MOFCOM and GACC Announcement 2025 No. 70 suspended Announcements 2025 No. 55, 56, 57 and 58 and MOFCOM 2025 No. 61 and 62 until 10 November 2026. Those covered superhard materials, rare earth equipment and materials, medium and heavy rare earths, lithium batteries and artificial graphite anode materials, and rare earth items and technology abroad. Check the list page after 10 November 2026 to see whether the suspension was extended.

How often do these lists change?

More often than most buyers expect. MOFCOM changed the precursor destination list three times between November 2025 and September 2026, and temporary measures can start on the day they are published. Sourzi checked this copy on 28 September 2026 and plans to check it monthly, but always read the MOFCOM list page yourself before you place an order that depends on the answer.

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Related tools

Sourzi shows what official files say. It is not customs or legal advice. For a binding answer, ask a licensed customs broker, a CBP ruling or an Australian Border Force Tariff Advice.

File dates and links are on Data sources.