Importing chrome-plated or ground bar stock from Yixin starts with a one-tonne minimum order, a 20–50 kg sample for approval, an FOB Shanghai or Ningbo quotation, and a lead time of 3–5 days for bars cut from stock, 7–10 days for a non-standard diameter and 10–20 days for a custom heat treatment. Sea-freight booking is additional.
What is the minimum order quantity for chrome bars from China?
For Yixin Precision Machinery (Changzhou), the minimum export order is 1 t, and samples are supplied in 20–50 kg lots. The one-tonne figure is the commercial floor for a production order, and 20–50 kg sample orders are available.
The tonnage you actually reach depends on diameter and total running length. A small diameter needs much more running length to make a tonne than a large one, so it is worth converting your cutting list into weight before you compare quotations from different suppliers. If your design uses several diameters, list them all with the quantity per diameter on the enquiry rather than sending one line at a time.
Grade and condition also change what can be ordered. 42CrMo is supplied in the quenched and tempered condition only, Ø8–100 mm, made to order, with a minimum of 1 t. The 40Cr Q&T Chrome-Plated Bar covers Ø8–140 mm and is made to order, so it sits in the made-to-order part of the range rather than the stock part. Confirm the minimum for your grade and condition in writing before you release a purchase order.
Can I get samples before placing an order?
Yes. Samples are supplied in 20–50 kg lots, well below the 1 t production minimum, so you can check a diameter, tolerance, chrome finish and cut length before committing to a shipment.
Give a sample enquiry the same information as a production enquiry: grade and condition, diameter, cut length, tolerance band, hard chrome thickness and the property you intend to measure. A sample is a check on the specification you wrote; it does not replace the checks you carry out on the delivered order, and it should not be treated as a production delivery against a live schedule.
Yixin holds Alibaba.com Verified Supplier status, and an Intertek onsite assessment of its production and trading operation was carried out in June 2026, valid to June 2027. Laboratory test reports are published in full at https://yxrod.com/en/quality, and those results apply to the sample bars submitted for the tests, not to every bar shipped. Per-order third-party inspection is a separate service and is arranged on request.
What does an FOB Shanghai or Ningbo quotation cover?
Yixin quotes FOB Shanghai or Ningbo, with payment by T/T (50% deposit, balance before shipment), and replies to a quotation request within one working day. The quotation should name the grade, condition, tolerance, chrome thickness, cut length and the port of loading.
The FOB term fixes the point where your forwarder takes over, so ask for the port to be written on the quotation rather than assumed. Packing for sea freight is protective film and cotton-rope ties (no steel straps on finished bars), wooden cases or wooden pallets, and it should match the cut length and the handling your site can accept.
Documents follow the order: commercial invoice, packing list and mill certificate are standard, the certificate of origin is arranged per order, and third-party inspection is arranged on request. If you need the certificate of origin or an inspection visit on a fixed date, say so on the enquiry, because these are ordered separately from the bars. Sea-freight booking is additional to production time, so plan the booking against the confirmed ready date rather than against the enquiry date.
How long does the lead time take?
Three bands apply: 3–5 days for bars cut from stock, 7–10 days for a non-standard diameter, and 10–20 days for a custom heat treatment, plus sea-freight booking in every case; 42CrMo is 7–10 days. Ask the supplier to mark which band applies to each line on the quotation.
The bands follow the order route rather than the product name: cutting a stock diameter to length, producing a non-standard diameter, or adding a custom heat treatment. Diameters of Ø4–140 mm are available from stock, depending on the product, while up to Ø200 mm is made to order. The 40Cr Q&T Chrome-Plated Bar, for example, runs Ø8–140 mm and is made to order. A quotation that states a single lead time for a mixed order is not useful for planning; a line-by-line statement is.
Have the quotation also state the date from which the lead time is counted. When an order mixes stock sizes with a made-to-order diameter, the longest line normally sets the shipment date, and the sea-freight booking should be planned backwards from that date. Confirm both before the purchase order is released.
What should I check on the sample or on delivery?
Check the drawing items, not the catalogue page: diameter and tolerance, hard chrome thickness, chrome hardness, straightness, surface roughness and cut length. The figures below are standard capabilities, and final values are confirmed on the drawing and order.
| Item | Standard capability | What to state on the drawing |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | Ø4–140 mm from stock; up to Ø200 mm made to order; range depends on the product | Nominal diameter and whether it is inside the stock range |
| Tolerance | Ø4–11 mm: −0.02/−0.05 mm; from Ø12 mm: 0/−0.02, −0.01/−0.03 or −0.02/−0.05 mm | The tolerance band you need |
| Hard chrome | 10–50 μm per side, chosen per order; chrome hardness HV800+ | Thickness per side, and any salt-spray requirement |
| Straightness | ≈0.1 mm/m from Ø25 mm; ≈0.2 mm/m below Ø25 mm | Straightness per meter |
| Surface roughness | Ra ≤0.4 μm chrome-plated; Ra ≤0.8 μm ground | The Ra value required |
| Length | Full bars 4 m, 6 m, 7.5 m or 8.1 m; CNC cut to length from 200 mm with about 3 mm allowance | Cut length and its tolerance |
Chrome plating and machining are carried out by long-term partner plants to Yixin's specification, and Yixin re-checks chrome thickness, diameter and surface when the bars come back, so the inspection record for a plated bar is not only the plater's record. Salt-spray performance is not part of the standard specification. Where a rating is required, we specify a thicker chrome layer and can have the order tested by a third-party laboratory.
What to put in your RFQ
- Grade and condition: 45 steel, 40Cr or 42CrMo (Q&T condition only), and the condition you need, such as ground, chrome-plated, induction hardened or quenched and tempered.
- Diameter and tolerance band, for example Ø4–11 mm at −0.02/−0.05 mm, or from Ø12 mm at 0/−0.02, −0.01/−0.03 or −0.02/−0.05 mm.
- Hard chrome thickness per side, 10–50 μm, chosen per order, plus any salt-spray requirement.
- Cut length: full bars (4 m, 6 m, 7.5 m or 8.1 m) or CNC cut-to-length dimensions with the length tolerance.
- Quantity in tonnes and total running length per diameter, against the 1 t minimum, or 20–50 kg if you are ordering samples.
- Straightness and surface roughness: Ra ≤0.4 μm chrome-plated, Ra ≤0.8 μm ground, and straightness per meter.
- Trade terms: FOB Shanghai or Ningbo, T/T, packing type and the documents you require.
- Documents and inspection: commercial invoice, packing list and mill certificate with the shipment, certificate of origin arranged per order, and third-party inspection on request.
Summary
A chrome bar order from Yixin is planned around four figures: a 1 t minimum order, samples of 20–50 kg, FOB Shanghai or Ningbo with T/T payment, and lead times of 3–5 days cut from stock, 7–10 days for a non-standard diameter and 10–20 days for a custom heat treatment, plus sea-freight booking. Confirm the minimum, the lead-time band and the FOB port for each line in writing, state the grade, condition, tolerance band, chrome thickness, straightness, roughness and cut length on the drawing, and agree the documents and any third-party inspection before the purchase order is released.