Why Mozambique in 2026
Mozambique is a smaller market than South Africa, but in 2026 several large projects moved again at once. For a duct shop the work falls into four groups: Maputo buildings, LNG, mining and ports.
Maputo: offices, hotels and hospitals
Most HVAC contractors are based in Maputo, and most day-to-day duct goes into offices, banks, hotels, serviced apartments and government buildings. Gas activity feeds this work. In 2026 Mozambique Rovuma Venture, the Area 4 operator, invited contractors to express interest in a turnkey interior renovation of about 3,000 m² over four office floors on Avenida Julius Nyerere for ExxonMobil Moçambique, with work due to start in November 2026.
In healthcare, ground was broken on 3 August 2026 for a National Surgical Centre inside Maputo Central Hospital: a complex of more than 20,000 m² with an eight-storey surgical building, 14 operating theatres, a 19-bed intensive care unit and 456 inpatient beds. Theatres and intensive care need tightly sealed duct; see our cleanroom duct guide and air leakage classes guide.
LNG in Cabo Delgado
- Mozambique LNG (Area 1): TotalEnergies, as operator, and the government announced the full restart of onshore and offshore activities on 29 January 2026, after the consortium lifted the force majeure declared in 2021. The project was about 40% complete at restart, with first LNG targeted for 2029 and more than 4,000 workers mobilised at Afungi, over 3,000 of them Mozambican. The consortium expects contracts worth more than USD 4 billion to go to Mozambican companies. Revised costs were still being discussed with the government in mid-2026.
- Coral Norte FLNG (Area 4): Eni and its partners took the final investment decision on 2 October 2025 for a second floating LNG unit of 3.55 million tonnes a year, a twin of Coral Sul, which has operated since 2022. First LNG is scheduled for the second quarter of 2028. The unit is built overseas, so little of its duct is made locally.
- Rovuma LNG (Area 4 onshore): in August 2026 ExxonMobil selected the SMDC consortium, which includes Saipem and McDermott, for the first phase engineering, procurement and construction, and said it intended to take the final investment decision before the end of 2026. Treat it as a lead to follow until that decision is announced.
For local shops the realistic LNG work is in the buildings around the plants: offices, workshops, warehouses, accommodation and kitchens, plus offices and housing in Pemba and Maputo. Security in Cabo Delgado has improved but still affects logistics, and most of this work goes through the main contractors' supplier programmes. For camp kitchens see our grease and kitchen exhaust duct guide.
Mining in Tete and Cabo Delgado
At Moatize in Tete province, Vulcan, the Jindal group company that bought the mine from Vale, announced in July 2026 an investment of about USD 160 million in a 300 MW power system to electrify the mine, coal processing and rail. At Balama in Cabo Delgado, Syrah Resources restarted its graphite operation after a long stoppage linked to protests in 2024 and 2025, and has been matching output to a weak graphite market. Mining work is mostly plant ventilation, dust extraction, workshops, offices and camps, often in heavier gauges or stainless; see our galvanised vs stainless comparison.
Ports and corridors: Maputo, Beira and Nacala
All three ports are investing. DP World is spending about USD 165 million to roughly double the capacity of the Maputo container terminal. At Beira, the terminal operator Cornelder set out in January 2026 a programme of about USD 120 million over four years to lift container capacity to around 700,000 TEU. In February 2026 the cabinet approved an international tender for a concession to expand and modernise Nacala, which handled 3.5 million tonnes in 2024 against a capacity of 10 million tonnes. Port works bring warehouses, cold stores and offices.
Standards and codes for ductwork in Mozambique
We could not find a Mozambican duct construction standard. In practice a duct shop builds to what the project specification (caderno de encargos) names, and that depends on who designed the project.
- Mozambican standards (NM): INNOQ, the national standards and quality institute and an ISO member, publishes Normas Moçambicanas. Under the 2021 standardisation regulation they are prepared on the basis of international standards and are voluntary unless a technical regulation makes them mandatory.
- European standards (NP EN): specifications written in the Portuguese tradition cite European standards in their Portuguese editions. For ductwork the main references are EN 1505 and EN 1506 for rectangular and circular dimensions and EN 1507 and EN 12237 for strength and air leakage. The leakage class decides your seam, joint and sealing method.
- South African standards (SANS): projects designed from South Africa may cite SANS 1238 for air conditioning ductwork and SANS 10173 for installation, testing and balancing. Our South Africa guide covers these documents.
- SMACNA: oil and gas operators, US-led projects and many international EPC contractors write to the SMACNA HVAC Duct Construction Standards. If a job mixes SMACNA gauges with EN tables, confirm which governs before you cut metal. See our SMACNA gauge chart and hangers and supports guide.
- Fire safety: Mozambican fire rules for buildings are spread across older regulations, many from the colonial era, so the specification usually sets fire damper and smoke extract requirements; see fire and smoke damper integration.
Maputo and Beira are hot and humid, so insulate and vapour-seal supply duct carefully; see our duct insulation guide and international standards comparison.
Importing duct machinery into Mozambique
- IVA: the standard rate is 16%, and it applies to goods imported into Mozambique. Goods entering special economic zones, industrial free zones, bonded warehouses or temporary import are outside its scope while they stay in that regime. Some import exemptions were removed from 1 January 2026, so check the current position with your adviser.
- Customs duty: rates run from 0% to 20% depending on the tariff line, with 20% on consumer goods. Capital goods have historically sat in a low band, and capital equipment listed in Class K of the customs tariff can be exempt from duty and IVA under the tax benefit rules where the project qualifies. Duct forming and folding machines usually fall under HS heading 8462, but the rate depends on the full tariff line in the current Pauta Aduaneira, which was amended again by Law 08/2025. Ask your despachante to classify the machine and confirm the rate. We do not quote a figure here.
- Certificate of Conformity: Mozambique runs a conformity assessment programme, administered by Intertek, for regulated products on a list set by ministerial diploma (most recently Diploma 29/2024). Consignments containing listed products need a certificate issued before shipment, or clearance can be delayed. Ask Intertek or your broker whether your machine is listed. Taokron machines are CE marked with a Declaration of Conformity and ship with electrical diagrams and component lists.
Tell us the port nearest your workshop: Maputo for the south, Beira for the centre and Tete, and Nacala for the north and Cabo Delgado. Our importing guide covers the general paperwork.
Power supply: 220/380 V or 230/400 V, 50 Hz
Mozambique runs at 50 Hz, with single phase supply of 220 to 230 V. Three phase supply is quoted as 380 V in older references and 400 V under the current IEC 60038 nominal, so measure the voltage at your workshop and tell us; we wire the motors, drives and control transformer to suit. The national grid is made up of southern, central and northern systems, and supply quality varies by area. An auto duct line, a plasma table and a spiral tubeformer running together need a properly sized connection, so have your electrician confirm capacity with EDM before the machines arrive, and plan surge and phase protection for PLC-controlled lines. See also duct machine voltage and frequency by country.
Typical Mozambican shop set-ups and the machines that fit
Contractor shop, rectangular duct for offices, hotels and fit-outs
Most Maputo HVAC work is rectangular duct, and many installers make their own in a small workshop. A practical set is a Rectangular Duct Line II SBAL-II, which handles 0.5 to 2.0 mm sheet in 1,250 or 1,550 mm widths, or an Auto Duct Line SBAL-III with two electrical feeding units and hydraulic notching and shearing. Add a Pittsburgh lockformer (SBLC series) for longitudinal seams, a TDF flange forming machine for transverse joints and a pneumatic folder for simple fittings. That covers straight duct, TDF joints and most fittings with a small crew.
Volume shop for hospitals, LNG and mining packages
Shops chasing hospital, LNG support and mining packages need output and consistent quality, and main contractors may audit them. The Auto Duct Line SBAL-V is a U-shape line from coil to finished panel for TDF, angle flange and drive cleat duct. Pair it with a Duct Zipper SBHF-1.5×1500TDF to close seams automatically, an auto corner making machine and a pneumatic corner inserting machine for TDF corners, a Plasma Cutter SBPC1550 to cut fittings from nested drawings, and a hydraulic folder for heavier gauges and long bends. Machine-formed seams and flanges seal more reliably than hand work, which matters when a hospital or an oil and gas client tests to a leakage class.
Round duct and stainless
Spiral duct suits warehouses, car parks, exposed ceilings and industrial extract at ports and mines. The Spiral Tubeformer SBTF-1500 or SBTF-1602 forms round duct, and the Spiral Duct Flanging Machine SBFB-1600 turns flanges on round duct ends. For stainless kitchen extract and heavier process duct, the stainless duct forming machine and the Automatic Stitchwelder SB-ZF1500 cover the seams that a lock cannot. For a real example, see Kavanagh Industries in Sydney, which added an SBTF-1602 in October 2026.
Labour and space
Mozambique sets minimum wages by sector, and the latest revision was announced on 28 April 2026, backdated to 1 April. Skilled sheet metal workers and welders are in demand while the LNG projects hire: Mozambique LNG alone expects up to 7,000 direct construction jobs for Mozambicans, so keeping a trained crew can be harder than paying it. An auto duct line replaces much of the manual marking, cutting, notching and folding, so a small crew can supply several sites and keep quality steady.
On space, the auto duct line is the longest item, with coil racks at one end and a run-out table at the other. Ask us for a layout drawing based on your building before you sign a lease, and leave room for coil deliveries, finished duct storage and truck loading. Maputo and the Matola industrial area suit shops serving the south; a shop aiming at Cabo Delgado should weigh road distance and Nacala or Pemba logistics against the main contractors' supplier rules. Our factory layout guide has worked examples.
Working with Taokron from Mozambique
- Machines built since 1994 and supplied to 100+ countries, with 60+ patents, from an ISO 9001:2015 factory
- CE marked with a Declaration of Conformity
- Wired for your three phase 50 Hz supply
- Installation and commissioning quoted per engineer-day
- Replies within 12 hours by email at [email protected] or on WhatsApp at +61 435 074 994
Get a Mozambique-ready Taokron quotation →
FAQ
Which ductwork standards are used in Mozambique?
We could not find a Mozambican duct construction standard. A duct shop builds to what the project specification names, and that depends on who designed the job. Specifications in the Portuguese tradition cite European standards in their Portuguese editions, such as EN 1505, EN 1506, EN 1507 and EN 12237. Projects designed from South Africa may cite SANS 1238 for ductwork and SANS 10173 for installation, and oil and gas operators and many international contractors write to the SMACNA HVAC Duct Construction Standards. INNOQ publishes Mozambican standards (NM), which are based on international standards and voluntary unless a regulation makes them mandatory. Always build to the documents named in the specification.
What voltage and frequency do duct machines need in Mozambique?
Mozambique runs at 50 Hz, with single phase supply of 220 to 230 V. Three phase supply is quoted as 380 V in older references and 400 V under the current IEC 60038 nominal. Measure the three phase voltage at your workshop and tell us, and we wire the motors, drives and control transformer to suit. Have your electrician confirm the connection capacity with EDM before an auto duct line arrives.
What taxes apply when importing duct machinery into Mozambique?
Imports pay IVA at the standard rate of 16%, plus customs duty for the exact tariff line. Duty rates run from 0% to 20%, with 20% on consumer goods, and capital goods have historically sat in a low band. Capital equipment listed in Class K of the customs tariff can be exempt from duty and IVA under the tax benefit rules where the project qualifies. Duct forming and folding machines usually fall under HS heading 8462, but the rate depends on the full tariff line, so ask your despachante to classify the machine and confirm it before you budget.
Does a duct machine need a Certificate of Conformity for Mozambique?
Mozambique runs a conformity assessment programme, administered by Intertek, for regulated products on a list set by ministerial diploma, most recently Diploma 29/2024. Consignments containing listed products need a certificate issued before shipment. Ask Intertek or your broker whether your machine is on the list before it ships. Taokron machines are CE marked with a Declaration of Conformity and come with electrical diagrams and component lists.
Where is ductwork demand in Mozambique coming from in 2026?
The main sources are offices, hotels and hospitals in Maputo, including the National Surgical Centre at Maputo Central Hospital, which broke ground in August 2026; the buildings around the LNG projects in Cabo Delgado, where Mozambique LNG fully restarted in January 2026 and Coral Norte FLNG reached its investment decision in October 2025; mining at Moatize and Balama; and port investment at Maputo, Beira and Nacala.
Which machines should a new Mozambican duct shop start with?
A contractor shop making rectangular duct for offices, hotels and fit-outs usually starts with a rectangular duct line or auto duct line, a Pittsburgh lockformer, a TDF flange former and a folder. Add a duct zipper, corner machines and a plasma table as volume grows, and a spiral tubeformer when round duct becomes regular work. Send your duct sizes, gauges and monthly output and a Taokron engineer will propose a machine set within 12 hours.
