Shipping from China to UK | Sea & Air Freight Cost
Written by the team at Forturn, we are here to answer all the questions about shipping from China to the UK. There are many factors that influence freight rates, including the type of goods, weight, timing, size, location, and method of shipment. This UK country guide will provide importers with estimated prices and service details to ship from China to the UK by air or ocean.
Table of Contents
1. Types of shipping from China to the UKShipping from China to the UK
Based on their budget and requirements, importers should choose their shipping options from air, sea, road, rail and express. There are many types to ship from China to the UK. There are two maily used methods. One is ocean freight, another is air freight. Ocean freight is a popular option that takes a long time but has low costs and is suitable for shipping large quantities. Air freight is an option that consumes less time and the price is expensive.
Ocean freight from China to the UK
When importers choose ocean freight, there are also two options for them to choose. One is less than continer load shipment(LCL) and the other is full container load shipment(FCL). Importers can transport their goods by FCL or LCL. LCL always takes a few days longer than FCL. LCL shipping also provides a more ecomonical way to ship small quantities.
- Ocean freight FCL
If importers ship large volumes and the goods can fill a container, FCL is the better choice, either 20’ or 40’ long. Moreover, the goods can be kept seperate from other importers using FCL. It can save time because they don’t need to find a place to load and unload goods, and clear customs separately.
- Ocean freight LCL
If importers ship smaller quantities and can share container space with others, LCL provides a more economy way to ship. It also means that using LCL for transportation takes a longer time because it requires packing and unpacking along with other goods at the warehouse. It may also take some time if there are problems with the customs clearance of other goods in this container.
Air freight from China to the UK
When importers want to receive their goods in a short time, they can arrange the air freight to get the goods. They can choose airport-to-airport or door-to-door services. The door-to-door service includes the shipments from the factory in China all the way to the final address in the UK provided by importers. Similarly, the air-to-air service only include shipments from Chinese airports to UK airports. It always take 3-7 days for air freight from China to the UK The price of air freight is primarily determined by weight and can also include options for partial or full charter. Different packing depends on different goods.
2.How long does the shipping take from China to the UK?
If importers plan to ship some goods from China to the UK, they should make sure what kind of service firstly. DDP and DDU are the two different ways, so importers should tell their freight forwarders about this firsly.
DDP: Under this condition, the seller is responsible for delivering goods to the buyer and covering all costs, duties, taxes, and other related charges until the goods reach the buyers’ destination. The shipping type for DDP always be the LCL shipping. Sometimes FCL is also available for DDP air freight. It takes 8-13days for DDP air freight and 28-35 days for DDP sea freight to ship from China to the UK.
DDU: Under this condition, the seller is responsible for delivering goods to the buyer but is only required to cover shipping costs and risks. The buyer needs to cover customs clearance fees, import taxes, and the costs of delivering the goods from the destination port to the final address.
Then, importers should find a shipping route to ship from China to the UK. There are some commonly used ports or airports:
From China | Shenzhen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Qingdao, Tianjin, Hong Kong |
To the UK | Southampton, Felixstowe, Liverpool, Manchester, London |
The Port of Southampton and the Port of Felixstowe are the two most commonly used ports. They carry a large amount of container traffic in and out of the UK.
According to the ports or airports and factory’s location, it can be selected an appropriate route. Generally, the nearest port or airport is chosen by importers. With importers’ authorization, the goods can be picked up from the factory or the retailer and transported to the port. The importers also can transport the goods by themselves. This difference is the service distinction between door-to-door shipping and port-to-port shipping. So, the shipping time differs based on the selection of different services.
Ocean freight time from China to the UK
| Servise Type | Door To Door | Port To Port |
Ocean Freight FCL | 35-40 DAYS | 24-38 DAYS |
Ocean Freight LCL | 35-40 DAYS | 24-38 DAYS |
Air Freight | 6-14 DAYS | 1-6 DAYS |
Air freight will be the most efficient way if importers plan to receive the goods in a hurry or the goods are high-value. The normal air freight from China to the UK is about 1 to 6 days. The air service also includes airport-to-airport service and door-to-door service. The door-to-door service will take a longer time to ship from Chinese factory to the final destination. The weight for the goods to air freight is from 10,0000 lbs to 45,0000 lbs.
Road freight and rail freight are also two other options to ship from China to the UK. It always takes 15-21 days through these two ways. These are good alternative ways to choose since it is faster than sea freight and more affordable than air freight though road or rail freight.
3.Costs of shipping from China to the UK
Costs of freight from China to the UK depend on whether the shipping is door-to-door or port-to-port. Here are the average port-to-port prices and estimated time over a recent period based on different ports or airports.
FCL freight rates from China to the UK
Departure Port | Destination port | Container 40’ | Estimated Time |
Shenzhen | Felixstowe | $1300 | 29-32 days |
| Southampton | $1300 | 29-38 days |
| London | $1300 | 44-46 days |
Shanghai | Felixstowe | $1080 | 23-29 days |
| Southampton | $1050 | 26-32 days |
| London | $1100 | 32-36 days |
Ningbo | Felixstowe | $1500 | 36-38 days |
| Southampton | $1350 | 32-35 days |
| London | $1600 | 42-45 days |
LCL freight rates from China to the UK
Departure Port | Destination port | USD/CBM (1-3 CBM) | USD/CBM (3-9 CBM) | Estimated Time |
Shenzhen | Felixstowe/Southampton/London | 10 | 20 | 24-25 days |
Shanghai | Felixstowe/Southampton/London | 10 | 20 | 34-35 days |
Ningbo | Felixstowe/Southampton/London | 10 | 20 | 37-38 days |
Air freight rates from China to the UK
Departure airport | Destination airport | 45kg | 100kg | 200kg | 300kg | Estimated Time |
Shenzhen/Shanghai | London (LHR)/Manchester (MAN)/Birmingham (BHX) |
|
|
|
| 1-6 days |
These rates are port-to-port shipping averages for a load of 200 kg/1 cbm.
This time and costs are influenced by various factors, such as the ports or airports situation and the shipping cycle. Prices for both air and sea freight can vary. If importers want to find the cheapest way, please contact Forturn for the timely pricing.
4.What other factors influence shipping from China to the UK?
There are many external factors that can affect the price of freight, such as holidays, business cycle, news, exchange rate and the type of goods. Understanding these factors can help importers make better decisions about timing and planning to ship from China to the UK. Importers can make a perfect shipment plan according to their own situation and external factors.
Holidays
There are many long holidays that can influence the market price and shipping time. During these times, shipping rates may increace significantly and shipping may be delayed. Here are some major holidays in the UK and China.
Event | Time | Influence |
Easter | April | Price rise before holiday |
Christmas and New Year | Late December | Price rise before holiday |
Chinese New year | Late January or early February | Factories shut down |
Golden week | October 1st and that week | Delays |
Business cycle
According to the experience, the peak season should be the second half of year to prepare for the big holidays. There are many holidays in the second half of the year, such as Halloween, Black Friday and Christmas. Prices tend to increace during peak seasons.
News
The impact of news on shipping can be emergent and significant. For example, during the Covid-19, prices were very high for much of the year in 2021. Another example is the blockage of the Suez Canal, which affected the schedules of many ships from China to the UK. Most ships from China to the UK need to pass through the Suez Canal. So importers should pay close attention to the news regularly to prevent disruptions to the schedule of their imports.
Exchange rate differnce
The majority of freight rates are settled in US dollars, so fluctuations in the exchange rate of the US dollar also have an impact on the shipping fee from China to the UK.
The type of goods
For most products, as long as there is proper export qualification, there are no other restrictions. Products related to electronics require detailed consultation with freight forwarders to do further actions to satisfy the restrictions.
There are also other factors that influence the final freight rate. For example, if the goods require reefer and other special conditions, the price and shipping date need to be further discussed with a freight forwarder. Importers should pay attention to details about the whole shipment. Importers can find a freight forwarder like Forturn to consult further details about the export rules in China and import rules in the UK.
5.How to import goods from China to the UK?
Step 1: Decide What to Import
Identify a seller or retailer and confirm the desired goods and qualifications for import. Additionally, coordinate with the seller to confirm the time and location when the goods will be ready for shipment.
Step 2: Contact a Freight Forwarder Based in China
Choose an agent to assist importers with processes such as land transportation, customs clearance in China, ocean freight or air freight, and customs clearance in the UK. The Forturn team is here to provide importers with excellent service and competitive prices. Also, Forturn provides warehousing services in China and the UK.
Step 3: Get a Shipping Quote
The freight forwarder will recommend suitable prices and routes to importers based on the weight of the goods and location. Importers can choose when to ship based on their own shipping arrangement and budget.
Step 4: Arrange Customs Clearance from China to the UK
Importers should provide documents to the freight forwarder to arrange customs clearance. Then importers only need to wait for the goods to arrive at the port or airport for further arrangements or the the final address.
If importers have any question about how to ship, what is the chpeast way to ship from China to the UK and the warehousing services, pleace contact Forturn to get a quick response.
Price Information for Reference Only as of March 2023. For the latest price references, please contact us via email or Price Information for Reference Only as of March 2023. For the latest price references, please contact us via email.
