Shipping from China to USA | Sea & Air Freight Cost
Written by the team at Forturn, we are here to answer all the questions about shipping from China to the USA. There are many factors that influence freight rates, including the type of goods, weight, timing, size, location, and method of shipment. This guide will provide importers with estimated prices and service details to ship from China to the USA by air or ocean.
Table of Contents
1. 1.Types of shipping from China to USA
Importers should choose between air freight and sea freight based on their budget and requirements. There are two types to ship from China to the USA. 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.
Our comprehensive Canada country guide is dedicated to providing you with essential details regarding your shipment from China to Canada: including transit times, rates, procedures, duties, and taxes.
Ocean freight from China to the USA
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.
A. 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.
B. 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.
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 USA provided by importers. Similarly, the air-to-air service only include shipments from Chinese airports to USA airports. It always take 3-7 days for air freight from China to the USA. 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 USA?
If importers plan to ship some goods from China to the USA, 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.
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 USA There are some commonly used ports or airports:
From China | Shenzhen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Qingdao, Tianjin, Hong Kong |
To the USA | Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York, Miami |
The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach are two famous international ports. They carry a large amount of container traffic in and out of the USA. It can be said thet they form the the gateway to the USA Due to geography, a large proportion of ships from ports on the west coast of the USA come from main ports of China.
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 then transported them 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 USA
Door To Door | Port To Port | |
Ocean Freight FCL | 16-23 DAYS | 15-30 DAYS |
Ocean Freight LCL | 16-23 DAYS | 15-30 DAYS |
Air Freight | 7-14 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 USA is about 3 to 7 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 USA final destination.
3. Costs of shipping from China to USA
Costs of freight from China to the USA depend on whether the shipping is door-to-door or port-to-port.
Here are the average prices over a recent period based on different ports or airports.
FCL freight rates from China to the USA
Departure Port | Destination port | Container 40’ | Estimated Time |
Shenzhen | Los Angeles | $1550 | 15-30 days |
| New York | $2500 | 15-30 days |
| Miami | $2600 | 15-30 days |
Shanghai | Los Angeles | $1500 | 14-16 days |
| New York | $2500 | 15-27 days |
| Miami | $3000 | 15-27 days |
Ningbo | Los Angeles | $1300 | 15-34 days |
| New York | $2350 | 15-37 days |
| Miami | $2600 | 15-37 days |
LCL freight rates from China to the USA
Departure Port | Destination port | USD/CBM (1-3 CBM) | USD/CBM (3-9 CBM) | Estimated Time |
Shenzhen | Los Angeles/New York/Miami | 30-45 | 40-50 | 15-40 days |
Shanghai | Los Angeles/New York/Miami | 30-70 | 40-95 | 20-45 days |
Ningbo | Los Angeles/New York/Miami | 30-70 | 40-95 | 20-45 days |
Air freight rates from China to the USA
Departure airport | Destination airport | 45kg | 100kg | 200kg | 300kg | Estimated Time |
Shenzhen/Shanghai | Los Angeles(LAX)/New York(JFK)/Miami(MIA) |
|
|
|
| 1-5 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. Please contact Forturn for the timely pricing.
4.What other factors influence shipping from China to USA?
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 USA. 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 USA and China.
Event | Time | Influence |
Halloween | November 1st | 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. 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 east coast of the USA. 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 USA.
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. 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 USA.
5.How to import goods from China to USA?
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 USA. The Forturn team is here to provide importers with excellent service and competitive prices.
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 USA
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 and what is the chpeast way to ship from China to the USA, 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.
