How to arrange shipment from China to USA (2021 Guide)
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How to ship cargos from China to USA
In traditional international trade, importers who manufacture products in China and sell them in the U.S. have a variety of shipping options, and there are three main modes of transportation from China to the U.S. Commercial Express, Ocean Freight, and Air Freight. In recent years, with the rise of cross-border e-commerce and drop shipping business, some economical international courier services have emerged, but still fall under the category of express delivery.
Express delivery from China to the United States (using DHL, Fedex, UPS, etc.)
Air freight from China to the United States.
Sea freight from China to the U.S.
Regardless of which method is used, most importers rely on Chinese freight forwarders to manage their shipments. This is because a reputable freight forwarder like Guidedimports can help them control the complex logistics requirements. At the same time, they can save a lot of money with their extensive transportation agreements with the major airlines and freight forwarders serving China.
We will analyze specific information about these three modes of transportation from China to the USA.
Ship cargos from china to USA by express.
Let’s say you are importing small items, like new product samples, and the shipping costs are too high. This will cost you more and take you longer. You return more safely to.
Mail regularly.
Mail is probably the most economical shipping option for light and small products. For example, China Post offers several mailing options: AirMail/SAL or SurfaceMail for small packages; AirParcel, SAL or SurfaceMail for larger packages; and EMS/China International Express and EUB Priority System packages. However, please check each option carefully and then compare the courier costs. The heavier the package, the cheaper the courier (express shipping). Although mail is cheap, you need to wait for a long time.
Express delivery options (China Express)
The use of international courier (also known as express shipping) is usually more reliable and faster than mail. As a rule of thumb, it is about $5 per kilogram. Express shipping is the cheapest way to ship, packaged or in small quantities, up to about 150 kg.
Ship from china to USA by sea freight.
In the modern world of trade and transport, more than 90% of global transactions are carried out through ocean shipping services. Approximately 20 million cargo ships and containers float on the water every day. Regardless of their weight and size, ocean shipping can take products to a variety of destinations.
Manufacturers use raw materials that may come from all over the world. For this reason, companies prefer to choose the safest, cheapest and most practical way of transporting their reputation and supply chain. If you often need to transport heavy cargo, this option may be the best and most economical choice for you. This type of freight forwarding is suitable for non-perishable cargo, vehicles, raw materials, fuel, pipelines and machinery.
Sea freight is suitable for both general cargo and bulk cargo types.
Bulk cargoes are usually divided into two categories:dry bulk (iron ore, seeds, sand) and liquid bulk (oil, chemicals, vegetable oils), which are usually transported by tankers. In addition, there are other types of bulk cargoes, such as bulk cargo or new bulk cargo. Bulk cargo is basically cargo that is not packed in containers. On the other hand, paper, cars and wood are classified as new bulk cargo.
Shipping is one of the cheapest types of freight in shipping services. Any transportation over 10,000 can be done by other means, but shipping by sea is not costly. Because its cost is more reasonable.
Transportation is divided into two types.
FCL – Full Container Load.
You can use a 20-feet or 40-feet container to carry your cargo. When using this service, you have fully rented the container and you cannot share the interior space with anyone. It is important to note that if your cargo is small or does not take up all the space in the container, some space will be wasted. This is because even if the container is half empty, you will have to pay the full cost. This type of container is suitable for large or sensitive goods that occupy the entire space. You don’t want to share it with other products.
LCL – Less than Container Load.
In this method, you have a number of containers. Several products are collected from different customers and installed in the container. In this case, you have no information or authority about the other goods.
Container shipping or consolidation.
If several customers have the same destination, the company can collect the goods and put them in containers. But they are kept in the warehouse until there are enough goods to fill the container. This method is more cost effective, but takes more time. It is suitable if there is no exact delivery date. It is more cost effective than LCL.
Suppliers can be connected to the global trade market with proper cargo transportation and serve their customers correctly. There are many freight forwarders who can help you.
How much does it cost to ship a container from China to America
The price of shipping a container from China to the United States is approximately $1,500 (USD) for a 20-feet container to the West Coast of the United States, $3,500 for a 20-feet container to the East Coast of the United States, $4,000 for a 40-feet container to the West Coast, and $4,500 to the East Coast. Examples of these rates are China local charges + China export documents + ocean charges from China to U.S. ports.
As you know, the prices listed above are the regular delivery costs before, due to the effects of COVID-19, shipping costs have been changing and have increased many times, and have not been able to come down.
Why it is so expensive for shipping from Chnia to USA by sea recently?
In recent months, shipping from China to the U.S. has gradually trended upward, with a 500% increase in shipping from China to the U.S. However, many people have noticed very little growth in shipping costs from the U.S. to China, and the difference between the two is significant. Why is this? In fact, it is closely related to the demand for goods from China and the United States.
On the one hand, due to the monetary easing policy in the U.S., commodity prices have risen significantly and inflation has also affected freight rates, resulting in higher freight rates.
On the other hand, due to the well-controlled epidemic in China, a large number of factories have recovered and a large number of manufacturers in the U.S. are still out of production.
The demand for Chinese goods in the U.S. naturally increased, and Chinese goods needed to be exported to the U.S. in large quantities. Not only the U.S., but also Europe, America and other countries have increased the import of Chinese goods.
However, shipping companies and shipping capacity have not increased, resulting in an oversupply and rising freight rates. Secondly, the current labor situation in the U.S. is not optimistic.
Due to the epidemic, the number of migrant workers has decreased and the lack of manpower has led shipping companies to increase labor costs and attract more workers.
However, many people find that containers are stacked in U.S. ports, but it is difficult to find a box in domestic ports, and the deviation is huge.
The limited number of containers and ships, commodity export demand increased, the number of containers is still the original number, resulting in domestic containers are difficult to find, foreign containers accumulate. Start from the following aspects, deep reasons. First is the transport of goods. Most of the goods transported from China need container transport, such as toys and monitors. The main goods imported from the United States are cars and minerals, do not need containers.
What’s more, in the current global epidemic rampant, China’s preventive and control measures are relatively sound, factories can continue to operate, and there are few shortages. As a result, a large number of containers will arrive in the U.S., but no goods can be shipped back. Second, the loading and unloading of ships is inefficient, some shipping companies are willing to ship empty containers back to China, but when loading and unloading cargo, empty containers are inefficient and waste days.
Ship from china to USA by air freight
Airfreight
Airfreight is the fastest way to import cargo from China. It is often used by international importers who coordinate time-sensitive shipments. Typically, ocean shipments from China to the United States take 20 to 30 days to cross continents. Air freight is safe and reliable and takes a few hours to reach its destination.
The main disadvantage of air freight is that it is very expensive. It is usually 5 times more expensive than trucking and 16 times more expensive than ocean transportation. It is also limited when it comes to transporting large and bulky items.
Air freight rates are determined by weight and volume. Carriers charge by dimensional weight or actual weight depending on which figure is more expensive.
In addition to freight rates, shipping costs increase due to additional charges. Final freight rates usually include the following charges.
Fuel surcharge.
Security surcharge.
Terminal handling charges.
Airport transfer fees.
Customs brokerage fees.
Pick-up and delivery charges.
Cargo insurance.
Additional charges.
How long does it take to ship a shipment from China to the USA?
When will the goods be shipped from China to the United States?
You can expect that it will take three to four days to import goods from China to the U.S. by air, or up to five weeks if it is by sea.
Maybe you’re wondering why air freight takes so long. In the end, the flight time is less than a full day. However, air cargo transit time encompasses the entire transportation process.
Departure airport integration.
Import and export customs clearance procedures
Unloading of cargo from the destination airport.
Entrance customs clearance
If your cargo is a transit flight, you also have to take into account the transit time. Connections can take hours, a day, or more.
In case of sea freight, you need to keep it for weeks, not days. The length of the voyage depends on the route, whether the carrier offers direct service, or if you go to several ports before the cargo reaches its destination.
How long does it take to ship cargo from China to USA?
As mentioned above, the total shipping time from China to the USA is determined by the particular port of origin and destination. The following examples will give you an idea of the actual ocean freight time from China to different ports in the United States.
Guangzhou to Los Angeles – 26 days LCL
Guangzhou to Miami – 38 days LCL
Dalian to Los Angeles – 26 days LCL
Huangpu to Miami or Charleston – 40 days LCL
Huangpu to Los Angeles – 35 days LCL
Huangpu to New York – 40 days LCL and FCL
Jiangmen to Charleston – 42 days LCL
Jiangmen to Los Angeles – 27 days LCL
Jiangmen to Miami – 44 days LCL
Ningbo to Chicago – 22 days LCL, 29 days FCL
Ningbo to Houston – 34 days LCL, 36 days FCL
Ningbo to Los Angeles – 17 days LCL, 13 days FCL
Ningbo to New York – 23 days LCL, 35 days FCL
Ningbo to Seattle – 17 days LCL, 23 days FCL
Shanghai to Atlanta – 29 days LCL, 34 days FCL
Shanghai to Boston – 35 days LCL, 37 days FCL
Shanghai to Charleston – 34 days LCL, 37 days FCL
Shanghai to Chicago – 28 days LCL, 37 days FCL
Shanghai to Houston – 33 days LCL, 39 days FCL
Shanghai to Los Angeles – 22 days LCL and FCL
Shanghai to Miami – 46 days LCL, 38 days FCL
Shanghai to New York – 37 days LCL, 38 days FCL
Shanghai to Seattle – 24 days LCL
Shenzhen to Charleston – 40 days LCL
Shenzhen to Chicago – 30 days LCL
Shenzhen to Los Angeles – 23 days LCL, 19 days FCL
Shenzhen to Miami – 44 days LCL
Shenzhen to New York – 38 days LCL, 36 days FCL
Shenzhen to San Francisco – 25 days LCL
Qingdao to Atlanta – 39 days LCL, 35 days FCL
Qingdao to Chicago – 25 days LCL, 24 days FCL
Qingdao to Houston – 37 days LCL, 36 days FCL
Qingdao to Los Angeles – 24 days LCL
Qingdao to New York – 40 days LCL, 36 days FCL
Qingdao to Seattle – 20 days LCL
Tianjin to Houston – 35 days LCL
Tianjin to Miami – 42 days LCL
Tianjin to Seattle – 35 days LCL, 36 days FCL
Xiamen to Los Angeles – 20 days LCL
Xiamen to New York – 34 days LCL
Fuzhou to Houston – 23 days FCL
Fuzhou to Los Angeles – 20 days FCL
Lianyungang to Boston, Savannah or Oakland – 36 days FCL
Ningbo to Oakland, Long Beach, Norfolk, Savannah, or Baltimore – 36 days FCL
Shanghai to Baltimore – 36 days FCL
Shanghai to Savannah – 29 days FCL
Shanghai to Long Beach – 25 days FCL
Shanghai to Tacoma – 36 days FCL
Shekou to Los Angeles – 23 days FCL
Shekou to New York – 36 days FCL
Qingdao to Charleston – 35 days FCL
Qingdao to Long Beach – 19 days FCL
Qingdao to Oakland – 24 days FCL
Xiamen to Charleston, Houston, Oakland, or Savannah – 36 days FCL
How Long Does It Take to Ship Cargo by Air From China to the America?
Typical transit times for air freight from China to the USA range from two to eight days, as you can see from the following examples, which comprise routes from the Shipa Freight database:
Guangzhou to Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago – 5 days
Guangzhou to Miami – 6 days
Zhengzhou or Beijing to Los Angeles – 5 days
Chengdu to Los Angeles – 12 days
Beijing to Boston, New York or Atlanta – 6 days
Beijing to Chicago or Cincinnati – 4 days
Beijing to San Francisco, Dallas or Houston – 7 days
Shanghai to Atlanta – 3 days
Shanghai to Dallas, Boston or Cincinnati – 7 days
Shanghai to Chicago, Miami, New York, or Los Angeles – 5 days
Shanghai to Sacramento, Detroit or Houston – 6 days
Shenzhen to Atlanta, Miami, or Dallas – 6 days
Shenzhen to Chicago or Los Angeles – 5 days
Shenzhen to Denver – 7 days
Shenzhen to Houston – 2 days
Qingdao to New York, Houston or Chicago – 8 days
Qingdao to Seattle or Los Angeles – 5 days
Wuhan to New York – 8 days
Xiamen to Atlanta or New York – 4 days
Xiamen to Detroit or Houston – 7 days
Xiamen to Los Angeles – 8 days
Customs Clearance in China and the USA
Export and import customs clearance seems are complicated, and in many cases, that’s because it is. Nevertheless, it is an unavoidable aspect of ocean and air shipping from China to the U.S. Consequently, it is something for which every supplier, consignee, and intermediary engaged in international trade must be prepared.
Your carrier will not take any responsibility for helping you with customs procedures. However, a freight forwarder will take care of them for a fee. Even so, there are some steps for which your business must retain responsibility. They include the provision of accurate information and the documents to accompany your freight.
Typically, you will need to ensure that the following documents accompany all your exports from China to the USA, as customs authorities in both countries will require them:
Commercial Invoice
Packing List
Certificate of Origin
Letter of Credit or other payment terms (depending on the contract between the parties involved)
Bill of Lading for ocean freight or Airway Bill for air freight (Your freight forwarder should provide this)
We have published a comprehensive Shipping Documents page to familiarize you with the various papers and forms, including examples that you can examine.
Generally, it takes 1-35 days to ship from China to the United States, depending on how the shipment is selected and the final destination of the shipment in the United States. Express shipping is the fastest option and takes 1-5 days. Air freight takes 2-15 days, and ocean freight takes 15-25 days.
Generally speaking, here are a few days to ship goods from China to the USA using different shipping methods, which usually takes a few days.
1-5 days by air express from China.
2-15 days for air cargo from China.
More than 15 days – shipping by sea from China to the West Coast.
More than 25 days – Sea freight from China to the East Coast.
Flight time.
1-5 days by air from China to the America by China Express, 2 weeks by air. For more information, please see our detailed reports on express shipping from China to the U.S. and air shipping from China to the USA.
Sailing time.
Generally, it takes about 15 days to ship from China to the U.S. by sea and over 25 days to the West Coast. For more information, check out our detailed article on shipping from China to the U.S.
Caution. Coronary artery disease is still delaying shipping.
Unfortunately, current shipping times may be much longer than usual due to the impact of coronavirus on shipping from China.
Impact of Chinese holidays on cargo exports.
Many importers are finding that the problems they are experiencing are due to delays caused by Chinese holidays.
Traffic delays are common, especially for Chinese New Year. All major ports in China are open 365 days a year, but not all local carriers operate during major holidays.
Here is a list of the most important Chinese holidays of the year, during which delays are also common
New Year’s Day – January 1st – January 1st.
Chinese New Year – end of January to mid-February – 6 days (usually longer).
Ching Ming – early April – January.
Labor Day-early May-March.
Dragon Boat Festival – end of June – 3 days.
Mid-Autumn Festival – early October – 1 day.
Golden Week – early October – 7 days.
National Day – early October – three days.
Another delay to consider is the Christmas and winter holiday rush.
Since June, factories in China have been fulfilling Christmas orders, and congestion at some suppliers will only increase as December approaches. Generally speaking, in late November and early December, companies that don’t have enough time to prepare end up scrambling to try to get their products out.
This congestion causes significant delays in air and sea shipments. Ships and warehouses are overwhelmed with packages, and shipments are often temporarily lost or delayed.
In previous years, as the world scrambled to export finished goods from China, our shipments were delayed by more than three weeks to make it to the end of the holiday shopping season.
Every holiday season, our China team often sees chaos in the business, all because buyers order too late in the season. The best advice is to plan as far in advance as possible.
What is the best way to ship China to the U.S.?
While this is a good question, there is no universal “best method” for shipping in China. You should carefully consider the following variables.
Production and Shipment – What size of goods are being shipped?
Target – to be shipped to a small office or warehouse?
Time required – will you ship in the same week, or wait a bit? This question is very important, especially during this holiday season in China.
Some shipments, such as spray cans and strong magnets, are difficult to transport by air. Other products, such as lithium-ion batteries, can be shipped by air, but the required documentation is often difficult to provide by the supplier and can only be shipped by dedicated aircraft. As a result, it is often easier to ship batteries via sea freight from China.
Some products cannot be transported by air, or only by sea or railway.
In some cases, it is better to ship goods by air. Products under 1 cubic meter are usually well suited for air freight. Expensive cargo is sometimes safer to ship by air, sometimes this is a requirement of China Cargo insurance companies.
Endpoint. Most reputable Chinese 3PLs can provide end-to-end transportation services that can move cargo to warehouses, small commercial buildings, and residential areas. Sometimes, however, shipping a container to a location that is not equipped for unloading proves to be very difficult. For this reason, we should take into account the final destination and the way the cargo will be unloaded in order to determine the most ideal transportation solution.
Sometimes buyers find it easier to ship small shipments via air freight from China, while others benefit from splitting services when the cargo arrives at a USA port.
Timelines require that there is no faster method than air transportation for cargo that is urgently needed.
For certain containerized cargoes shipped by sea, transit times can be reduced to the West Coast rather than the East Coast, and the cargo can then be shipped by truck or rail upon arrival in the United States.
If time is not a priority, then ship by ocean to a popular port, closer to the final destination, and then ship by truck for the final distance.
Why is it the best way to ship from China?
If time is the primary issue, companies look for all possible options to ship the goods in the fastest way possible.
