The most efficient and cost-effective way of shipping from China to USA is sea freight.
China to the US sea freight has several players in the process. all these are:
shipping company
customs broker
shipping agent
The shipping line is the company that handles the physical shipment of the goods. They know the proper way to pack and handle goods.
The customs broker will process the documents and obtain permission from the government. They can also handle the delivery of items through freight companies, as they are usually located near the port.
We have already discussed the tasks that a freight forwarder handles. They will usually work with a customs broker.
Because China to the US sea freight takes a long time and can involve multiple port calls, it can be a lengthy process, and it might seem complicated on paper.
A freight forwarder refers to a person who accepts the entrustment of the owner of the cargo within the scope of legal authorization and handles customs declaration, handover, warehousing, allocation, inspection, packaging, packing, transshipment, and space booking on behalf of the owner of the cargo.
China to the US sea freight time
There are different shipping routes from China to the United States. One is the east coast line and the other is the west coast line. The routes are different. The west coast line usually arrives at Long Beach or the Port of Los Angeles in the United States. Shipping to the United States has to go through the Pacific Ocean, so The time limit will take a little longer
The time limit for the fast ship is about 13-16 days, and the slow ship takes 30-40 days to arrive. The shipping cost is different from the price given by different shipping companies.
China to the US sea freight : FCL and LCL
Additionally, containers come in three basic sizes:
FCL 20” (volume: 33.2 cubic meters)
It measures 5.89mx 2.35mx 2.39m and has a maximum weight of 24 tonnes. The actual gross weight of the cargo is 18 tons.
FCL 40” (volume: 67.7 cubic meters)
It measures 12.03mx 2.35mx 2.39m and has a maximum weight of 30.48 tonnes. The total normal cargo weight is 26 tons.
FCL 40” HQ (volume: 76.3 cbm)
It measures 12.03mx 2.35mx 2.69m and has a maximum weight of 30.48 tonnes. The total actual cargo weight is 26 tons.
How to choose FCL and LCL?
When to use LCL shipping and when to use full container shipping? The obvious answer seems to be that you should ship full containers when you have enough stuff to fill the container and LCL, otherwise. This is not true.
From an economic standpoint, a full container that is 75% full or more is usually cheaper than ocean freight LCL (in other words, LCL prorates a surcharge of around 25%). However, there are two other important considerations. First of all, the shipping time of LCL is about 1-2 weeks longer than FCL. That’s because the freight forwarder has to pack your items and work with others to unpack your items.
China to the US sea freight Freight Forwarder
So how do you actually book China to the US sea freight fee?
You need something called a freight forwarder (in fact, so does air freight). Freight forwarders are essentially brokers who buy ocean liner space for containers. You cannot book this space directly on board the ship yourself – you will need a freight forwarder.
