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From 2020, the container price from China to the US has increased sharply. Rates appear to have stabilized until now. In September 2021, shipping a container from China to the U.S. West Coast cost more than $20,000, and by June 2022, the price dropped to $9,500, half of what it used to be.
What determines the container price from China to the US?
The volume or weight of the cargo
Although the price of a container is fixed, there will be some surcharges depending on the weight or volume of your cargo. When it comes to sea freight, the size of your cargo is the most important, while air freight is more concerned with the weight of your cargo. The more goods you have, the higher the container price from China to the US.
Shipping methods
Is your shipment by air or sea? The shipping method will determine how much and when your item will arrive. Air freight from China to USA is often faster and more expensive than ocean freight. So if you have enough time and the goods are not urgent, it is highly recommended that you choose a sea container, because the price of sea freight from China to USA is at least 4-5 times cheaper than air freight.
Sailing distance
Not to mention this, everyone must also understand that the price of containers shipped to the western United States and the eastern United States must be different, after all, the distance is so much longer.
Destination
Duties and service charges are unavoidable, but they vary by country. Naturally, the arrival of your shipment at its destination will determine how much duty and tax you will have to pay. Check out our breakdown of these various fees near the end of the page.
Factors affecting the container price from China to the US
Supply and demand
Due to the non-storage and one-way imbalance of transported products, the one with the largest import and export trade volume in a single route market becomes the dominant market for this route, which is why my country’s export container freight index has become the only container freight index in the world. one.
The resulting reserve of transportation capacity, while meeting the needs of the foreign trade transportation market, may also cause the risk of oversupply, coupled with the seasonality and timeliness of transportation products, the inherent characteristics of the container liner transportation market and other factors, it is possible As a result, the supply and demand in the container liner shipping market is often out of balance, sometimes “exploding”, causing the freight rate to skyrocket;
Competitor
Under the market economy conditions, the number of competitors, their strength and their own strength in the market have a great impact on the container price from China to the US.
In the transportation market, competitors not only have different shipping operators, but also involve competition between shipping operators and operators of other modes of transportation. They each ensure that they can obtain the largest possible price by adjusting the level of the container price from China to the US.
