The container shipping cost from China to US is around $8,500 (20ft container to US west coast) and $10,500 (20 inch container to US east coast), up to $15,000 for a 40HC container to west coast and up to $18,000 east coast. These rate examples are for China local charges + China export documents + sea freight from China to US ports.
FCL and LCL, different routes, sea freight are not the same. The price of ocean freight from China to USA generally refers to the basic freight plus surcharges. Today, let’s talk about what additional charges will be incurred in addition to the container shipping cost from China to US?
- Customs clearance fee
- Guarantee fee
- Port maintenance fee
- Cargo handling fee
- Duties and other taxes
- DOC exchange fee
- Laundry fee
- Fuel cost
- Port Security Fee
- Customs entry fees at this point are returned
If you want to learn more about container shipping, check out these articles:
Billing method for LCL container shipping cost from China to US
Generally, the “W/M” method is used as the billing method for Chinese shipping containers to the United States.
The tonnage calculated by freight is usually divided into weight ton (W) and size ton (M): 1000 kg is 1 weight ton according to the gross weight of the commodity; 1 cubic meter is 1 size ton; the charging standard “W/M” refers to according to the commodity The weight in tons and the dimension in tons are charged. Theoretically, the default unit rate is fixed, and more consideration should be given to the comparison of the freight ton unit variable when calculating the freight.
However, in actual business, different freight forwarders often give different LCL rates based on weight ton and dimensional ton. In this case, two variables are considered, and the comparison is calculated according to different rates and freight tons.
When calculating container shipping cost from China to US, it is necessary to follow the order of comparison based on volume (40ft-20ft-LCL).
Why is container shipping from China to the US so expensive?
The container shipping cost from China to US in 2022 is very expensive due to increased shipping demand, tight space available on ships (vessels), high oil cost (BAF), and low number of containers exported.
The Chinese government is already pressuring shipping companies to regulate high shipping prices from China to the United States in 2022.
Ways to reduce container shipping cost from China to US
Choose your shipping terms carefully
Incoterms are the first topic in international trade. It clarifies the responsibilities, costs and risks associated with shipping and delivery. And what you need to pay is completely different in the different shipping terms you choose. So make sure you understand the difference between all shipping terms.
Choose a reliable freight forwarder
How to choose a China freight forwarder?
Doing business with world-renowned companies has many advantages: strong strength, high-quality service, and standardized operation. However, if you’re in a small to medium business, you might have a hard time getting discounts or custom services from them.
On the contrary, you will not choose a well-known shipping company, but sign a contract with some small and medium-sized shipping companies, whose container shipping cost from China to US can be more reasonable and the service more flexible.
Another strategy is to categorize the shipping market.To do this, you need to do some background research and have some knowledge of the shipping market. A useful way is to find relevant information from the freight forwarder website through introductions or success stories, or check out the freight forwarding business category website.
Make full use of container transportation capacity
You need to do basic calculations on product packaging before shipping. The specific method is to have your Chinese supplier design the packaging according to the volume of the container and the order quantity.
For example, if you are using a carton containing 12 pieces of your product and a 20’ft container cannot hold enough in this way, you must use a 15 or 20 piece carton instead to avoid the 40’ft container . Then, based on the internal dimensions of the container and the customized packaging size, the optimal packaging scheme is developed to achieve the best filling state of the container,for reducing container shipping cost from China to US.
Another trick is to combine shipping, i.e. instead of shipping separately, it makes sense to put various orders from different locations in a complete container and ship them together.This is also a good idea to reduce container shipping cost from China to US.
Xiongda International Logistics can provide you with the best container shipping rates from major ports in China to the United States: Shanghai to the USA, Shenzhen to the USA, Ningbo-Zhoushan to the USA, Guangzhou to the USA, Qingdao to the USA, Tianjin to the USA, Xiamen to the USA , Dalian to the USA.
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