How Much Does It Cost to Ship from China to the USA? Dated Prices by Mode

How Much Does It Cost to Ship from China to the USA?

The price depends on the mode, the ports and the date. For a full 40ft container, Drewry’s World Container Index assessed Shanghai–Los Angeles at US$7,352 on September 10, 2026. On the same day, it assessed Shanghai–New York at US$9,726. For air cargo, Freightos reported USD 6.30/kg from the Far East to the US for the week before its September 8, 2026 update.

These are market references, not Suaid Global tariffs. Each one covers its own scope, so do not add them together. The table below lists every dated reference on this page, with its source. For LCL, the latest published ranges date from early 2026. They appear later on this page as historical references.

Suaid Global coordinates the shipment through partner carriers and licensed customs brokers selected for the request. Price and timing are confirmed in the written quote.

Ocean Freight: Price per Container

A full container load (FCL) gives your cargo its own container. You pay per container, not per cubic metre. The WCI covers port-to-port transport, from container yard to container yard. Inland transport, documents, booking and customs clearance sit outside that scope. Terminal handling treatment varies by route.

Drewry does not assess every port pair. Shenzhen, Ningbo and many US ports need their own quote. Ask for each container type on its own. Do not scale a 40ft price to guess a 20ft or High Cube price.

On this date, New York was the higher of the two. Ships to the East Coast take a longer route, through the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal. Ask which routing the quote uses, and compare US trucking from each port to your address.

For container sizes and the FCL booking steps, see the China to USA FCL page. The FCL container rates guide shows the same WCI date for other routes.

LCL: Price per CBM and the W/M Rule

LCL (less than container load) means your cargo shares a container with other shipments. You pay per freight unit, called W/M, for weight or measure. Many ocean LCL rates compare 1 CBM with 1,000 kg. You pay on the larger of the two. Confirm the ratio, the minimum and the rounding in your quote.

Take a typical request on this lane: about 1 CBM and 200 kg. The weight gives 0.2 units and the volume gives 1 unit. So you pay for 1 unit, because volume is larger. A minimum charge can still apply.

Local charges can use other units. CFS handling, documents and delivery may be billed per shipment. Read each line of the quote. The China to USA LCL page explains how consolidation works. The LCL shipping rates guide covers other routes.

Historical LCL Ranges: Early 2026 (FreightAmigo, Updated July 23, 2026)

FreightAmigo published these base port-to-port LCL ranges for Q1–Q2 2026, in a guide updated on July 23, 2026. They are historical references, not current prices. Origin and destination charges, customs, inland transport and taxes are not included.

For the 1 CBM example above, the early-2026 range to the West Coast gives USD 45–160 of base freight. That is arithmetic on a historical range, not a quote.

Air Freight: Price per Chargeable Kg

Freightos reported air cargo from the Far East to the US at USD 6.30/kg for the week before its September 8, 2026 update. Its air index names this lane China to North America. It is a market reading, not a Suaid Global tariff.

Air freight is billed on chargeable weight. IATA describes a common rule. Multiply length, width and height in centimetres, then divide by 6,000. The result is the volume weight in kilograms. You pay on the higher of volume weight and gross weight.

This divisor is not universal. DHL Express, for example, publishes a divisor of 5,000 for its express service. Ask which divisor, minimum and rounding your quote uses.

Take the typical request again: 1 CBM and 200 kg. One cubic metre is 1,000,000 cm³, and 1,000,000 ÷ 6,000 gives about 166.7 kg. The gross weight of 200 kg is higher, so 200 kg is the chargeable weight. At the Freightos reading, 200 × USD 6.30 gives USD 1,260 of air freight. Treat it as an illustration, not a quote.

Fuel, security and handling can be separate lines. For airports and routing, see the China to USA air freight page. The air freight cost per kg guide explains weight rules in more detail.

Costs at Destination

These US costs apply whatever the mode. The supplier amounts below are published examples, checked on September 12, 2026. They are not Suaid Global tariffs. The two government fees come from US regulations. Rows without an amount must be filled in by the written quote.

Clearit excludes duties, MPF/HMF, disbursements, agency and extra services from base brokerage. Both Hapag-Lloyd examples apply to import merchant haulage with 20ft or 40ft standard equipment, after the free time. Other ports, carriers and equipment have different terms. The ocean freight rates guide shows the same published examples.

Duties and Tariffs

Duty depends on the product, its origin and the entry date, not on the mode. Our US tariffs 2026 guide, reviewed on September 12, 2026, states: “Since July 24, 2026, a separate Section 301 action covers 60 economies at 10% or 12.5%, with product exemptions. For covered China-origin goods, the rate is 12.5%.”

The same guide notes: “The 10% Section 122 surcharge expired on July 24, 2026. For a later entry, check the new measures and the product’s HTS code.”

Metal goods have their own rules. The guide states: “Section 232 depends on the product, origin and metal content. Covered steel, aluminum and copper articles can face 50%; other treatments include 10%, 15% and 25%.”

The China import guide lists the earlier Section 301 tariff lists by product. This page gives no duty rate for a product. Look up the HTS line in the USITC tariff schedule, then confirm the entry with a licensed customs broker.

Transit Time: What the Schedule Covers

This page does not promise a transit time. A carrier’s published schedule gives the sailing or flight time between two named ports or airports. Door-to-door timing adds stages that the schedule does not cover. Ask the quote to show each stage.

Ask whether a quoted time is port to port or door to door. Check the cutoff date against your cargo-ready date. For ocean cargo, US Customs needs the ISF before the goods are loaded in China.

What Changes the Price

• Season and carrier notices — Peak season charges and rate increases apply when the carrier publishes a notice. Ask for the notice, its dates and its amount.
• West Coast or East Coast — East Coast sailings take the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal. On September 10, 2026, the WCI for New York was higher than for Los Angeles.
• Density and W/M — Light, bulky cargo pays on volume in LCL and on volume weight by air. Tighter packing can lower the size you pay for.
• Batteries and dangerous goods — Lithium batteries and other regulated goods need extra checks, labels and approval. Some services do not accept them.
• Minimum charges — Small LCL and air shipments can pay a minimum. Ask for it before you compare rates per unit.
• Incoterm and who pays what — Under FOB, the buyer pays the main freight and the US costs. Under DDP, the seller also pays the import duties. See FOB vs CIF vs DDP.
• Pickup, delivery and free time — Factory pickup, US trucking and extra days at the port add cost. Ask for the free time and the daily rate after it.
• Currency and quote validity — Check the currency and the date until which the price holds. A price tied to the sailing date can change.

Worked Budget Example

1. Describe the shipment: Say 5 cartons go from Shenzhen to Los Angeles, with 1 CBM in total and 200 kg gross. This matches a typical request on this lane. It is an illustration, not a quote.
2. Work out the LCL units: 1 CBM against 0.2 tonnes gives 1 W/M unit. The early-2026 range to the West Coast was USD 45–160/CBM. So base freight falls within USD 45–160, on a historical range.
3. Compare the air option: The chargeable weight is 200 kg. At the Freightos reading of USD 6.30/kg, air freight comes to USD 1,260 before other charges.
4. List the US costs: Keep each line with its own source. As checked on September 12, 2026, Clearit published ocean brokerage at USD 149.95 per entry, handling at USD 25 and on-time ISF at USD 50. Then add MPF and, for ocean cargo, HMF as a share of value.
5. Leave room for the quote: Origin charges, CFS handling, US trucking and duties need figures from the written quote. Keep each line with its currency and unit.
6. Read it as an illustration: This example mixes a historical range, a market reading and supplier fees. It is not a total and not a quote. Request a quote for your own cargo.

What to Send for a Quote

A full brief gets a quote you can compare. Use the CBM calculator to measure volume, or the freight calculator for a first estimate. The China to USA shipping page lists the main ports and services.

• Pickup city in China, or the loading port, such as Shanghai, Shenzhen or Ningbo
• US delivery address, or the US port you want
• Number of packages and the packed size of each one
• Gross weight, including pallets and packing
• What the goods are, with the HTS code if you have it
• Cargo-ready date
• Incoterm agreed with the supplier
• Door-to-door or port-to-port service
• Batteries, dangerous goods or temperature needs

Questions About Shipping Costs from China to the USA

Sources and References

• Drewry — World Container Index, September 10, 2026 — Shanghai–Los Angeles and Shanghai–New York 40ft spot assessments. Same values and date as our FCL and ocean freight guides.
• Drewry — WCI methodology and included charges — Container-yard-to-container-yard scope and exclusions.
• Freightos — weekly rates update, September 8, 2026 — Air cargo from the Far East to the US, week before the update. Checked September 23, 2026.
• FreightAmigo — LCL base freight ranges, Q1–Q2 2026 — Guide updated July 23, 2026. Used here as a historical reference.
• IATA — Air Cargo Tariffs and Rules — Chargeable weight and the common 6,000 divisor.
• DHL Express — weight and dimensions — Service-specific divisor of 5,000; not a universal rule.
• Clearit — US customs brokerage prices — Published supplier fees, checked September 12, 2026 and again September 23, 2026.
• Hapag-Lloyd — US import port demurrage — Charleston example, effective January 1, 2026. Checked September 12, 2026.
• Hapag-Lloyd — US detention schedule — US outside California example, effective October 1, 2025. Checked September 12, 2026.
• GovInfo — 19 CFR 24.23, Merchandise Processing Fee — Ad valorem rate of 0.3464 percent. Edition revised April 1, 2025; checked September 23, 2026.
• GovInfo — 19 CFR 24.24, Harbor Maintenance Fee — Rate of 0.125 percent of cargo value. Edition revised April 1, 2025; checked September 23, 2026.
• USTR — Section 301 actions, published July 28, 2026 (91 FR 47318) — Official source cited by our US tariffs 2026 guide.
• USITC — Harmonized Tariff Schedule lookup — Official tariff schedule for product duty rates.