Shipping from China to the USA: Costs and Time [August 2024]

Written by the team at JIKEship, this guide is here to answer all your questions about shipping from China to the USA. It covers everything from common shipping methods choosing, time and cost.

Shipping from China to the USA: Air, Sea, or Express Courier?

Common shipping methods from China to the USA are air freight, sea freight, and express shipping. Choosing the best shipping method for your cargo depends on many factors. You should consider the situation below and then choose the most suitable shipping method.

• 1. What is your cargo type and how big is it?

Some cargo, such as products with compressed gases and strongly magnetic products without proper demagnetization packaging, 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 suppliers and can only be shipped by dedicated aircraft and airport. Therefore, it is often easier to ship batteries via sea freight from China.

Some products may be too heavy or too large to be shipped by air and can only be shipped by sea, more than 3m on either side..

In some cases, it is better to ship products by air. For example, products less than 1 cubic meter in size are usually ideal for airfreight, and if it is less than 45kg then shipping via express courier will be the best. And high-value cargo is always safer to ship by air.

• 2. Is it to port or to a designed specific address?

Many shipping forwarders shipping from China to the USA offer end-to-end transportation services that can deliver goods to warehouses, commercial buildings, and residential areas. However, it may sometimes be difficult to deliver containers to locations that are not available for unloading. Therefore, the final destination and how the cargo will be unloaded should be considered to determine the ideal shipping plan.

If you have brokers help you with clearance and delivery, then you can have your cargo only shipped to the port/airport and the rest to be handled by the local partner. You can also let your China freight forwarder arrange clearance and delivery service if they have one.

However, if you need FBA shipping, or you want door-to-door delivery services with tax paid, you can choose FBA shipping service, this kind of service can offer FBA warehouse delivery service with tax and duties paid. You don’t need to worry about anything, it is a care-free, one-stop, all-in service.

• 3. Is it an urgent shipment to the US?

Although shipping by sea is much cheaper, it is not always the best, especially during the holidays in China and your cargo needs to be shipped urgently.

For container shipping to the US, it takes less time for shipping from China to the West Coast than the East Coast. Once the cargo arrives in the port of the U.S., it can then be transported by truck or express.

If time is not a priority, it may be the cheapest option to ship ocean freight to a popular port close to the final destination. And air freight and express shipping are the best options if you want to receive your goods within a week.

The Impact of Chinese Holidays on Shipping to US

Many importers find themselves in a situation where delays are caused by Chinese holidays.

Your cargo might always face a delay in Chinese Holidays especially during Chinese New Year. Although all major ports in China are open year-round, not all factories/local carriers/freight forwarders operate during major holidays. The following is a list of major annual holidays in China, during which delays are not uncommon.

• New Year's Day - January 1
• Chinese New Year - End of January to mid-February (usually last up to 20 days)
• Qingming Festival - Early April
• Labor Day - Early May (usually last up to 5 days)
• Dragon Boat Festival - End of June
• Mid-Autumn Festival - Early October
• China's National Day - Early October (usually last up to 7 days)

Another delay worth considering is the Christmas/winter holiday rush.

Jikeship often witnesses shipment in disarray each holiday season due to buyers placing orders with suppliers too late in the peak season. Our best advice is to plan as far in advance as possible, at least 30 days by sea and 10 days by air.

How Long Does It Take to Ship from China to the USA in 2024?

Typically, shipping from China to the USA takes 2-35 days, depending on the shipping method chosen and the final destination of the cargo within the United States. Here we will separate them by shipping method.

1. Sea Freight Port to Port (Updated August 2024)

2. Airport-to-airport shipping time from China to the USA (Updated August 2024)

Please note that direct flights from China to the USA will only take ONE DAY.

3. Express shipping time

• From China to America by DHL: 2-5 business days
• From China to America by UPS Savor： 4-7 business days
• From China to America by UPS Expedited: 2-5 business days
• From China to America by FedEx-IE: 5-7 business days
• From China to America by FedEx-IP: 3-5 business days

4. One-stop door-to-door all-inclusive service shipping time <FBA shipping and DDP shipping>

4.1 BY SEA: Matson + UPS delivery from China to the USA: around 14-20 days (Fast Service) Cosco+ UPS/FedEx delivery: around 27-35 days Cosco+ truck delivery from China to FBA warehouse: around 22-25 days Other slower services might take 30-50 days.

4.2 BY AIR: Air + UPS/FedEx delivery: around 7-13 days

The best way to find out if your shipment will be at risk of delays is to consult a China freight forwarder in advance, so you can start planning as early as possible. Our Jikeship team will respond within 24 hours (even on weekends) and, most importantly, we offer competitive advantage services and care-free shipping solutions.

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

1. Express shipping costs from China to the USA (Updated August 2024)

Express shipping costs from China to US will vary depending on different international express companies and cargo chargeable weight. Generally, the shipping cost is about US$6 to US$8 per kilogram.

2. Sea freight costs from China to US (Updated August 2024)

3. Air freight costs from China to US (Updated August 2024)

The price of air freight for general cargo is usually between 5-8.5 USD per kilogram. However, air freight prices change frequently. Therefore, below shipping costs are for reference only.

Volumetric Weight v.s. Actual Weight | How to calculate volumetric weight in Express and Air freight?

The volumetric weight is compared with the actual weight, and the greater of the two is selected as the chargeable weight to calculate the shipping cost. Dimensional weight is calculated by volume, i.e. length (cm) x width (cm) x height (cm) / 6000 by Air Freight; length (cm) x width (cm) x height (cm) / 5000 by Express

For example, if you are shipping a box with dimensions of 100 cm x 100 cm x 100 cm and weighing 20 kg.

Express Volume weight = 100 cm x 100 cm x 100 cm / 5000 = 200 kg. It is much bigger than the actual weight (20 kg). Therefore, you will be charged for 200kg instead of 20kg, because the size of the package is huge and will take up a lot of space.

Air Freight Volume weight = 100 cm x 100 cm x 100 cm / 6000 = 167 kg. It is much bigger than the actual weight (20 kg). Therefore, you will be charged for 167kg instead of 20kg, because the size of the package is huge and will take up a lot of space.

How Do the Trade Terms between you and your Supplier Affect your Shipping?

Trade terms is very important in your importing from China.

International trade terms， also known as the terms of trade, price terms: First, it explains the composition of the price of goods, whether or not to include the cost of the main ancillary costs, that is, freight and insurance; Second, to determine the delivery conditions, that is, to explain the buyer and seller in the handover of the goods to each other in the division of the responsibility, costs and risks borne by the two parties.

Please carefully check the above chart.

For example, if the trade term between your supplier and you is FOB Shenzhen. It means your supplier needs to arrange the shipping process, pay all the shipping costs, and be responsible for all risks until the goods arrive at Shenzhen Port. This means, after that, you (the buyer) need to find a freight forwarder in China/USA to arrange the shipping from Shenzhen Port to the USA port, and also clearance and delivery in the USA. Don’t forget to cover insurance for the shipment.

Shipping Process of China-USA Cargo

U.S. Customs Clearance

When importing into the United States, it is essential to understand the U.S. customs clearance process. U.S. customs clearance is overseen by its primary border control organization, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Necessary Documents

Before importing into the United States, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with CBP policies and procedures. One of the basic requirements is to provide customs clearance documentation.

• Bill of Lading

Filled by your freight forwarder or carrier, a bill of lading is not required for mail transportation.

According to the terms of payment agreed between the supplier and the buyer, the bill of lading can serve as a document:

1)Confirm the release of a letter of credit (L / C)

2)Serves as proof of shipping, which requires the buyer to transfer payment of the balance.

• Commercial Invoice

• Packing list

• ISF (International Security Filing)

• Other Documents

Depending on the nature of the cargo, shipments may also need to be accompanied by other documents such as permits or licenses (if they are controlled goods).

Prohibited & Restricted Items

JIKEship: If you have one of these items, you should check directly with JIKEship. Some of these items are restricted or even completely prohibited and it is important to prevent such shipments to avoid any problems.

How do you get a fast shipping quote from a freight forwarder in China to the USA?

To get a correct and prompt quotation price from the freight forwarder, some detailed information is needed to fasten the process:

• Name, cargo weight and volume of commodity, and its HS code
• Approx. commodity ready date
• Cargo location in China
• Preferred shipping methods
• Way of delivery: to port only or to door

Jikeship - An Experienced Freight Forwarder Shipping from China to the USA