Sea Frieght from China to USA
Sea Freight
Sea Freight from China to the USA
Sea freight is the most complex shipping method. Consider sea freight only if the quantity of your goods exceeds 2CBM.
Less Than Container Load (LCL) and Full Container Load (FCL)
The cargo shipped by the sea freight is carried out in containers.
If the quantity of your goods is small and its volume is less than 15CBM, the freight forwarder will help you ship your goods by LCL means you will share a container with others. We use CBM (Cubic Meter) as the unit for LCL sea freight.
FCL is when your cargo quantity is large enough, and you can fill one or more containers. In this case, the freight is calculated on the basis of the whole container. FCL is cheaper than LCL freight.
The Cost Breakdown Of Sea Freight
Suppliers usually quote you a FOB and EXW price.
EXW price is just the product cost, which means your supplier won’t help you ship the goods to the port of the shipment.
The cost of sea freight for EXW:
Shipping cost = Local logistics cost in China + China export cost + Cost for sea freight from Chinese port to America port +American customs clearance cost + Local logistics cost in the USA
However, the FOB price includes the cost of the product and the local logistics cost in China (Chinese factory to the port of shipment). Your supplier will help you ship your goods directly to the port of shipment.
The cost of sea freight for FOB:
Shipping cost=Cost for sea freight from a Chinese port to America port +American customs clearance cost + Local logistics cost in the USA
Cost in China: It includes the cost for the factory/supplier to ship your goods to the port of shipment and China export cost. If it is bulk cargo (Goods quantity is less than container load), the price will generally be around $10 -$30/CBM. It depends on the distance from the factory to the port, and the volume of the goods.
China export cost: It includes booking costs, export operating costs and customs documents costs. It is generally around $100-$300.
If it is LCL (bulk cargo, less than one container) the cost will be $100-$200. However, if it is FCL (Full container load), the cost is about $300. So, if you have 5CBM bulk goods the cost in China will be:
（$10-$30) x 5CBM+（$100-$200) ≈ $150-$350
The cost for ocean freight is the cost from Chinese port to America port. Like air freight, the ocean freight is quoted by the shipping company, and the price is not fixed. Below is the estimated price for sea freight from ShenZhen to Los Angeles. The actual cost depends on the real-time quotation by the shipping company.
Cost in the local US: It includes US customs clearance, customs duties and local logistics cost in the US. For this cost, you must consult an American customs clearance company or a local freight forwarder.
