Shipping from China to USA: Sea & Air Freight Forwarding, Transit Time, Duties

Origin ports in China

Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo and Qingdao. The right port usually follows your factory’s region: Shanghai or Ningbo for the Yangtze River Delta, Shenzhen for the Pearl River Delta, Qingdao for northern China.

Destination ports in the USA

Los Angeles, Long Beach, Houston, New York and Oakland. West Coast ports have the shortest ocean transit from China; see the table below for each port pair.

How an air shipment from China moves

• Booking: the airline and routing are chosen against your cargo-ready date, the weights and dimensions and any special handling, and the flight is confirmed before pickup.
• Pickup and export clearance: the agent collects the cargo from the factory, checks the piece count, weights and dimensions against the packing list, and the export declaration is filed with China Customs.
• Screening and acceptance: the cargo is security-screened and accepted by the airline before its cut-off.
• Advance data to US Customs: before the cargo is loaded, the inbound air carrier or an eligible filer such as the forwarder sends Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) data to CBP. The air manifest follows no later than four hours before arrival.
• US customs entry: a licensed customs broker files the entry, which can be lodged before the flight lands; Airlift coordinates the file and the duty estimate so the cargo is not waiting on paperwork.
• Recovery and delivery: once CBP and the airline release the shipment, it is collected from the airline’s import warehouse and trucked to your door or distribution center.

Which air service to ask for

• Standard airport-to-airport: cargo goes on a scheduled service and is charged on chargeable weight. The usual choice for pallets and larger shipments.
• Consolidated air freight: smaller shipments are grouped under one master air waybill, which lowers the per-kilo cost when a full pallet isn’t justified.
• Door-to-door air: factory pickup, the air leg, the US customs entry through a licensed broker and delivery to your warehouse, all under one booking.
• Sea-air and expedited ocean: if the deadline is tight but doesn’t justify a full air rate, ask for a comparison with the fastest West Coast sailings before you book.

What affects the cost of air freight from China

• Chargeable weight: the greater of actual and volumetric weight, so how the cargo is packed changes the bill. Check it with the calculator below before you compare air with ocean.
• Service level: a direct flight costs more than a routing that connects through a hub; consolidated air freight costs less per kilo than a dedicated shipment but waits for the consolidation to close.
• Gateway and destination: the Chinese departure airport, the US arrival airport and any trucking at either end.
• Season: air capacity out of China tightens ahead of Chinese New Year and during the pre-holiday retail peak, and carriers adjust fuel and security surcharges.

Documents and compliance for air shipments

• Air waybill: the airline issues a master air waybill; on a consolidation the forwarder issues a house air waybill for your shipment. Unlike an ocean bill of lading it is not negotiable and does not transfer title.
• Commercial invoice and packing list, with the HS code verified before the cargo is handed over. They must agree with each other and with the air waybill, because the US entry is prepared from them while the cargo is in the air.
• No ISF: the Importer Security Filing applies only to cargo arriving by vessel. For air, the advance security data is ACAS, filed before loading by the inbound air carrier or another eligible filer, usually the forwarder; there is no separate ISF-style filing for the importer to make.
• Dangerous goods: Airlift does not book dangerous goods by air. Lithium batteries, including batteries packed with or inside equipment, are dangerous goods under the IATA rules, so check the product before asking for an air quote.
• Product-specific filings still apply, for example FCC for radio-frequency devices and FDA for regulated goods.
• Duties are the same by air or sea: Section 301 and any other measures in force apply to an air shipment exactly as they would to the same goods in a container. The Harbor Maintenance Fee applies only to ocean cargo.

Air or sea from China?

• Air suits small, light or high-value shipments and deadlines that cannot move: airport to airport takes 3–5 days, against 11–48 days port to port by sea.
• Sea suits heavy, bulky or regular cargo. A West Coast sailing is the fastest ocean option; ask for a comparison with air when the deadline is close.
• For a few cartons, compare an air quote with an LCL quote on landed cost, including destination charges and duty.

FCL or LCL

A full container (FCL) is priced per container, however much you load into it. LCL is charged by weight or measure, per cubic meter or per 1,000 kg, whichever is greater, with CFS handling at origin and destination as separate lines. Below about 13 m³, LCL is usually cheaper; between about 13 and 20 m³, ask for both; above 20 m³, a container of your own usually wins.

Container type: 20′, 40′ or 40′ high cube

Light, bulky cargo such as furniture, toys or consumer goods fills the space first and suits a 40′ or 40′ high cube. Dense cargo such as tiles, hardware or machinery reaches the weight limit first, and US road weight rules often make a 20′ the practical choice. Open-top and flat-rack equipment for machinery and oversized cargo is quoted separately.

Origin port in China

Most of Airlift’s China–USA cargo loads at Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo or Qingdao. The port usually follows the factory: Shanghai or Ningbo for the Yangtze River Delta, Shenzhen for the Pearl River Delta, Qingdao for northern China. Trucking from the factory to the port is part of the cost, so the nearest well-served port is usually the right one.

Destination coast in the USA

West Coast ports are the shortest sail: Shanghai to Los Angeles took 12–22 days on Airlift’s shipments. East Coast and Gulf ports are reached all-water through the Panama Canal, or on some Asia–East Coast services through the Suez Canal, and take longer: Shanghai to New York 32–45 days, Shanghai to Houston 28–38 days. For an inland delivery point, the alternative is a West Coast port plus rail under the same bill of lading. The two routings price differently and the gap moves with the season, so ask for both when your warehouse is inland.

Season, Chinese New Year and rate increases

Peak-season surcharges and general rate increases (GRIs) typically run from July or August through the pre-holiday peak in October and early November. Chinese New Year brings a rush of bookings before factories close and a lull afterward. Carriers can add or change surcharges at short notice, so a quote holds only for the validity dates it states. Regular volumes can go on carrier contracts with protected space; one-off shipments move at spot rates.

Accessorials and drayage

The ocean freight covers port to port. Origin charges (pickup, loading, export clearance and terminal handling in China) and destination charges (terminal handling, the ISF and customs entry, the customs bond, chassis, drayage from the port or rail ramp to your door, and detention or demurrage if the container is kept past its free time) are separate lines. A CBP exam, if your container is selected, adds its own charges. Ask for all of them to be quoted up front.

US duties on goods from China: the Section 301 stack (as of September 23, 2026)

Duties are not part of the freight, but on this lane they are often the largest cost after it. They are charged on the customs value of the goods and depend on the HTS code. A Chinese-origin entry can carry these layers:

• Column 1 duty: the normal rate for the HTS line, always paid.
• Section 301 Lists 1, 2 and 3: an additional 25% (headings 9903.88.01, 9903.88.02, 9903.88.03). List 4A: 7.5% (9903.88.15). List 4B was suspended and never collected.
• Four-year-review increases: named product groups raised to 25%, 50% or 100% (mainly headings 9903.91.01 to 9903.91.11), including 100% on electric vehicles, syringes and needles, and medical gloves; 50% on semiconductors, solar cells, polysilicon and wafers, and respirators and face masks; and 25% on lithium-ion batteries, battery parts, natural graphite, permanent magnets and listed critical minerals.
• Section 301 forced-labor duty: 12.5% on products of China since July 24, 2026 (9903.05.31), on top of the lists. Despite the name, it is a tariff on products of China generally, not only on goods made with forced labor; CBP calls it the Section 301 Forced Labor Import Duties. It does not apply to goods under Section 232 headings listed in 9903.05.90 (metals; passenger vehicles, light trucks, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses, and their parts; wood products; patented pharmaceuticals; and the 25% band of semiconductors) or to the products listed in U.S. note 52(b) of HTS Chapter 99, such as computers, smartphones and many chips; newer Section 232 programs, such as drones, are not exempt.
• Section 232, where the product is covered: for example steel, aluminum and most copper and their derivatives, passenger vehicles and parts, trucks, upholstered furniture and kitchen cabinets, and drones and critical drone parts since September 3, 2026.
• Exclusions: 178 Section 301 exclusions are in force through November 9, 2026. They must match the product description and be claimed on the entry.
• IEEPA tariffs: not collected since February 24, 2026. Section 301 was not affected.
• Antidumping and countervailing duties apply case by case, and the merchandise processing fee and harbor maintenance fee are added at entry.

Cargo insurance

A carrier’s liability for loss or damage is limited by law and by the bill of lading terms, and it is not insurance. Cargo insurance is optional and is priced on the insured value and the type of goods; say in your request if you want it quoted.

Typical cargo

• Lighting and lamps
• Home textiles
• Stone products
• Furniture and hardware

We also ship

Plastics, packaging materials, textiles and consumer retail goods.

In China (export)

• Export declaration filed with China Customs (GACC) against a verified HS code.
• Commercial invoice and packing list. The invoice value and description must match what is declared to US customs.
• CIQ inspection may apply to regulated goods, such as food-contact articles and wood packaging (ISPM 15 marking).

In the USA (import)

• ISF (Importer Security Filing) at least 24 hours before the container is loaded in China. Late or inaccurate filings can draw liquidated damages of up to $5,000 per filing.
• Customs entry under a bond: a continuous bond covers a year of entries and ISF filings; a single-transaction bond covers one entry (and, separately, one ISF).
• Product rules still apply: FCC for radio-frequency devices; FDA for food, cosmetics and medical devices; a CPSC Children’s Product Certificate for toys and children’s products; and Lacey Act declarations for wood furniture and plant products.

Duties on goods from China (as of September 23, 2026)

• Column 1 duty: the normal HTS rate for the product, from free to double digits depending on the line.
• Section 301 China tariffs: an extra 25% on goods on USTR’s Lists 1, 2 and 3, and 7.5% on List 4A. They apply by HTS subheading, not to all Chinese goods. The 2024 four-year review raised named product groups to 25%, 50% or 100%, including electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar cells and batteries. 178 product exclusions were extended to November 9, 2026, and must be claimed on the entry.
• Section 301 forced-labor duty: since July 24, 2026, an extra 12.5% applies to products of China (10% for some other economies), reported ahead of the other Chapter 99 lines. Goods under the Section 232 headings listed in 9903.05.90 (metals; passenger vehicles, light trucks, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses, and their parts; wood products; patented pharmaceuticals; and the 25% band of semiconductors) and the products listed in U.S. note 52(b) of HTS Chapter 99, such as computers, smartphones and many chips, are exempt; newer Section 232 programs, such as drones, are not.
• Section 232 duties, where the product is covered: for example steel, aluminum and most copper and their derivatives, passenger vehicles and parts, trucks, upholstered furniture and kitchen cabinets, and, from September 3, 2026, drones and critical drone parts.
• Antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD): many Chinese products, including aluminum extrusions, wooden bedroom furniture, tires and solar cells, are under AD/CVD orders that add case-specific rates on top of everything above. Scope is decided product by product, so check before you place the order.
• IEEPA tariffs no longer apply: the Supreme Court held on February 20, 2026, that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs, collection stopped on February 24, 2026, and refunds of IEEPA duties paid since February 2025 are being processed through ACE.
• Duties are charged on the customs value of the goods, not on the freight. The merchandise processing fee and harbor maintenance fee are added at entry.

Forced-labor enforcement (UFLPA)

• Under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, CBP presumes that goods made wholly or partly in Xinjiang, or by an entity on the UFLPA Entity List, were made with forced labor. It detains them unless the importer rebuts that presumption with supply-chain evidence.
• Cotton, tomatoes and polysilicon are the priority sectors, so apparel, textile, solar and automotive importers should map their suppliers’ inputs before booking. A detention can hold a container for weeks, with storage and demurrage charges building while the evidence is reviewed.

Full container load (FCL)

• Equipment: 20′ standard (about 33 m³ of usable space), 40′ standard (about 67 m³) and 40′ high cube (about 76 m³), plus open-top and flat-rack for machinery and oversized cargo.
• The container is loaded and sealed at your supplier’s factory or a container freight station, moves under one bill of lading and arrives at your door unopened. No other shipper’s cargo touches it.
• Weight, not volume, often decides between 20′ and 40′. Dense goods such as tiles, stone, hardware and machinery hit US road weight limits long before a 40′ container is full, so a 20′ is often the practical choice.
• Cut-offs: the booking confirmation lists the document, verified gross mass (VGM) and gate-in cut-offs at Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen or Qingdao. Miss one and the container rolls to the next sailing.

Less than container load (LCL)

• Your cartons or pallets are received at a container freight station (CFS) in China, packed into a container with other shippers’ cargo, and unpacked at a CFS near the US port before delivery.
• LCL is charged by weight or volume, per cubic meter or per 1,000 kg, whichever is greater, plus CFS handling at origin and destination.
• Ocean transit is the same as FCL on the same service, but consolidation and deconsolidation add days, so door to door takes longer than with a container of your own.
• Packaging matters more than in FCL because the cargo is handled several times: palletize, shrink-wrap and mark every piece.
• Consolidation from Shanghai, Ningbo and Shenzhen is arranged through Airlift’s partner network at the origin CFS and moves under Airlift’s house bill of lading. The CFS receiving cut-off comes before the container cut-off for the same vessel, so LCL cargo must reach the CFS earlier than a full container would gate in. Miss it and the cargo waits for the next consolidation.

How to choose

• Under roughly 13 m³, LCL is usually cheaper. Between about 13 and 20 m³, ask for both: a 20′ container often costs little more than LCL once CFS charges are added. Over 20 m³, FCL usually wins on cost, handling and transit.
• Time-critical or fragile goods favor FCL even at small volumes, because the container is sealed at origin and opened at your door.
• For very small shipments, just a few cartons, air can be cheaper once LCL minimums and CFS charges are counted. The air section above explains chargeable weight.

What the US delivery leg involves

• Drayage: a truck and chassis move the container from the terminal or rail ramp to your door, then return the empty to the depot.
• Free time: terminals and rail ramps allow a few days to collect the container before demurrage starts, and carriers allow a few days to return the empty before detention applies. Both are billed per day, so book the delivery appointment before the vessel arrives.
• Transloading: for retail distribution, containers can be unloaded at a warehouse near the port and reloaded into domestic trailers. This suits multi-stop deliveries and Amazon or retailer routing rules.
• Delivery appointments, liftgate service and residential delivery cost extra. Mention them when you ask for a quote so they are priced in.

Carrier, NVOCC or freight forwarder?

• Ocean carriers (shipping lines) own or charter the vessels. COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen, ONE, Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, HMM, Yang Ming, ZIM and Wan Hai all run transpacific services from China to the USA, each with its own rates and schedules.
• An NVOCC (non-vessel operating common carrier) buys space from those lines, issues its own house bill of lading, and is licensed and bonded by the FMC. Airlift USA is an NVOCC (FMC license 016162).
• A freight forwarder arranges everything around the ocean leg: pickup, export clearance, ISF, the US customs entry and delivery. Most importers want a forwarder that is also an NVOCC, so one company is accountable for both the bill of lading and the service around it.

What to check before you choose

• An FMC license and NVOCC bond, so the forwarder can issue its own bills of lading.
• Both ocean and air service on the lane, so a delayed order can switch modes without switching forwarders.
• Its ISF filing record: late or inaccurate filings can draw CBP liquidated damages of up to $5,000 per filing.
• US customs handled through licensed brokers, with HTS classification and duty estimates available before you book.
• Live tracking and online document access, not status updates by email.