Shenzhen to Los Angeles ocean freight

Airlift's port-to-port planning range from Shenzhen (CNSNZ), China to Los Angeles (USLAX), United States is 18–32 days on its China to USA lane. Below: live sailings when the schedule feed has them, each stage from pickup to delivery, and a quote form with this route already filled in.

Request a quote for this routeChina to USA lane guide →
Port of loadingShenzhen, GD, China UN/LOCODE CNSNZ
Port of dischargeLos Angeles, CA, United States UN/LOCODE USLAX · CBP Schedule D 2704
Transit planning range18–32 days port to port From the China to USA lane guide, reviewed 2026-10-06. A planning range, not a guaranteed transit time.

How Airlift moves cargo from Shenzhen to Los Angeles

Airlift USA (AIRLIFT (U.S.A.), INC., an FMC-licensed NVOCC, No. 016162, in business since 1999) ships freight from China to the USA as full containers (FCL), as LCL consolidation from Shanghai, Ningbo and Shenzhen, and by air. Ocean transit from China to the USA runs 11–48 days port to port, depending on the port pair: on Airlift’s own shipments (10th to 90th percentile), Shanghai to Los Angeles took 12–22 days, Ningbo to Long Beach 14–22 days, Shanghai to Houston 28–38 days and Shenzhen to New York 35–48 days. Air freight takes 3–5 days airport to airport on direct services.

Airlift has no office of its own in China. Licensed agents there handle factory pickup and export clearance; Airlift’s own offices in Los Angeles (Westlake Village, CA) and New Jersey run the US side: the ISF, the customs entry through licensed customs brokers, and delivery arranged through contracted motor carriers.

Typical cargo on Airlift’s China–USA shipments includes lighting, home textiles, stone products, furniture and hardware.

Each range runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile of Airlift’s past shipments on that port pair. Use them to plan; they are shipment history, not guaranteed schedules.

Published carrier schedules for this pair, with services, vessels and transit days, are on Sealanes: Shenzhen to Los Angeles. Search live sailings for any port pair in the transit-time and vessel schedule tool.

From pickup to delivery: stages around the ocean leg (18–32 days)

  1. Origin pickup and drayage

    Collection from the shipper and the truck run to the load port or CFS (the warehouse where LCL cargo is consolidated). Timing depends on distance inland, equipment availability and the terminal appointment, so we quote it per shipment. Book it against the carrier cut-off, not the sailing date.

  2. Export clearance and cut-offs

    The export declaration, documents, and the VGM (verified gross mass) and gate cut-offs ahead of the sailing. Cut-offs typically fall several days before ETD and vary by carrier and terminal. Missing one rolls the container to the next sailing — the single most common reason a lane runs long.

  3. Ocean transit (port to port)18–32 days

    The sailing itself, from ETD at the load port to ETA at the discharge port. This is the only stage we put a number on, and that number is typical and schedule-dependent: it shifts with the service string, the number of transshipments and congestion at either end.

  4. US import clearance and release

    ISF filing before loading, then entry and release once the vessel arrives. A clean entry filed in advance often clears around arrival; an exam, a PGA (partner government agency) hold or a classification query adds time no schedule can predict. Airlift coordinates clearance through our licensed broker network.

  5. Terminal release and final delivery

    The container becomes available at the terminal; then chassis, appointment, and the drayage or line-haul to the consignee. Free time at the terminal runs out, so book the delivery appointment before the vessel berths, not after.

Cargo guides for this lane

Shipping electronics and semiconductors →Shipping furniture and wood products →Shipping heavy machinery and industrial equipment →Shipping toys →Shipping e-commerce consumer goods →

Terms on this page:Full Container Load (FCL)Less than Container Load (LCL)Bill of Lading (BOL)Commercial InvoiceTransshipment

Also from Shenzhen

Also into Los Angeles

See every pair on the China to USA lane guide, plus port profiles for Shenzhen and Los Angeles.

Shenzhen to Los Angeles shipping FAQs

Airlift's published planning range for Shenzhen to Los Angeles is 18 to 32 days port to port, as published on the China to USA lane guide. The actual time depends on the carrier, the routing and any transshipment, and on terminal and customs timing at both ends, so confirm the sailing when you request a quote. Origin pickup, export clearance and US delivery add to the port-to-port figure.

These listed planning ranges are not guaranteed durations. Confirm the current routing and sailing schedule when requesting a quote. Page copy reviewed 2026-09-22.

Request a quote: Shenzhen to Los Angeles

The route is already in the notes. Add the commodity, plus either the package count with weight and dimensions or the container size and count. Then give the cargo-ready date and say whether you need pickup at origin, US delivery or customs clearance. We reply with the freight rate, destination charges and the services included.

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Please add: cargo, volume (containers, CBM or weight) and ready date

We reply to quote requests normally within one business day.

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