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?

A 40ft container from Shanghai costs about US$7,352 to Los Angeles and US$9,726 to New York (Drewry World Container Index, September 10, 2026). Air cargo from China to the US runs about USD 6.30/kg (Freightos, week before its September 8, 2026 update).

For a 20ft container, plan on about US$4,400–5,200 to Los Angeles and US$5,800–6,800 to New York. LCL runs about USD 45–160/CBM to the West Coast and USD 65–180/CBM to the East Coast. The table below lists each price with its source.

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.

The table shows typical prices for the main port pairs. Shenzhen and Ningbo price close to Shanghai on the same coast of the USA.

New York costs more than Los Angeles. 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.

LCL Prices per CBM: China to the USA

FreightAmigo published these base port-to-port LCL ranges for China to the USA. Origin and destination charges, customs, inland transport and taxes come on top.

For the 1 CBM example above, that is USD 45–160 of base freight to the West Coast and USD 65–180 to the East Coast.

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.

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.

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.
2. Work out the LCL units: 1 CBM against 0.2 tonnes gives 1 W/M unit. At USD 45–160/CBM to the West Coast, base freight comes to USD 45–160.
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. Add it up: Add the freight, the US costs and the duty to get your landed cost. Send the cargo details for a quote with every line filled in.

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.
• 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.