Many importers compare product prices and only look at freight at the end. For a heavy or bulky product, shipping can completely change your margin. Here is how it is calculated, what to ask for, and where the forgotten costs hide.
1. Air or sea: two different logics
- Air freight is fast (a few days to a week or two, depending on routing and paperwork) and suits small volumes, samples, high-value goods or emergencies. It is charged per kilo.
- Sea freight is much slower (several weeks, often six to eight weeks door to door) but far cheaper per tonne. It suits heavy or bulky goods: furniture, tiles, machinery, cables.
The right choice depends on the value of the goods, their weight, your deadline and your cash flow: tying up money for two months has a cost.
2. The weight that counts: volumetric weight
For air freight, the carrier charges the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight. The usual formula is:
length × width × height (cm) ÷ 6,000 = volumetric weight in kg
A light but bulky carton (pillows, clothing, lampshades) is therefore charged on its volume. Always ask the forwarder what basis they use, and have the packed cartons measured, not the products.
3. By sea: consolidated or full container
- Consolidated (LCL): your goods share a container with others. You pay per cubic metre (or per tonne, whichever is higher). Suited to small and medium quantities, with more handling and longer lead times.
- Full container (FCL): you rent a 20 ft or 40 ft container (roughly 28–33 m³ usable for a 20 ft and 58–67 m³ for a 40 ft). You pay a price per container, full or not. Once your volume approaches half a container, always compare.
4. Incoterms: who pays what, and up to where
A supplier quote “FOB” or “EXW” does not cover the same journey. In short:
- EXW: price at the factory gate; you handle everything else.
- FOB: the supplier delivers to the Chinese port and loads the ship; freight and everything after is yours.
- CIF / CFR: the supplier pays freight (and insurance under CIF) to the destination port; arrival costs remain yours.
- DAP / DDP: the seller delivers to an address (DDP: duties and taxes included). Simpler, but often more expensive and less transparent.
Always compare two quotes on the same Incoterm, otherwise you are comparing different things.
5. The costs people forget
Beyond the advertised freight, there are usually:
- pre-carriage from the factory to the port or airport (for example Foshan → Shenzhen or Guangzhou);
- export formalities and customs clearance in China;
- arrival port charges (handling, storage, demurrage if the container stays too long);
- duties and taxes of the destination country, based on declared value and customs classification;
- local transport to your warehouse and, depending on the country, a customs broker;
- insurance for the goods.
Ask for a line-by-line quote. A single global figure lets you neither compare nor understand what may still change.
6. Worked example (fictional figures, to show the method)
Imagine 40 cartons of 0.06 m³ each, 2.4 m³ in total, weighing 600 kg. By air, the volumetric weight would be about 400 kg (2.4 m³ ≈ 2,400,000 cm³ ÷ 6,000), so you are charged the actual 600 kg. By consolidated sea freight, you are charged the higher of 2.4 m³ and 0.6 tonne: here 2.4 m³. Multiply by the unit prices in the quote and add the costs listed above to get a landed cost. Freight rates change: use figures from a recent quote, not from an article.
7. What we recommend
- Get quotes on the same Incoterm and the same basis (weight, volume, arrival port).
- Have the cartons packed, measured and weighed before asking for freight: an estimate-based quote almost always goes up.
- Have the goods inspected before loading: see our guide to pre-shipment inspection.
- Check the supplier and the forwarder before paying: see auditing a Chinese supplier and Alibaba or a sourcing agent.
- Keep a margin for delays, port charges and currency changes.
Preparing a shipment to Douala, Abidjan or another destination? Tell us about your product, quantities and country: we help you compare offers. Contact us.