In the international import and export business, sea freight is the most popular method of shipping goods. You can ship large quantity products at a low price in ocean shipping or sea freight. Moreover, you have the FCL and LCL shipping options for large and low quantity products.

As a leading freight forwarder in China, we face thousands of questions every day from our clients all over the world. In this article, we will discuss the most common questions about sea freight. From what sea freight is to what is the process of using sea freight, from types of sea freight to incoterms, from necessary documentation to transport  duration, everything.

After reading this article you will know the basic information you should know about sea freight.

The method of transporting goods using a carrier ship is called sea freight. In this process, a sea freight forwarder packs your container and loads it on a sea vessel. A sea vessel can carry up to 18,000 containers, and that’s why sea shipping is the cheapest way of transporting goods.

International Chambers of Commerce (ICC) publishes a set of international commercial terms or Incoterms to facilitate commerce globally. The globally recognized incoterms clarify the obligations of buyers and sellers to prevent confusion in international trade commerce.

If you are shipping by sea from China or any other method, you should have good knowledge about incoterms. According to the incoterms, both parties involved in international trade understand their tasks, responsibilities, costs, and risks.

Both parties manage the logistics and transportations upon the incoterms they have agreed.

Make sure you understand the incoterm correctly before shipping by sea from China.

When using sea shipping to ship from China, you will find four Incoterms: FOB, EXW, CFR, and CIF. Let’s discuss the incoterms to give you a proper understanding:

• EXW (ExWorks)

Here the buyer takes pretty much all responsibilities of the shipping process. The seller only delivers the goods from the factory. The buyer pays for transporting the goods from the pickup point to the final destination.

The seller’s collection address follows ExWorks incoterms, and from that point, the buyer has to take all the responsibilities.

• EXW (ExWorks)

Here the buyer takes pretty much all responsibilities of the shipping process. The seller only delivers the goods from the factory. The buyer pays for transporting the goods from the pickup point to the final destination.

The seller’s collection address follows ExWorks incoterms, and from that point, the buyer has to take all the responsibilities.

• CFR (Cost and Freight)

In CFR incoterms, the supplier will be responsible for bringing the goods to the port, on board the goods, and deliver them to the destination port. The seller will pay every cost and the buyer will pay after receiving the goods from the destination port. The buyer will bear the import duties, taxes, and other land transportation costs.

In this shipping term insurance for the goods is not included. So the seller won’t be responsible for damage or loss.

• CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight)

CIF is identical to CFR shipping terms with one addition. In CIF incoterm, insurance is included. The buyer has to pay all the bills after the shipment arrives at the destination port. Like CFR the buyer will pay the customs duties, taxes, and other port/transport costs.

This is a lucrative offer for the buyer but it is very tough to maintain a minimal cost here.

• FOB (Free On Board)

In FOB shipping terms, the buyer will load the shipment onto the sea vessel. But as there is no insurance the buyer will be responsible for damage or loss.  The supplier will pay the export customs duties. [1]

The FOB shipping terms can be complicated for new traders, but this method can be cost-effective with proper assistance.

If you want to know more about incoterms please watch the video

This is a big concern for many importers that import by sea shipping from China. Many buyers seek our advice on whether to choose FOB or EXW. Some buyers prefer EXW so that they can get the highest control of their products. Well, that depends.

In EXW, the seller has the lowest responsibility. The seller has to prepare the package in his warehouse and the buyer will do the rest, from picking it up to delivering the goods to the destination port.

For picking up your product from anywhere in China, you can rely on us. But for some products, the customs clearing process can be tricky. And For some specific goods, the authority runs a quality inspection.

If your product falls into a quality inspection procedure, you might need the manufacturer or supplier to handle that.

So, what is the best practice for choosing EXW or FOB? Here it is:

• For sample shipment or a small number of products, choose EXW.
• For fulfillment services like FBA or FBM, select EXW.
• In other cases, tell the seller to send the quote on FOB. After the seller quotes the FOB fees, show us or your sea freight forwarder, and they will tell whether that is reasonable or too much. We always give our clients the best suggestions and never mislead you with the quotation of your seller.

It depends. You should get insurance for high-value goods so that you don’t have to suffer damage or loss of your shipment. Our insurance charge is based on the value of your goods. We take 3‰ of the value of the goods for insurance.

For example, If you are shipping USD 10,000 worth of goods then you have to pay USD 30 for insurance. Our minimum insurance charge is USD 15 per shipment.

We can differentiate the types of containers that most sea freight forwarding services use based on two things: size and feature.

You will find 3 types of containers in most sea shipping. They are :

20 FT General Purpose = 20’GP = 20’DV = 20FT

40 FT General Purpose = 40’GP(General Purpose) = 40’DV(Dry Van)  = 40FT

40 FT High Cube 40’HC (High Cube) = 40’HQ (High Capacity)

* General purpose is commonly used for Dry Containers.

Dimensions

A 20 ft general-purpose container’s outer dimension is 20’ long x 8’ wide x 8’ 6” high.

A 20 ft general-purpose container’s inner dimension is 19’4” long x 7’ 9” wide x 7’ 10” high

20 ft carriers are designed to carry heavy products. Products that are mostly shipped by 20 ft containers are metals, machinery, minerals, etc.

A 40 ft general-purpose container’s outer dimension is 40’ long x 8’ wide x 8’ 6” high

A 40 ft general-purpose container’s outer dimension is 39’ 6” long x 7’ 9” wide x 7’ 10” high

40 ft containers are designed to carry volumetric products rather than heavy products. Products that a 40 ft container carries are: tires, furniture, toys, etc., all of which are voluminous goods.

Maximum Load Capacity

A 40 ft container is twice the size of a 20 ft container, but interestingly the maximum load capacity is almost the same. Both containers can carry no more than 27-28 tons. Typically they carry under 20 tons.

The central concept is even though you can load volumetrically double product in a 40 ft container than a 20 ft container, but you can not load double weight of a 20 ft container in a 40 ft.

Rates

Sea freight rates of a 40 ft container are less than a 20 ft container. You can multiply 20 ft container sea freight rates with 1.5 to get 40 ft container sea freight rates for easy reference. The rates for HQ and GP are the same.

Dry Van Sea Freight Shipping Containers

Dry Van sea shipping containers are steel or aluminum containers. Sea freight forwarding services recommend these containers for general or dry freight. These containers are the most versatile types and can carry a wide range of products.

These containers are substantial, and you can stack up to 8 ft high. They have only one door and are watertight. Both 20ft and 40 ft containers are used as dry van shipping containers, and they are the most popular ones.

Reefer Tank Sea Freight Shipping Containers

Those commodities that require special freezing treatment are transported in a reefer tank sea shipping container. You will find most food items such as vegetables, fruits, and others are shipped using this type of container.

The most updated versions of reefer tanks use the CO2 control system to transport your goods in an ideal condition.

Moreover, you will find various types of cargo that are not used regularly, such as Flat-Rack Container, Tank container, Open Top Container, Reefer Container, etc.

There two main types of sea freight when you are shipping by sea from China or anywhere in the world. They are FCL and LCL shipping. Let’s elaborate on the topics for better understanding.

FCL means Full Container Load. In this shipping method, you have to hire the entire container no matter how much space you are going to use. You can use the whole container without sharing it with any other trader. For a large number of products, it is the safest way of shipping by sea from China.

But bear in mind FCL shipping can be expensive as you have to pay for the whole container.

• Here are some benefits that you can get from an FCL shipping method.
• Minimal ocean freight rates as It is the most economical way of sea shipping.
• Faster than LCL shipping
• Costs less if the products you are shipping by sea from China is 13 CM or higher
• There is no need to worry about the sea freight rates per kg as sea freight forwarding services charge a flat rate for FCL shipping.
• Less sea freight transit time than the LCL shipping mode. If your shipment requires multiple cargos, then the sea freight transit time can increase.
• With FCL sea shipping by sea from China, your products have less chance of contamination.

Though FCL shipping allows less sea freight rates, it can be pretty much expensive for small to medium businesses and even large ones that are not carrying high-volume products.

LCL means less than a container. It is the most flexible mode of shipping by sea from China. If you are using LCL sea freight, you would share a container with other traders and only pay for the amount of space your consignment has occupied. Here are some benefits that you would get from LCL sea freight from China.

●    Lower Sea Freight Rates

This is the most crucial advantage of LCL sea freight or less than a container sea shipping mode. In this model you have to pay only for the space you have occupied with your products.

Many companies wait for products from different suppliers so that they can book a full container. But that is not an intelligent way of maintaining your supply chain. In LCL shipping, you are only paying for the amount of space you would use. So, it will reduce the sea freight rate, and you would be able to keep a regular flow of your goods in the market.

●    Better Scheduling

Better time scheduling is another significant benefit that you would get from LCL shipping. If you are using LCL consolidation, you should be working with a sea freight forwarding service.

Most sea freight forwarding services have a dedicated team for scheduling and managing pickup, transit, and final load on to sea freight. An excellent sea freight forwarder will notify every movement of your shipment.

As an expert in LCL shipping, we continuously update our clients on everything from top to bottom, and you get more preparation time for every incoming and outgoing shipment.

●    Get On-Demand Delivery

If your supply chain revolves around FCL shipping, it is hard for you to optimize your shipping by sea freight shipping.

Suppose you want to get your delivery on a particular day to fill up your store’s need. You can not get that by FCL shipping as unloading FCL shipping depends on various scheduling factors.

But if you are shipping by sea from China using LCL sea freight mode, you can ask for any day delivery, and your sea freight forwarder can do that for you.

●    You Can Focus More To Your Business

With FCL shipping, you have to use your valuable resource for sea freight tracking, tracing, and managing other schedules related to your shipment from China. Many companies suffer because of this extra cost and human management.

On the other hand, it also can hamper your supply chain management. But if you leave this on your sea freight forwarder and focus on your supply chain management, you will definitely receive more revenue at the end of the year.

As a leading sea freight forwarder, we have our particular focus on LCL sea freight shipping. We offer the best competitive sea freight rates and ensure a safe and secured transportation of your shipment from China.

To know more about FCL and LCL shipping you can watch this video

Generally, ocean freight rates contain the base shipping rate and surcharge. But you should add the customs clearance charge, duty & tax, and some other charges from both ends. We have added the charges that are applied on every shipment:

• Customs related fees in the destination country (i.e., Duty and Tax)
• Terminal or Port handling Fees
• Agent service fees

Ocean freight rates for FCL shipping depend on various factors such as the loading port, the destination port, container weight, type, and quantity.

For example, ‘What is the cost for sea freight from China to USA?’

The cost for a 20 ft container for sea freight from China to USA West Coast will be USD 3000 to 3500, and to the East Coast, that will be USD 4000 from Shanghai port.

LCL sea freight shipping is the most flexible and cheapest shipping method from China.

Ocean freight rates for LCL shipping also depend on various factors such as the loading port, the destination port, container weight, type, and quantity.
For example, “What is the LCL shipping cost for sea freight from China to USA?”

LCL sea freight from China to USA typically costs around USD 100 – USD 200 per CBM (cubic meter).

We have our special LCL shipping wing and offer the most competitive price of all sea freight forwarder services in China. If you want to know anything about LCL sea freight from China, feel free to ask us.

If we summarize, the costs will include:
● Transportation cost from factory to port of loading
● Customs clearance in the loading port
● Fees in the loading port
● Ocean freight charge
● Insurance
● Port fees in the destination port
● Customs fees in the destination port
● Customs duty/tax
● Transportation from the destination port

The international shipping industry is never stable. It has plenty of variables that impact the sea freight rates.

The ocean freight rates depend on the port capacity, oil supply, market demand, seasons, labor issues, disruptions, congestion, and the country’s economic strength.

Don’t expect to get a quote for longer than two weeks. Sometimes the price might vary each week.

Your supplier from China could use the US or European metrics for your goods. DO NOT forget to convert them to the British unit to not fall into any problem later.

You should always carefully choose your logistics partner, especially when you are using sea freight from China. If you mistakenly fall into the hands of a sea freight forwarder who cannot fulfill specific customers’ needs, that could lead to misunderstanding.

To avoid these kinds of situations, ask for quotes from multiple sea freight forwarder services and reach out to the most competitive, responsive, and professional.

Those three factors are the most vital things that you should consider before choosing a sea freight forwarder.

Also, hire a sea freight forwarding service that will provide support and give you essential advice on the entire administrative process (i.e., customs clearance).

To know more about it, feel free to contact us.

Though it is thought that sea freight rates are the cheapest among all shipping modes, that is not always the case. It largely depends on the number of your goods.

Let us answer the question by asking another question. Is your parcel size 1 CMB or less?

The minimum volume you can ship by LCL sea freight is 1 cubic meter. So, if you are shipping less than one cubic meter, another shipping mode can be cheaper than sea freight from China.

For that reason, Winsky freight offers its customers a highly competitive air freight shipping service from China to anywhere in the world. With more than 14 years of experience in the shipping industry, we always offer our clients the best shipping mode at the best price.

We believe in a long-term relationship with each of our clients and therefore offer the most competitive shipping rate from China to USA , Europe, and other parts of the world.

When it comes to seaports, China has many. The country has 34 major seaports and around 2000 minor ports. Of these 34 seaports, 7 of them took place in the top 10 seaports list in the world (2019).

Around 80 thousand vessels are operating as container ships around the world. Due to slowing export orders and manufacturing the sea freight shipping has increased all over the world since 2019.

Sea freight is a slow way of shipping goods from China. It is challenging to say the exact time of sea freight shipping.

Typically it takes 4 to 6 weeks to ship from China to Europe. For the United States, it takes 2-5 weeks. For Asian countries, sea freight from China takes 2-4 weeks. If you are shipping from African countries, you have to wait more because that can take 4-10 weeks.

Another important thing you have to consider is sea freight transit times. The sea freight transit times are the time between the ships starting their journey from the departure port and arriving at the destination port.

It is tough to estimate the sea freight transit times as they depend on the practical situation of the ports your sea freight will tackle. Here is the list of estimated sea freight transit times for various countries:

We know sea freight tracking is very much important to you. Sometimes your shipment arrives later than the scheduled time. Many factors can be responsible for that.

The port congestion, lousy weather and many factors can delay your sea freight shipping.

By our cargo tracking, you will know the estimated time of arrival (ETA) of your shipment. Then you can prepare for yourself and others that are involved in the shipment process.

On the other hand, container tracking tells you the location of your shipment, and you can prepare accordingly.

Before you opt for sea freight tracking, you have to know which shipping line is bringing your goods. You have to know the booking number, container number, and document number. Typically any one of those numbers is good enough for your sea freight tracking.

Where can you find those numbers? Well, check your bill of lading for all the information. You will see the booking number at the top right corner, and the container number is usually under the “Marks and Nos” item.

From our experience, we would tell you to use the container number. The container number has a 3-letter owner code, one code for the product group, and 6 digits for serial number. For example, see the below image for sea freight tracking:

You can ship any amount of goods by air freight but for a large number of goods, the cost will be too high for any trade. Typically if the weight of your goods is between 1 to 500 kg air freight can be an available option. You can even transport 1,000 kg or more by air freight if you have urgency. But in that case, LCL is always a better option if you can afford the ‘time’.

Air freight is expensive and much more volatile than sea freight. After the Covid-19 pandemic, air freight costs increased significantly as most air cargo is busy transporting medical equipment.

So, in the current situation, our advice for the comparison of  Air freight Vs Sea freight will be ‘Sea Freight.’

When you are shipping by sea from China, you would need the following documents:

Commercial Invoice

A commercial invoice is the bill of your goods that the buyer gives to the seller. The Customs Department will determine your good’s value and assign vat and taxes from this invoice.

A commercial invoice should come with all the details that the customs department of your country demands. You must have additional copies of your commercial invoice so that you can provide them when required.

Note: Some countries ask for consular invoices that describe every necessary information about the shipment. Commercial and consular invoices both are the same but the difference is the consular officials certify a consular invoice.

 Packing List

A packaging list provides detailed information on each package. The packaging list separates the materials in each package and provides information on those materials. It also informs the measurement and weight of every package in both international unit systems.

The freight forwarder determines the total weight and makes the decision about the best suitable cargo for the shipment based on the packaging list.

The customs department also uses the packaging list for necessary information.

Certificates of Origin

Some countries ask for a certificate of origin. This is a signed document that describes the original export location of your shipment. Typically Chambers of Commerce like semi-official organizations issue this certificate of origin. Though the commercial invoice already has that information you will still need a certificate of origin for some countries.

NOTE: You have to provide a NAFTA certificate of origin If you are trading to a country with the NAFTA agreement. The NAFTA countries are the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Shipper’s Letter of Instruction

This is a set of instructions that the seller sends to the freight forwarder about how to handle the goods. With this SLI or shipper’s letter of instruction, the exporter authorizes the freight forwarder to ship his/her goods.

The customs department demands this letter to confirm the authorization of the freight forwarder over your shipment.

Bills of Lading

It is the official contract between the owner of the shipment and the carrier. A bill of lading provides detailed information on the quantity, type, and destination of your goods. There are two types of bill of lading: negotiable and non-negotiable.

You can purchase or trade a negotiable bill of lading while your goods are in transit but you can not purchase a non-negotiable bill of lading. The bills of lading must be signed by the authorized carrier, receiver, and shipper.

Located in the Heart of The Biggest Markets In China

Our main office is in Shenzhen and we have branch offices in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Yiwu, Ningbo, and Xiamen. We have strong existence and connections in the largest markets in China allows us to provide a high-quality shipping service between you and the country of your choice.

Dedicated Team

We have a dedicated team for every section of the whole shipping process. Our expert and dedicated team members constantly take reports of your shipment and send them to you. So, you will never feel uncertain about your sea freight while shipping with Winsky freight.

We assign an individual to take care of your shipment from the beginning to the end. That person takes all the responsibility and collects all necessary information on your shipment.

We also have an advisor team to answer any question that comes to your mind. If you have any doubt or confusion feel free to ask us and our advisor team will talk to you and provide the best possible option you can have.

Competitive Price

We just don’t care for your shipment, we also care for your money. We understand the value of your investment and try to minimize the cost in every sector of the whole shipping process. We have contracts with every large sea shipping company and can provide you the best sea freight shipping rate from China.

Automation

In today’s world, it is impossible to maintain a smooth shipping service without automation. We have developed a robust system to provide our customers a complete paperless solution. You can order us online and track the status of your shipment without contacting us.

One-Stop Transportation Service

With winsky freight you will get a one-stop transportation service that includes, delivering the cargo to the port via truck, warehousing, booking, customs clearance, insurance, and inspection.

Experience

When it comes to international shipping experience is one of the most important factors you should consider. We have been in the international shipping industry for more than 14 years and transporting goods all over the world. With our vast experience, we handle your goods with utmost care and deliver them smoothly.

Wide Network

A freight forwarder is as strong as its network is. We have a wide network all over the world. With our connections with every large shipping carrier, warehouse company, and even local trucking companies we can offer a cheap rate and promise that you are never in short of space in a sea vessel when shipping with Winsky Freight.

Do you have anything to ship from/to China to your country? Do you want to know more about sea freight? Don’t hesitate, Just send us a message and our sea freight advisors team will communicate with you at the earliest possible time. Let’s ship together.