Water and air shipping from China to European Union.

Importing from other countries is a challenging process, so you should be aware of all the steps and costs beforehand. In this article, we are going to talk about costs, timings, and some details of shipping from China to the European Union.

European Union has a big territory and various sea and airports in different countries. For example, Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Port of Antwerp in Belgium, Port of Hamburg in Germany, and other busiest ports of EU.

Shipping ways

Transfer can be done by several routes depending on the weight, quantity, product type, and other factors. For example, your goods can be delivered via sea, air or express.

1.    Sea freight

As a European country, we take Germany and France.

FCL

FCL - Full Container Load. It is recommended to have goods to fill the entire container, however, the price won’t depend on the volume or quantity of goods. You can choose a 20’ or 40’ long container. If it’s high-volume order, it is better to use FCL. Because it will save your time and finance.

Timings of FCL

If you are using the FCL method of shipping, it might take around 25 – 40 days to ship to Germany, while shipping to France will take around 28-48 days. But in general, it takes around 30 days to transfer to the European Union.

FCL Shipping costs

The price of transferring will depend on the port of origin and destination port. However, let’s look at the shipping prices of a couple of ports in Germany and France. The cost of shipping:

• From Shanghai, Ningbo, or Shenzhen to Hamburg, Germany would cost around $1.000 - $1100.

•  From Shanghai, Ningbo, or Shenzhen to Bremerhaven, Germany would cost around $950 - $1100.

• From Shanghai, Ningbo, or Shenzhen to Marseille, France would cost around $1500 - $2000.

• From Shanghai, Ningbo, or Shenzhen to Lyon, France would cost $1600 - $2000.

LCL

LCL – Less than a Container Load. You can use this option if the volume of your goods is not enough for the full container. So, they will share one container with the products of others. LCL will take a couple of days more for the shipment because goods should be combined at the origin and split when arrive.

Timings of LCL.

Shipping from China to Germany will take around 28-41 days while transferring to France will take 30-49 days. However, in general, the LCL method of shipping to the EU from China requires around 30-35 days.

LCL Shipping costs

As it was said before, the price directly depends on the size, weight, and destination of the good. For example, the cost of shipping of 200kg/1cbm:

• From Shanghai, Ningbo, or Shenzhen to Hamburg, Germany would cost around $550 - $650.

• From Shanghai, Ningbo, or Shenzhen to Bremerhaven, Germany would cost around $560 - $670.

• From Shanghai, Ningbo, or Shenzhen to Marseille, France would cost around $600 - $670.

• From Shanghai, Ningbo, or Shenzhen to Lyon, France would cost around $650 - $700.

   

2.    Airfreight

Shipping via air can be a good solution if goods are:

• Light

• with limited shelf-life

• high-value

• factory and the final destination is close to the airport rather than seaports.

However, transfer of high quantity consignments can be quite expensive and it is not recommended to use airfreight for them.

Airfreight shipping timings

Shipping from the airport in China to the airport in Germany takes around 5-10 days. While to France takes around 4-13 days. However, if you use door-to-door service these numbers may be different.

Airfreight shipping costs

For shipping from to Germany for 200kg/1cbm of goods, you will pay around $900 - $1100. When transferring the same weight to France you will spend around $600 - $1000 depending on the port, dimensions, and other parameters. But in general, the shipping cost to the European Union is around $4.5-$6.5 per kg if you are transferring more than 100 kg.

3.    Express

Express is the fastest mode of transportation. For example, shipping from China to France, Germany, or other EU countries takes only several hours. However, we should understand that express shipping includes not only flying from one airport to another. So, it requires more than several hours.

Express shipping timings.

As it was said before it is the fastest way of transferring and it takes more than several hours. Timings of shipping depend on the location of the origin and the destination. But in general, to ship to Germany, France, or other EU countries, takes around 1-5 days.

Express shipping costs.

The average price for door-to-door shipping to Germany or France for 50 kg/0.2 cbm good is around $964. Don’t forget that it is cheaper to ship by express if the freight is under 100kg. If it’s more, then it is better to choose air or sea freights.

Conclusion

The shipment of a container from China to the EU country on average takes 30-35 days. And it would cost around $1.500.