How long does shipping from China take?
| Mode | Typical time | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Airport to airport | 2–7 days | From the China gateway to the destination airport |
| Door to door air | 4–12 days | Adds pickup, export handling, clearance and final delivery |
| UAE and Saudi Arabia | 4–8 days door to door | Daily capacity from Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong |
| UK and US | 6–12 days UK / 5–8 days US | Door to door where the scope includes clearance and delivery |
Typical ranges measured from supplier pickup to signed delivery. They are not a commitment; the binding range is issued with your quotation.
Lane facts
| Pricing basis | Charged on chargeable weight, the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight |
| Chargeable weight | Confirmed after warehouse measurement, not from the declared figure |
| Typical transit | 4–7 days to the UAE, 4–8 to Saudi Arabia, 5–8 to the US and 6–12 to the UK, door to door |
| Chargeable weight | Charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight. Volumetric kg = length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000, so 1 CBM is about 166.7 kg. Courier networks commonly divide by 5000 instead. |
| Weight breaks | Airline rates step down at published weight breaks, so the rate per kilo depends on total chargeable weight rather than on the shipment value |
| Batteries and dangerous goods | UN 3480 lithium batteries and other regulated goods need carrier acceptance before booking |
| Rate volatility | Air rates move with the market and are reconfirmed at booking |
| What extends transit | Security screening, carrier space, customs inspection and destination public holidays |
| Quote turnaround | A formal quotation is issued within one hour once the cargo details are complete |
What does this cover?
Air routing is selected after confirming cargo dimensions, chargeable weight, commodity and destination handling requirements. Air freight is chosen when the shipment value or the urgency justifies a higher cost per kilo.
Who is this for?
- Urgent replenishment where a stock-out would cost more than the freight
- High-value commercial cargo where transit risk matters
- Time-sensitive parts, samples and launch stock
- Shipments that are too large for courier but too urgent for ocean
What is included in the service?
- Pickup and warehouse measurement
- Chargeable weight confirmation
- Airline routing, booking and space coordination
- Export document guidance
- Destination clearance and delivery where the scope includes them
What do you need from us to quote?
- Product name, material and use
- Piece count and the dimensions of every package
- Gross weight and the number of pieces that are oversized
- China origin city or supplier address
- Destination airport or delivery address with postcode
- Declared value and whether the goods carry a brand
- Any battery, liquid, powder, magnet or dangerous goods attribute
- Required delivery date, so the routing can be matched to it
Who is responsible for what?
| Scope | Company | Customer | Responsibility transfers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door to door |
|
| Responsibility passes on delivery and signature at the agreed destination address. |
What does the quotation cover?
The quotation states the total for the scope described in it. It is built from the cargo data, the origin and destination, the transport mode and the delivery scope agreed at that time.
What is included?
- Pickup and warehouse handling as quoted
- Chargeable weight assessment and airline booking
- Air freight to the agreed airport or door
- Export declaration where the scope includes it
What is not included?
- Import clearance and duty unless stated
- Destination airport handling outside the quoted scope
- Storage and re-delivery charges
- Cargo insurance unless stated
What might cost extra?
- Remote or difficult-access delivery beyond the standard service area
- Customs inspection, holds or revaluation at either end
- Storage where cargo cannot be dispatched inside the agreed free period
- Detention and demurrage when a container or vehicle is held beyond free time
- Oversized, overweight or special loading equipment
- Cargo that arrives without the documents required for the confirmed route
- Special cargo approved after review but requiring extra handling or documentation
- Address change, re-delivery or a failed delivery appointment after dispatch
- Peak-season or fuel surcharges applied by the carrier
- Duty or tax reassessment where customs does not accept the declared value
Freight rates and space change with the market, so each quotation carries its own validity period. Once it expires, or if the rate or space changes before booking, the price is reconfirmed before dispatch.
Cargo is weighed and measured after it reaches the warehouse. If the piece count, weight, volume, packing, cargo attributes or delivery address differ from the original inquiry, the charge is recalculated and sent to you for confirmation before payment and dispatch.
How long does each stage take?
Transit is counted from the stated start point to the stated end point for each stage. Carrier schedules, port and customs conditions, and the destination delivery arrangement all affect the outcome.
- Pickup and warehouse intake: 1–2 days (calculated from Pickup arranged from the supplier address to Cargo received, counted, weighed and measured at the warehouse)
- Export and air transit: 2–7 days (calculated from Cargo handed to the airline after export processing to Flight arriving at the destination airport)
- Import clearance and duty handling: 1–3 days (calculated from Flight arrival at the destination airport to Customs released and duty or tax settled where the scope includes it)
- Final delivery: 1–2 days (calculated from Customs released to Delivered to the agreed address and signed for)
Estimated total: An estimated total is issued with the quotation, expressed as a range with the calculation start and end points stated. It is an estimate, not a guaranteed arrival date.
Last verified 2026-09-15.
What must be confirmed before booking?
- Chargeable weight is confirmed after measurement, not from the declared figure
- Batteries, liquids, powders and regulated goods require approval before booking
- Air space and rate move with the market and are reconfirmed at booking
- Oversized pieces may be limited by aircraft and handling equipment
What mistakes should we avoid?
- Comparing air freight on gross weight when volumetric weight decides the charge
- Booking a date before the supplier has confirmed the cargo is ready
- Assuming batteries can fly without test documentation
- Treating an airport-to-airport rate as a delivered price