China → USA Shipping Cost Calculator
Four DDP door-to-door services — air priority, air economy, Matson express and Yantian standard sea freight. Enter your ZIP code and cargo weight to see your delivery zone, the rate band for that zone, the transit time and the rules that apply to your goods.
Calculate my shipping cost* Yantian standard sea freight, US West zone, 101 kg+ band. Indicative band from the forwarder's rate card in effect 22 Sep 2026 — exact price confirmed on request.
Your Zone, Your Band, Your Options
Air and sea side by side, priced by US ZIP zone and weight band, shown in your own currency.
Get the confirmed rate
We send back the binding price for your ZIP zone, the transit time and the surcharges that apply — usually within one working day. Your calculation is attached automatically.
What can travel on these lanes
Every lane on this card is DDP with double clearance: export clearance in China, freight, US duty and import clearance, and delivery to the door. What changes between lanes is the transit time, the weight band and whether batteries or magnets are allowed.
| Lane | Mode | Transit | Battery / magnetic | Weight bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Air Priority (P) | Air, mainland China flights | 6-8 working days | No battery goods | 12-20 / 21-70 / 71-100 / 101+ kg |
| US Air Economy (C) | Air, Hong Kong / Korea flights | 7-9 working days | Built-in battery OK with declaration | 12-20 / 21-70 / 71-100 / 101+ kg |
| Matson express | Sea, express vessel | ≈16 natural days to pickup | No battery goods | 12 / 51 / 101+ kg |
| Yantian standard | Sea, standard vessel | ≈22 natural days to pickup | Built-in battery OK with declaration | 12 / 51 / 101+ kg |
Goods we can move, and goods we cannot
General cargo is straightforward: building materials and hardware, sanitary ware, lighting, furniture and fittings, ELV and CCTV equipment, tools, packaging and fasteners, electronics without batteries, textiles with a category surcharge, and FBA shipments. Magnetic goods travel with a magnetic inspection report.
On battery goods, the lane matters: air economy and Yantian standard accept built-in batteries with a declaration, air priority and Matson do not, and pure batteries or power banks are prohibited outright.
Not accepted at all: counterfeit or branded goods, weapons and replicas, mobile phones on general lanes, pharmaceuticals, flammable, explosive or corrosive goods, unknown powders and liquids, antiques, currency and stamps, live animals, and food on general lanes.
US anti-dumping watch list — goods that need additional duty and documentation checks before booking: steel fasteners and pipes, aluminium profiles, engineered and wood flooring, wooden bedroom furniture, solar cells, graphite electrodes, bearings, brake drums and rotors, coated and tissue paper, tyres, bicycles, TVs and large washing machines, glass and ceramic tableware, canned mushrooms and honey.
Packaging, surcharges, liability
Packaging and pallets
- Cartons only on the air lanes — wooden crates, frames and pallets travel on oversized truck lanes, not as parcels.
- Air lanes refuse any single piece over 38 kg with a girth over 300 cm.
- Pallets and crates need hinged lids and 10 cm forklift feet; UK and EU oversized lanes cap a pallet at 100 × 120 × 200 cm and 800 kg.
- FBA cartons: at least two FBA labels per carton, “Team Lift” above 22.5 kg, “Heavy Package” above 15 kg.
- Irregular packaging can be refused or re-packed at RMB 140-200 per piece.
Surcharges on top of the band
- Commercial address +RMB 1 per kg; residential address +RMB 45 per piece.
- Magnetic inspection report and separate export declaration are billed at cost.
- Peak season (mid-November to February) adds carrier peak surcharges and excludes delay compensation.
Claims and liability
- Report window: 20 days for parcels not yet picked up, 60 days from label creation while in transit, 7 days after delivery.
- Air compensation is RMB 40 per kg without a freight refund; sea is RMB 20 per kg; after hand-over to the last-mile carrier liability is capped at USD 100 per shipment.
- Fragile goods damage and partial loss are excluded, and no delay compensation applies in peak season.
Where these numbers come from
Rate card: our contracted forwarder's tariff for China → USA, effective 22 September 2026, issued in RMB (CNY). This page publishes the band and starting rate per ZIP zone and lane. The full tariff behind it contains every weight-band price, which is why the binding figure is confirmed per shipment rather than published.
What was extracted: 4 door-to-door services, 3 US ZIP zones, 4 air weight bands and 3 sea weight bands per lane, plus the published address surcharges, packaging standards, prohibited-goods list, anti-dumping watch list and claims windows.
Calculation method: per-piece chargeable weight = max(actual weight, volumetric weight at divisor 6000), with a 12 kg minimum per piece; shipment chargeable weight = pieces × per-piece weight; the band is chosen from shipment chargeable weight, then the ZIP zone sets the rate range; address-type surcharges are added on top.
Currency conversion: USD / EUR / GBP figures use indicative rates (1 RMB = 0.1395 USD, 0.1285 EUR, 0.1105 GBP) for orientation only.
Photo credit: Port of Los Angeles, by Downtowngal, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
What this is not: a quotation. Customs inspection, storage, demurrage, re-delivery, peak-season surcharges and fees billed at cost are excluded unless the rate card publishes a fixed amount. Rates are valid as of 22 September 2026 and confirmed before booking.
Three Things Decide What You Pay
US deliveries are priced in three postal zones, not by state: ZIP 8-9 (West), 4-7 (Central) and 0-3 (East). The same weight band costs RMB 1-3 per kg more from west to east, so a Los Angeles delivery is always cheaper than the same carton to New York.
Air freight is priced in four bands — 12-20 kg, 21-70 kg, 71-100 kg and 101 kg+ — and sea freight in three: 12 kg+, 51 kg+ and 101 kg+. The rate per kilo falls at every step, so consolidating several supplier orders into one shipment often beats shipping them separately.
Air is roughly four to five times the price per kilo of standard sea freight, and about three times the transit speed. Sea freight is quoted from vessel departure, so budget for consolidation in China plus customs clearance at destination when you compare the two.
Want the full lane picture — all four services, the three ZIP zones, the anti-dumping watch list and where clearances actually happen? Shipping from China to the USA: rates, transit times and DDP clearance →
China to USA Shipping — Common Questions
How much does it cost to ship from China to the USA?+
On the September 2026 rate card behind this calculator, door-to-door DDP air freight from China to the US runs roughly RMB 54-71 per kg depending on your ZIP zone and weight band, and sea freight runs roughly RMB 10.8-20 per kg (Yantian standard) or RMB 13.5-20 per kg (Matson express). Air is priced in four weight bands (12-20 kg, 21-70 kg, 71-100 kg, 101 kg+), so the unit rate falls as the shipment gets heavier - the 101 kg+ band is the cheapest per kilo. Rates differ by destination zone: ZIP codes starting 8-9 (US West) are cheapest, 4-7 (Central) are about RMB 1-2/kg more, and 0-3 (US East) are about RMB 2-3/kg more.
How long does shipping from China to the USA take?+
From warehouse receipt in China: air priority (mainland China flights) is 6-8 working days to pickup, air economy (Hong Kong / Korea flights) is 7-9 working days, Matson express sea freight is about 16 natural days from vessel departure, and Yantian standard sea freight is about 22 natural days from vessel departure. Sea transit is quoted from vessel departure, so add the consolidation and loading time in China, and customs clearance at destination.
What is DDP, and do these rates include duty and tax?+
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means the price you pay covers export clearance in China, freight, US import duty and customs clearance, and delivery to the door - the consignee receives the goods without paying duty separately. All four services on this rate card are DDP with double clearance. If your company imports under its own customs bond and pays duty directly, tell us and we will quote the alternative terms (DAP or duty-unpaid), which are usually cheaper per kilo but leave duty and clearance to you.
Why does my ZIP code change the price?+
US deliveries on this rate card are priced in three postal zones rather than by state: ZIP codes starting 8-9 (US West), 4-7 (US Central) and 0-3 (US East). Your zone is set by the first digit of the ZIP code, and the same weight band costs one to three RMB per kilo more as you move from the West to the East. The calculator matches your ZIP to the right zone and shows the band for that zone.
Can you ship batteries, magnetic goods or liquids?+
It depends on the lane. Air priority (P) and Matson express are general-cargo lanes and do not take batteries. Air economy (C) and Yantian standard sea freight accept built-in batteries with a declaration, and Yantian is the usual choice for goods that also contain magnets. Pure batteries and power banks are prohibited. Magnetic cargo needs a magnetic inspection report before booking, and household liquids, aerosols and powders cannot travel on general-cargo air lanes.
Is there a minimum shipment size?+
Yes. Air and Matson sea services on this rate card start at 12 kg per shipment with a minimum chargeable weight of 12 kg per piece, so five 2 kg pieces are billed as 5 x 12 kg = 60 kg. Yantian standard sea freight also starts at 12 kg. If you only have a few kilos, ask us about consolidating with other cargo - it is usually much cheaper than shipping a small parcel on its own.
How is the chargeable weight calculated?+
Chargeable weight is the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight. Volumetric weight = length x width x height in cm / 6000, so one cubic metre is about 167 kg. Air priority and air economy also apply a 50% bubble-split rule above 100 kg actual weight per shipment, which changes how the volumetric weight is billed. Matson and Yantian sea freight use divisor 6000 without a bubble split on this rate card.
Do you deliver to Amazon FBA warehouses?+
Yes - all four services deliver to FBA warehouses as well as commercial and residential addresses. FBA cartons need at least two FBA labels each, "Team Lift" for pieces above 22.5 kg and "Heavy Package" for pieces above 15 kg. Commercial addresses attract RMB 1 per kg, residential addresses RMB 45 per piece, and Amazon appointment requirements are handled by our team at booking.
What is not included in these rates?+
The bands shown exclude customs inspection fees, storage, demurrage, re-delivery, magnetic inspection reports, goods-category surcharges for special products and any fee the forwarder bills at cost. Rates also change with fuel and peak season - between mid-November and February carriers publish peak surcharges and do not compensate delays. The binding price for your shipment is confirmed in writing before booking.
How do I get an exact price?+
Send us the ZIP code, the number of pieces and weight per piece, the carton dimensions, the product name and whether the goods contain batteries or magnets. We come back with the confirmed rate for your zone, the transit time and the surcharges that apply - usually within one working day. If you also need supplier sourcing, inspection or consolidation, our Guangzhou team handles that in the same project.
Need the exact price, or the sourcing side too?
We are a Guangzhou sourcing agent: we find and audit suppliers, negotiate factory prices, inspect goods and consolidate cargo — then ship it to your door on the lanes above. Send us the ZIP code, the cartons and the product, and we come back with the confirmed rate.
Shipping to the UK instead? The China to UK shipping cost calculator covers air, rail-truck and pallet lanes with all 22 postcode zones. For Canada, see the China to Canada shipping cost calculator.