In 2023, more than $34 billion worth of goods were exported from the UK to China. That’s a lot of shippers navigating the international shipping process, from budgeting time and money to choosing a forwarder to filing customs paperwork.
Planning to ship along this route? We’ve broken down the crucial information to make the process a little less daunting. Read on to learn all about moving freight from the UK to China.
Shipping Cost from the United Kingdom to China
Freight rates determine how much it will cost to transport cargo from one point to another. The total cost is affected by the type of goods, the mode of transport, the dimensional weight of the cargo, and the distance to destination.
Other factors go into the cost of shipping from the United Kingdom to China, including location, size, and shipping mode: sea FCL, sea LCL, air, or express.
Ocean Freight from the United Kingdom to China
Ocean Freight FCL
FCL, or full container load, means your goods fill an entire container, either 20’ or 40’ long. If you are shipping at a high volume, you’ll save time and money by shipping FCL. Pricing for FCL is done as a flat rate, regardless of whether or not your container is completely full.
Learn more about FCL here.
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Ocean Freight LCL
LCL, or less than a container load, means your goods do not fill an entire container, and will be shipped along with other boxes or pallets. Note that when you ship LCL, your goods will need to be consolidated at the origin port and deconsolidated at the destination port.
That’s why LCL shipping takes a few days longer than FCL.
Air Freight from the United Kingdom to China
Air cargo shipping cost from the United Kingdom to China per kg
Shipping by air is generally faster but more expensive than shipping by ocean, so the mode you choose will depend on the size and weight of your shipment, and how quickly you need it to arrive at your destination.
For help choosing which mode is right for your shipment, use our air vs. ocean comparison calculator.
Shipping from the United Kingdom to China transit time
Ocean, Air and Express freight transit time from the United Kingdom to China
How long will it take to ship from the United Kingdom to China?
Your shipment’s transit time will be impacted by location, shipment size, and season. Depending on market conditions, acts of nature, and other occurrences, freight shipments may be delayed.
How much is shipping from the United Kingdom to China?
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UK to China shipping delays: are shipments from the United Kingdom delayed?
For shippers from the United Kingdom to China, the disruptions of the past few years, particularly the Red Sea Crisis, have caused major delays to both manufacturing and shipping.
For the latest developments in international freight, visit the Freightos.com updates page.
It’s also important remember that freight rates are seasonal, with regular fluctuations throughout the year. Here are some important seasonal events to keep in mind when shipping from the UK to China:
| Event | Effects on Shipping | When |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese New Year | Factories and ports in Asia shut down for several weeks of celebrations, causing price spikes and delays | Late January/early February (exact dates follow the lunar calendar) |
| Golden Week | This week-long Chinese festival exacerbates holiday season price spikes and delays | October 1st and the week following |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Businesses in China typically close for three days, causing potential delays | June (exact dates follow the lunar calendar) |
| Holiday Shopping Season | Prices rise steadily over a period of months as businesses prepare for holiday shopping | October-December(air), July-October (sea) |
Top shipping routes from the United Kingdom to China
When you’re shipping from the United Kingdom to China, there are many options for shipping routes, as each country has a variety of large ports.
Freightos.com has global shipping rates for all of these lanes and can provide real-time FCL, LCL & Air rates for shipping from the United Kingdom to China.
Get an estimate from the world’s largest database of freight rates and then compare, book, and manage your upcoming shipments, all on the Freightos.com platform.
Cheapest shipping from the United Kingdom to China
When you’re shipping from the United Kingdom to China you can choose from one of four modes: FCL sea freight, LCL sea freight, or air freight. Here are key factors to consider for each mode:
FCL Sea Freight from the United Kingdom to China
FCL, or full container load, means your goods fill an entire container, either 20’ or 40’ long. If you are shipping at a high volume, you’ll save time and money by shipping FCL. Pricing for FCL is done as a flat rate, regardless of whether or not your container is completely full. Learn more about FCL here.
LCL Sea Freight from the United Kingdom to China
LCL, or less than a container load, means your goods do not fill an entire container, and will be shipped along with other boxes or pallets. Note that when you ship LCL, your goods will need to be consolidated at the origin port and deconsolidated at the destination port. That’s why LCL shipping takes longer than FCL.
Air Freight from the United Kingdom to China
Shipping by air is generally faster but more expensive than shipping by sea. For help choosing which mode is right for your shipment, use our air vs. ocean explainer.
Shipping from the United Kingdom to China pricing
Air freight costs and rates from the United Kingdom to China
Standard air freight is the cheapest option for shipments between about 150 kilos and 500 kg. Very light shipments for their size might be charged on dimensional weight, rather than actual weight.
Freight rates can vary widely between freight forwarders and prices change regularly, so make sure to compare rates.
For larger shipments sizes and origin/destination pairs, LCL (less than container load) ocean freight costs are typically cheaper than air freight costs.
Sea freight costs and rates from the United Kingdom to China
Once a shipment weighs more than around 500 kg, shipping by sea becomes the cheaper option. Ocean freight offers tremendous economies of scale (some ships can carry 20,000 twenty-foot containers) – but prices have risen steadily since summer 2020 making sea freight less economical than before the pandemic. Like air freight, ocean freight rates vary widely between forwarders and over time, so shop around before choosing your forwarder.
You can even start shopping around right now with our handy freight rate calculator. It will give you instant shipping estimates for both air and sea.
How can Air Freight be cheaper than Sea Freight?
Each shipping mode has its own combination of base and variable costs. Modes with a lower base cost are cheaper for smaller shipments while modes with lower variable weight costs are the cheaper options for larger shipments, even if they start out with a high base cost.
How long does it take to ship from the United Kingdom to China?
Rules of thumb for lead times (in regular conditions) are 1-2 weeks for regular post, 3 days for air express freight, 5-15 days for air freight, and 30-40 days for port-to-port ocean freight.
These estimates can be affected by a wide range of circumstances, especially in the current market, so speak to your forwarders about minimizing transit time, and always budget extra time for delays.
Express Shipping Options
When shipping from the United Kingdom by international courier, allow at least three days for picking up the parcel at the Chinese supplier’s door (unless the supplier has dropped it off at their depot). If it’s really urgent, there are more expensive premium services which may even be delivered overnight.
Air Freight
Standard air freight between the United Kingdom and China generally takes around 8-10 days. It’s not that these planes are slower; it comes down to the fact that air freight processes are more complicated than for express freight.
Sea Freight
At a minimum of 30-40 days for a door to door shipment from the United Kingdom to China, sea freight has the longest lead time. That’s because ships move a lot slower than planes.
Beyond additional preparation, ocean liners also move slower to save fuel (and money) whenever possible.
On top of that, port congestion, customs delays, and bad weather condition affect sea freight more than they do for air freight.
More on Shipping Modes from the United Kingdom to China
Air Freight from the United Kingdom to China
The larger the shipment, the more complex the shipping process. It’s harder finding space in a plane’s hold than with regular courier services and shipments are delivered to a facility where they are consolidated (packed with other shipments) first.
You also have to keep in mind that there are limitations on what products you can ship.
International law, national law, carrier organization regulations and individual carrier regulations all play their part in defining and restricting what goods are considered dangerous for transport.
Generally, more products are restricted as air cargo than ocean cargo, including: gases (e.g. lamp bulbs), all things flammable (e.g. perfume, Samsung Galaxy Note 7), toxic or corrosive items (e.g. batteries), magnetic substances (e.g. speakers), oxidizers and biochemical products (e.g. chemical medicines), and public health risks (e.g. untanned hides).
For further information on shipping hazardous material, check out the Freightos.com Hazardous Material Table.
FCL and LCL Shipping from the United Kingdom to China
Ocean freight usually means full containers. But if you don’t have enough material to fill a full 20’ or 40’ container’s worth of shipment (FCL), it’s usually worthwhile to ship a less-than-container load (LCL).
With LCL, several shipments are consolidated and packed into one container. This means your forwarder needs to arrange to consolidate various shipments into a container before the main transit, and de-consolidate the shipments at the other end.
LCL shipments typically take a few days longer than FCL, and also come with a higher risk of delays at customs due to being grouped with other shipments – if one shipment is delayed, it could affect the other shipments in that container as well.
Freight Forwarders from the United Kingdom to China
When shipping from the United Kingdom, there are a lot of factors involved in mastering your freight. Getting the right mode is a good start.
If you are looking at air freight or ocean freight, make sure that when you request freight quotes that you are selecting a forwarder with a good reputation as well as a good price.
Find a Freight Forwarder
Using a freight forwarder will steer you clear of the pitfalls and take over the organizing and troubleshoot where necessary. But there’s one step that is often made before bringing in a forwarder. Before agreeing to a deal with your supplier, be sure that you understand about selecting incoterms.
Freight Documents and Forms
Having a forwarder means that you don’t need to understand everything about freight. But help yourself by being prepared for the barrage of paperwork and arm yourself with knowledge about freight documents.
You should take a few extra minutes to make sure that all documentation is complete and accurate. Those few minutes are very much worth the effort. And have a freight charges reference at hand; don’t blindly accept every surcharge and fee.
Use Correct Packaging
If you are looking at ongoing shipments, discuss packaging options with your supplier. You might be able to seriously cut freight costs.
Tips for Keeping Down Costs and Shipping Time from UK-China
- Book in advance. Shipping by sea is the cheapest, but also takes the longest. Booking in advance when you can saves you money– and cuts out the stress if delays arise.
- Ship off-peak. When carriers get busy, both shipping prices and transit times go up. Ship during off-peak seasons whenever you can.
- Get your documentation in order. Having your documentation in order can make all the difference when it comes to clearing customs quickly.
- Know your HS Codes. A lot of shippers are surprised by how much customs fees can affect business costs. Do your research so you can budget effectively.
- Compare quotes from different providers. Quotes can vary, so check out offers from different providers before making a decision.
- Understand what’s included in your quote. Is your quote port to port or door to door? What service does it include? Know what you’re paying for to avoid getting hit with surprise fees.