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How much does it cost to ship a container from China to USA?

The price to ship a container from China to USA depends on several factors: the port of origin, the port of destination, the size of the container (20ft or 40ft), the season, fuel surcharges, and the type of service (FCL or LCL).

On average, shipping costs usually fall within a market-driven range, with fluctuations caused by demand, equipment availability, and global trade conditions.

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How Much Does it Cost to Ship a 20-foot Container?

Shipping a 20ft container from China to the USA typically ranges from $1,200 to $3,000, depending on the route and time of year. This average price range applies to standard dry cargo moving from major Chinese ports such as Shanghai, Shenzhen or Ningbo to U.S. West Coast or East Coast gateways.

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How Much Does it Cost to Ship a 40-foot Container?

Shipping a 40ft container from China to the USA usually ranges from $1,800 to $4,500, with prices varying based on port pair, seasonal demand and availability. A 40ft is ideal for companies requiring additional volume at a competitive rate per cubic meter.

Container shipping rates from China to USA

Our table indicates some approximate shipping rates from China to the USA. Cargo shipped in 20-foot containers typically attracts the cheapest rates for FCL transportation, since these units take up less room on vessels than 40-foot containers.

Rates for LCL services are not shown in the table, since pricing depends entirely on the volume of cargo to be shipped. If you have a small consignment of freight to ship from China to the USA, and would like some pricing information, please get in touch with us to request an LCL quote.

Country of Departure
 Container Size FCL Rates From (USD)
From Shanghai to Los Angeles 20-foot $1,200
From Shanghai to Los Angeles 40-foot $1,800
From Shenzhen (Yantian) to Long Beach 20-foot $1,300
From Shenzhen (Yantian) to Long Beach 40-foot $1,900
From Ningbo to Oakland 20-foot $1,250
From Ningbo to Oakland 40-foot $1,850
From Qingdao to Seattle 20-foot $1,300
From Qingdao to Seattle 40-foot $2,000
From Xiamen to Houston 20-foot $1,700
From Xiamen to Houston 40-foot $2,300
From Shanghai to New York 20-foot $2,000
From Shanghai to New York 40-foot $2,800
From Tianjin (Xingang) to Savannah 20-foot $1,800
From Tianjin (Xingang) to Savannah 40-foot $2,500
From Shenzhen to Miami 20-foot $2,100
From Shenzhen to Miami 40-foot $3,000

How long does it take to ship from China to USA?

Container transit times from China to the USA can average anywhere between five and 30 days. The shortest transit times are associated with routes from China to ports in Southern US states, such as Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, which can involve less than a week of transit time.

Meanwhile, LCL freight to more northerly corners of the US can spend much longer times in transit, perhaps even as much as freight from Asian or European ports.

See our table for examples of average container transit times between ports in China and some of the main container terminals in the United States.

Route
 Transit Days
From Shanghai to Los Angeles 13
From Shanghai to Long Beach 14
From Shanghai to Oakland 16
From Shenzhen (Yantian) to Los Angeles 15
From Shenzhen (Yantian) to Seattle 18
From Ningbo to Long Beach 16
From Ningbo to Oakland 18
From Qingdao to Los Angeles 17
From Qingdao to Seattle 20
From Xiamen to Houston 32
From Shanghai to New York (via Panama Canal) 32
From Shenzhen to New York (via Panama Canal) 34
From Ningbo to Savannah 35
From Tianjin (Xingang) to Miami 38
From Tianjin (Xingang) to Savannah 40
 
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Ocean Freight from China to USA

Ocean Freight remains the most reliable and cost-efficient way to transport goods from China to the United States. Interworld Freight offers both:

  • Full-Container-Load (FCL): Ideal for high-volume shipments requiring exclusive use of a 20ft or 40ft container.

  • Less-Than-Container-Load (LCL): More flexible and economical for smaller shipments, as you only pay for the space you need.

Benefits of Ocean Freight include lower cost per unit, reduced carbon footprint, high cargo safety and the ability to move almost any type of goods.

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Port-Kingston

Top 5 container shipping routes to USA

  1. Shanghai → Los Angeles

  2. Shenzhen (Yantian) → Long Beach

  3. Ningbo → Oakland

  4. Qingdao → Seattle

  5. Tianjin (Xingang) → New York


Top 5 container shipping routes from China

  1. Shanghai → USA (West Coast & East Coast)

  2. Shenzhen → USA

  3. Ningbo → USA

  4. Qingdao → USA

  5. Xiamen → USA

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Related Services

Ocean

Ocean Freight

For the maritime legs of your shipments, you can choose either full container load (FCL) or less-than-container-load (LCL) shipping.

Road-1

Road Freight

When you need to get your goods moved to and from ocean freight terminals and/or consolidation/deconsolidation centers, our road freight services, which include container drayage, FTL and LTL trucking, make it as simple as can be.

Industry-1

Integrated Shipping for Industry

While container shipping is a standardized practice, goods for some industries require special handling practices and conditions. We offer specialized container services for US imports connected with the following industries:

Main Ports in the USA

We provide LCL and FCL container freight forwarding from China to all major terminals in the United States, including the 20 ports listed below:

Shipping container to Baltimore 
Shipping container to Charleston
Shipping container to Norfolk
Shipping container to Houston
Shipping container to Jacksonville
Shipping container to Long Beach
Shipping container to Los Angeles
Shipping container to Miami
Shipping container to Mobile
Shipping container to New Orleans
Shipping container to New York
Shipping container to Newark
Shipping container to Oakland
Shipping container to Port Everglades
Shipping container to Portland
Shipping container to San Francisco
Shipping container to Savannah
Shipping container to Seattle
Shipping container to Tacoma
Shipping container to Tampa

Main Ports in China

Below is a list of the main ports used for container shipping from China to the United States:

  • Port of Shanghai

  • Port of Shenzhen (Yantian, Shekou)

  • Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan

  • Port of Qingdao

  • Port of Guangzhou

  • Port of Xiamen

  • Port of Tianjin (Xingang)

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