Air or sea freight from China: which one pays off?
Sea freight is charged by volume and is far cheaper per kilo; air freight is charged by weight or size, whichever is bigger, and is several times faster. The right choice depends on how big, heavy and valuable your goods are, and how soon you need them.
How each one is priced
- Air: charged on the chargeable weight, which is the real weight or the volume weight, whichever is higher. For air freight, 1 m³ counts as 167 kg.
- Sea, shared container (LCL): charged per cubic metre (or per 1,000 kg if that is more), plus fixed charges at both ends for consolidating your cargo.
- Sea, full container (FCL): one price for the whole container, whatever you put in it.
Rules of thumb
| Your shipment | Usually best |
|---|---|
| Under about 100 kg, urgent | Express courier |
| Light and valuable (electronics, cosmetics), needed within two weeks | Air freight |
| About 2 to 13 m³ | Sea, shared container (LCL) |
| About 13 m³ or more | Sea, full 20 ft or 40 ft container (FCL) |
| Heavy and dense (tools, tiles) | Sea, almost always |
The fixed charges on LCL mean that around 13 to 15 m³ a full 20 ft container often costs about the same, with less handling and less risk of damage.
Do not forget the cost of time
Sea freight takes weeks longer. If running out of stock costs you sales or Amazon ranking, a split works well: a small air shipment to keep selling, and the bulk by sea.
Work it out for your cartons
Enter your cartons or pallets in the freight rate comparison and you will see air, LCL and FCL estimates side by side. For the sea benchmark, see this week's container price.
Questions people ask
When is a full container cheaper than LCL?
Often from about 13 to 15 m³. Below that, a shared container is usually cheaper; above it, a full 20 ft container tends to cost about the same or less.
How is air freight chargeable weight calculated?
Airlines charge the higher of the real weight and the volume weight, where 1 cubic metre counts as 167 kg.