Container Shipping to and from China

When it comes to container freight, China is predominantly an export country. China has been the largest exporter of goods in the world since 2009. China's major export goods are automatic data processing machines and components, followed by textiles, clothes and clothing accessories, mobile phones, and integrated circuits.

Twill offers first-class ocean and inland transportation from export markets such as China. Check our platform now to find schedules and rates instantly and ship your goods worldwide.

The most popular trade routes from China are Europe and North America. On the export side, the most popular routes are to Europe and North America as well.

All of these lanes are covered within the Twill platform – with a view of pricing and cost breakdown available prior to booking. Check popular container shipping destinations in Europe and North America and crucial shipping information here.

In China, Twill provides Inland Transportation services, including trucking and rail services. These services enable transportation from the factory of your goods to the loading port or from the discharge port to the cargo discharge point.

As we offer a digital end to end logistics service, you can easily get the trucking price on our platform. Sign up now and search for routes and prices to transport containers from port to door or door to port in China.

The transit time for your cargo will vary based on a few factors – including the vessel schedule, whether containers need to be connected to other vessels on their journey and how many calling ports there are on the route.

Twill, supercharged by Maersk, offers market-leading transit times for China from all its key markets – like the United States, Germany or the UK – and many more destinations.

Here are a few transit times for popular routes to China on average:

• The transit time from Shanghai to Manzanillo can take up to approximately 28 days.

• The transit time from Ningbo to Mombasa can take up to approximately 26 days.

• The transit time from Xingang to Rotterdam can take up to approximately 40 days.

• The transit time from Yantian to Algeciras can take up to approximately 27 days.

• The transit time from Shenzhen, China, to Miami, Florida, can take up to approximately 41 days.

Our strong transit times ensure you keep your lead times to a minimum, while being able to keep cargo moving at a good pace.

There are some critical busy periods to note when shipping from and to China:

1. In October, the Golden Week celebrations can affect shipping demand to/from China.

2. Alongside this event, the Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is celebrated in China and some other South/North Asian countries – which also has significant impacts on shipping demand and production schedules from China.

Peak seasons are often impacting trade lane availabilities and freight prices. Not accounting for seasonal and peak periods in supply chain forecasting will easily throw your forecasting off course. These periods in the calendar often impact ocean freight and should be planned months in advance – or you risk missing out on opportunities to capitalise on increased demand. That’s why it is important to prepare your cargo well in advance with supply chain forecasting.

Customs clearance procedures are an important step in your cargo’s journey, and you will need to follow them to import your containers into China. The key step of customs clearance is to have the right documentation. In China, as in many other countries, you are likely to need these documents:

• Commercial Invoice

• Packing List

• Signed Letter of Authorisation

• Bill of Lading/Booking Confirmation

• Customs declarations

If you’re unsure of what these documents are, have a read of our guide on all the key documents you need when shipping cargo. The customs authorities may require additional information beyond these, but we will let you about these if needed!

Our customs clearance experts help shippers both new and experienced understand the duties they have to pay, or the exemptions they may be entitled to, helping make the import process smooth and easy. Find out more about our Customs Clearance services here.

As a buyer, you also need to be aware of commodity inspections in China when shipping containers from and to China. Some commodities will need to undergo inspections.

According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Imported and Exported Commodities Inspection, an application must be filed to the commodity inspection authority for commodity inspection. Customs will accept the same according to the clearance form issued by the commodity inspection authorities.

At Twill, we offer Customs Clearance Services, providing you with further information regarding commodity inspections. So, you can ship your freight internationally hassle-free. We are by your side no matter where you want to export or import your goods.

There are six main ports in China:

• Yantian

• Nansha, Guangzhou

• Shanghai

• Ningbo

• Qingdao

• Xingang, Tianjin

All of these ports are covered within the Twill platform – with a view of pricing and cost breakdown available prior to booking. So, you can move your cargo from and to China across the world. Take a look for yourself and simply sign up now.

With more than 300 inland corridors, we connect your freight with 15 main ports in China and more than 100 outports in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, China. To manage your logistics end to end, our team at Twill can also provide carrier haulage services from other locations in China, such as:

• Yi Wu

• Weifang

• Zibo

• Huaibei

• Taizhou

• Haining

• Anji

• Changzhou

• Shaoxing

• Dongguan

• Jinhua

• Linyi

• Bazhou

• Dongying

• Cangzhou

• Shuyang

Do you want to transport shipping containers port-to-port or door-to-door? At Twill we've got you covered. We offer a wide range of logistics solutions, from transportation to financial services. Take a look at all our services now.