China to USA shipping prices

Every quote covers freight from our China warehouse, the US customs entry, and US door delivery in one number, and it says in plain words whether the import duty is inside that number. The leg from your supplier to our China warehouse is a domestic courier shipment your supplier sends; it is not in our price. What moves the number up or down is mainly four things: weight and volume (heavier or bulkier shipments cost more to move), method (air is faster and more expensive per kilogram than sea LCL, which suits heavier cargo that can wait 28 to 32 days), declared value (duties are calculated as a percentage of the product value, so a higher declared value raises the duty component), and product category (some HS codes carry higher tariff rates than others, especially after the 2025 tariff changes on Chinese goods).

DDP means delivered duty paid. The quote includes the duty amount based on the HS code and declared value we agree on before your goods move. If the product turns out to have a higher tariff rate than initially estimated, because the HS code changes on review or a new tariff applies, we tell you before anything moves. There are no surprise duty invoices after delivery.

For shipments where the weight, dimensions, or product category are uncertain, send us what you know and we will flag the variables before confirming the quote. Getting the paperwork right before the goods leave China is cheaper than correcting it at the border.

DDP means Delivered Duty Paid. It is an Incoterm that defines who is responsible for freight, customs clearance, duties, and final delivery. When we quote DDP, we are taking on all of those responsibilities. You pay one number and we handle everything from our China warehouse to US door delivery, including all the steps in between. Your cartons are counted, weighed and measured when they reach the warehouse, and if the chargeable weight is within 5 percent of what we quoted on, the quoted price stands.

The duties component of the quote is calculated from the actual HS (Harmonized System) code for your product and your declared value in USD. Import duties in the US are calculated as a percentage of the declared value at the applicable tariff rate for your product category. Under the current US-China tariff schedule, many product categories carry additional Section 301 duties on top of the base rate. We check both rates before confirming your quote so there are no corrections after delivery.

The customs clearance component covers the formal customs entry filing, ISF filing (for ocean shipments), any port-related handling, and exam coordination if CBP selects the shipment for inspection. Exam fees vary by type and are not something we can predict in advance, but they are uncommon for most commodity shipments. If your shipment is examined, we notify you and manage the process.

The freight component depends on the method, the chargeable weight (for air) or CBM (for sea LCL), and the origin and destination locations. Air freight is quoted per kilogram of chargeable weight, where chargeable weight is the higher of the actual weight and the volumetric weight. Much of the market quotes sea LCL per CBM (cubic meter); we quote sea per kilogram of chargeable weight as well, so you can compare it with air on the same basis. The estimator above reads the same pricing engine as the form; the exact price is confirmed for your dimensions and product.

Most goods imported from China into the US are subject to two layers of duty: the standard Most Favored Nation (MFN) rate that applies to all imports, and the Section 301 tariff that applies specifically to Chinese-origin goods. Section 301 rates vary by product category and have changed significantly since 2018. For many categories the combined rate is 25 to 30 percent of the declared value, and for some categories it is higher.

In the US the duty is calculated on the transaction value of the goods themselves, which in practice is the price on your commercial invoice; international freight and insurance are not added to it. When we quote DDP, we calculate the duty based on the HS code and the declared value you provide. If the declared value changes between the quote and the actual shipment, the duty portion of the price adjusts accordingly. We confirm the final duty calculation before the goods move.

The de minimis rule used to let shipments under 800 USD enter the US without a customs entry or duty. That exemption ended for goods from China and Hong Kong on 2 May 2025 and was suspended for every country on 29 August 2025, so a shipment from China now needs an entry and pays duty whatever its value. We handle that entry on every shipment we carry. The dated rules, each with its source, are on our US import rules timeline.