Air Freight From China: How It Works, Costs & When to Use It

How air freight from China works

Start with the product, packed dimensions, gross weight, collection address, destination and required arrival date. Ask the forwarder to check cargo acceptance and propose a route and service. Agree whether the quote covers airport-to-airport transport or collection through final delivery.

A shipment typically involves collection, cargo preparation, security clearance, export clearance, airline transport, destination handling, import clearance and delivery. Confirm the sequence, who handles each stage and which charges remain payable separately.

DHL Aviation lists Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen among its destinations served. Ask for the actual departure and arrival airports, any transfer point and the final delivery arrangement. Compare the complete route rather than choosing solely by proximity to the supplier.

Consolidated or direct: what are you booking?

Consolidated air freight combines separate consignments under a master air waybill, with house air waybills identifying the individual shipments. Ask about the consolidation departure schedule and destination breakdown arrangements.

Lufthansa Cargo's customs-data guide distinguishes house-air-waybill data for consolidated shipments from air-waybill data for direct shipments. Confirm what your forwarder means by a direct booking, and ask separately whether the flight itinerary is nonstop or involves stops or transfers.

For either option, request an estimated collection-to-delivery schedule. Establish whether the quoted transit covers only the airport movement or also includes collection, waiting for departure, customs release and final delivery.

Chargeable weight: why a light carton can cost more

Air-freight chargeable weight generally uses the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight, subject to the booked service's rules. Gross weight includes packaging and pallets. Volumetric weight reflects the space occupied by the packed cargo.

IATA's air-cargo tariffs guide gives the general calculation as shipment volume in cubic centimetres divided by 6000, producing volumetric weight in kilograms. For separate cartons, calculate each packed carton's volume and add the results.

Confirm the divisor, measurement method, rounding and minimum charge in your particular quotation. Check a parcel courier's calculation separately. Obtain final packed measurements before comparing offers.

When air freight beats sea freight

Consider air when delay would stop production, leave a business without stock or miss a necessary delivery date. Compare the value of earlier arrival with the additional transport cost, taking the goods' value, packed weight and volume into account.

For samples and compact orders, request both air-freight and courier quotations. Check bulky packaging and minimum charges before assuming a small order will be inexpensive. For larger orders, compare flying an urgent portion with sending the balance by sea.

Use the sea-versus-air freight calculator with comparable collection and delivery scopes. Treat the result as a planning comparison and obtain current shipment-specific quotations.

Air-freight costs: the lines to request

Request a written breakdown rather than comparing the headline freight charge alone. Ask whether collection and origin transport, packing or pallet preparation, export documentation and clearance, screening, terminal handling and the air-freight charge are included.

Check fuel and security surcharges, transfers and any special-handling or dangerous-goods charges. IATA lists these types of charges as possible additions to the basic freight cost.

At destination, check terminal handling, customs brokerage, applicable duty and import taxes, and final delivery. Ask separately about storage, inspections and other charges triggered by exceptions or delays. Identify what is included, excluded or payable only if incurred.

Request the quotation's validity, currency, chargeable weight and delivery scope. Obtain a price and transit estimate for the actual cargo, route and selected service.

Batteries and dangerous goods: check before dispatch

Lithium batteries are classified as dangerous goods. Acceptance depends on the battery and shipment configuration, including whether batteries travel alone, packed with equipment or contained in equipment. Check current IATA guidance and the selected carrier's acceptance rules.

Provide accurate battery specifications and the supporting information requested by the carrier. Have a competent party establish the applicable packing, marking, labelling and documentation requirements before the supplier dispatches the goods.

Describe battery-powered goods accurately and disclose the batteries at the quotation stage. Ask the forwarder to confirm acceptance, routing, preparation requirements and any special charges before dispatch.

Documents and customs: prepare a consistent shipment record

Prepare a commercial invoice and packing list, and provide shipping instructions. Check that product descriptions, quantities, values, package details and the parties' information are consistent across the relevant documents. Agree with the forwarder who prepares and checks the air waybill.

Ask the destination customs agent which importer details, declarations, licences, origin evidence or product documents your goods require. Check import requirements separately from transport acceptance.

The European Commission lists importation of goods among transactions within the EU VAT system, with exemptions possible. US CBP states that the importer remains responsible for compliance when using a customs broker. Check the destination's official requirements rather than applying the UK example below.

DDP air freight: agree the named destination and clearance arrangement

DDP can be used with air transport. Under ICC's Incoterms 2020 rule, the seller handles applicable export and import clearance and pays applicable import duties and taxes. Delivery takes place at the named destination, with the goods on the arriving means of transport, ready for unloading.

Before accepting a DDP air quotation, establish who can lawfully undertake import formalities, whose details appear on the declaration and which records you receive. Ask for the named delivery point and any proposed exclusions in writing, and check them against the agreed DDP obligations.

Read what DDP means and DDP prices and shipping costs from China for the detailed checks. If the buyer will handle import clearance and import charges, compare DAP responsibilities.

UK worked example: customs value and import VAT

For goods flown from China into Great Britain, the supplier's invoice is not necessarily the complete customs value. HMRC requires relevant delivery and insurance costs up to the UK place of introduction to be included, with appropriate adjustments. Air transport costs have specific apportionment rules; ask the declarant to apply them.

Import VAT valuation starts with the customs value, adding applicable Customs Duty, levies, excise duty and other import charges except VAT itself, together with relevant incidental expenses not already included. These expenses cover the first UK destination and a further UK destination known at importation. Avoid counting the same cost twice.

This example explains the cost structure without assuming a product classification or tax rate. For help arranging this part of a UK shipment, see UK customs and delivery.

What to send Cambridge China Bridge

Send the product specification, quantity, supplier location, destination, packed dimensions and weight, battery details and required delivery date. Include an existing quotation if you want its transport scope considered.

Individuals and businesses assessing a modest purchase can start with small-order sourcing support. Agree the sourcing and transport work required before commissioning it.

Sources and review date

The official and carrier sources listed below were checked on 2026-10-18. The CBP article's text and publication date were available in official-domain search results, although opening the page returned an error. Other publication or update dates are included where verified. Confirm acceptance, charges and schedules for the actual booking.