Shipping from China to the UK: the full picture
How goods actually get from a Chinese factory to your UK door — the modes, the timeline, the paperwork and the costs.
The two modes
Goods move by sea or by air. Sea is far cheaper per kilogram and suits bulk, non-urgent orders; air is far faster and suits small, urgent or high-value shipments. Most businesses ship the bulk by sea and keep air for emergencies.
See our sea vs air guide for the trade-off in detail.
The realistic timeline
Door to door, sea freight from China to the UK typically takes around two months once you include customs and delivery at both ends; air is usually around two weeks.
Add production time before that, and a buffer for the unexpected — a failed inspection or a busy shipping period each add days.
The paperwork and customs
To import you need a GB EORI number, the correct commodity code for each product, and accurate documents (commercial invoice, packing list, transport document). Import duty and VAT are settled at the UK border.
Our customs-clearance and duty-and-VAT guides cover the detail; a door-to-door service handles it for you.
What it costs — and the simple version
The real number to compare is the landed price: product, freight, insurance, duty and fees to your door. Import VAT is usually reclaimable for a VAT-registered business.
The simplest route is a single door-to-door landed price so you are comparing like for like against your current UK supplier — no separate bills to reconcile.
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to the UK take?
Roughly two months door to door by sea (including customs and delivery at both ends), or about two weeks by air, plus production time before shipping.
What do I need to import into the UK?
A GB EORI number, the correct commodity code for each product, and accurate documents. A customs agent or a door-to-door sourcing service can handle the declaration.