NIKCO.LOG China freight guide
For imports from China or exports to China, choose a route around the origin city, cargo details and delivery deadline.
Are you importing or exporting?
You do not need to choose rail, road, sea or air in advance. Send the cargo details and delivery deadline so feasible options can be assessed.
Is the cargo at the factory or supplier's warehouse, or are orders held by several suppliers? Send collection locations, ready dates and packing lists.
Is the cargo ready in Iran, or is its ready date known? Provide the loading city, commodity and buyer's delivery point in China.
What happens after sending the specifications?
We review commodity, dimensions, collection location and delivery terms, and clarify missing information with you.
Cargo acceptance, routing, equipment and capacity are assessed for suitable transport modes.
The transport mode, rate inclusions and exclusions, estimated lead time and quotation validity must be clear before you approve.
Selection of transportation method
First and last mile transport are part of every shipment decision. Capacity and schedules are checked at enquiry.
Rail is assessed for commercial and industrial shipments with suitable routes, terminals and equipment. Collection to the terminal and terminal-to-destination delivery must be planned with main carriage.
Check: terminal, container or wagon type, capacity and departure schedule.
For road freight, loading location, transit countries, borders and vehicle type are decisive. The plan must specify customs transit arrangements and any tractor, trailer or cargo transfers.
Check: transit route, vehicle permits, TIR conditions and delivery arrangements.
For FCL and commercial LCL, assess loading and discharge ports with inland transport at both ends. Dimensions, weight and consolidation options affect equipment and service selection.
Check: port, container type, vessel schedule and charges at both ends.
Air freight can be assessed for samples, urgent parts and shipments with tight deadlines. Actual and volumetric weight, commodity and airline restrictions are essential to the enquiry.
Check: airport, chargeable weight, capacity and cargo acceptance.
Compare for a practical decision
This guide suggests what to assess first; the final choice follows confirmation of acceptance, capacity and total cost.
| Shipment status | Option to assess | Key consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Urgent production-line part | Air freight, then compare actual road lead time | Package dimensions, airline acceptance and clearance time matter, not just flight duration. |
| Container cargo with flexible time | FCL sea freight and rail | Compare the rate to final destination together with terminal charges and inland transport at both ends. |
| Several small orders from multiple suppliers | Consolidation and LCL, or road groupage where available | Date of preparation of the last order, warehouse cost and frequency of moving goods. |
| Heavy or tall machinery | Special equipment in sea, road or rail | Provide each item's dimensions, point loads, centre of gravity and lifting method; total volume alone is insufficient. |
In FCL A container is allocated to the shipment even when it is not completely full. For LCL Container space is shared with other shipments, adding consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at destination. For fragile, non-stackable or handling-sensitive cargo, consider the number of handling operations. There is no universal CBM threshold between FCL and LCL: compare total origin, freight and destination costs.
Learning resource: Difference between FCL and LCL — Maersk
Iran–China freight network
The proposed route must specify the collection city, transit border or terminal and delivery point. A list of countries is not an executable service plan.
One arrangement to assess passes through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan into Iran's network. The quotation should specify the Chinese terminal, Iranian entry gateway and transfers between rail networks. A 'direct train' does not necessarily eliminate container transfers or wagon changes.
Details of the terminals and rail route ↗Road options include western Chinese gateways such as Khorgos on the Kazakhstan border or Irkeshtam on the Kyrgyzstan border. The onward route to Iran depends on transit permits and the selected service. Before booking, establish whether only the tractor changes, the trailer changes, or the cargo itself is unloaded and reloaded.
Checking corridors and transportation Under TIR ↗For sea freight, request loading and discharge ports, direct or transshipment routing and container handover location. For air freight, origin and destination airports, connections and package-dimension acceptance matter. Identify factory-to-gateway and arrival-point-to-warehouse costs separately.
China TIR gateway reference: IRU. Geographic information does not confirm capacity or service availability at the time of enquiry.
From factory to delivery point
Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yiwu and inland Chinese cities do not share the same network access. The closest port on the map is not necessarily the best option: inland cost, service schedules and the final delivery point also matter.
Record each supplier's collection city and address, package count, gross weight, final dimensions and ready date separately. Identify stackable packages; non-stackable cargo may occupy more space.
Before transfer to the consolidation warehouse, standardise order and final-consignee labels. Package counting, visual checks, repacking and temporary storage need a defined service scope. If an order is late, compare waiting costs for the whole shipment with separate dispatch.
Confirm consignee details and the delivery point in China before booking. Consistent commodity descriptions, package counts and weights across sales and packing documents help avoid rework at carrier handover.
Comparison basis
One fixed rate or lead time cannot cover every city and commodity. Compare the same shipment and delivery point.
Before approving the quotation
Request a quotation with a defined origin and destination, validity period and itemised inclusions and exclusions.
Terms such as 'FCA China' are not precise: the named place, such as a supplier's warehouse or specific terminal, must be stated. FCA applies to different transport modes; FOB applies to sea and inland waterway transport, with delivery on board the vessel. For container delivery to a terminal, ICC recommends considering FCA rather than automatically using FOB.
Request cargo ready date, warehouse or terminal cut-off, departure date and estimated arrival separately. For sea freight, clarify container free time and late-return charges. Origin holidays, consolidation, transshipment and final delivery may fall outside the stated main-carriage time.
Calculation example · Air freight
Two packages measuring 100 × 80 × 60 cm have a combined volume of 0.96 m³. With a volumetric divisor of 6,000, their volumetric weight is 160 kg. If their combined actual weight is 100 kg, the initial comparison uses 160 kg. Confirm the divisor, rounding and minimum charge with the service.
Calculate your shipment's volumetric weight ↗Chargeable-weight reference: DHL Global Forwarding
For your cargo assessment
Send origin and destination cities, commodity description and final packaging details. Specify the delivery point and cargo ready date as well.
Request a freight quoteCommercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and permits are checked according to the commodity and direction of transport. Dangerous-goods enquiries require cargo specifications and an SDS.
To prepare specifications: CBM calculator · Air-freight volumetric weight · Choosing a container
Preparation before booking
Provide weight and dimensions after palletising or crating. Unpacked machinery dimensions alone are not sufficient for booking.
China freight questions
covers both directions. For exports from Iran to China and imports from China, origin, destination, commodity and delivery terms are assessed separately.
The choice depends on cities, weight and dimensions, commodity, timing and required services. A mode suitable for one shipment may be constrained for another.
Send each supplier's collection point, readiness date and package details separately so consolidation and main-carriage arrangements can be assessed.
China freight enquiry
Send origin and destination cities, commodity, package weight and dimensions, and cargo ready date so route, lead time and cost can be assessed.