- Load: Both FCL and LCL
- Source Location: China
- Destination: Delhi
This guide will help you understand how to import goods from China to India using ocean freight, how much it costs, duties to account for, the time it takes, regulatory norms, important ports, and more.
Due to its sheer size, cheap labour, easy availability of raw material, and investment opportunities, China is often dubbed as the Worlds Factory Floor . Low cost of production and overall economical prices is the prime reason Indian importers source products from China. Bilateral trade between India and China, despite border tensions and the repercussions from the COVID-19 global pandemic, has grown exponentially over the years, both in terms of volume and revenue. China is India's biggest trading partner, with imports to India valued at $58.71 billion in 2020.
India imports everything from auto parts, chemicals, computers/accessories, spare parts, clothing, electrical goods, food products, and apparel, to cosmetics, iron and steel products, other metals, mobile phones and accessories, utilities, gift items, toys, and much more from China.
Shipping by ocean is the most economical way to transport goods from China to India, and enables importers to keep their costs to a minimum to boost their profits. It is the most common method of shipping goods from China to India. Our China-India ocean freight experts have created this guide to help you understand everything you need to know about transporting cargo across this route by ocean. It will cover the following:
Types of ocean freight
China to India shipping time
Shipping costs from China to India
China ports that ship to India
Important India ports for shipments from China
Major shipping lines on the China to India route
Customs clearance and duties from China to India
Relevant incoterms to ocean freight
Alternatives to ocean freight
FAQs
Types of ocean freight:
There are two types of ocean freight solutions, Less than Container Load (LCL) and Full Container Load (FCL) that you can opt for, depending on the volume and weight of your goods.
LCL:
When a shipper s cargo occupies only a part of the space inside a container, it is an LCL shipment. Freight forwarders consolidate cargo from multiple clients, to be sent from and to the same location, inside a single container. This is ideally suitable for you if you are shipping smaller cargo loads. Check out our ultimate LCL guide to understand more.
FCL:
In this type of shipment, a shipper leases an entire container for his cargo. If you need to ship a large amount of goods that will take up more than half a container, it may also be more economical to choose to ship via FCL. This will also give you exclusive rights to the container and hence more control over how your goods are packed and placed inside it. Read more about FCL shipments here.
Aside from selecting an LCL or FCL shipment, you also need to consider whether your cargo is general cargo , i.e. it does not require any specific conditions, or special cargo that has temperature, size, or other specifications. Accordingly, below are the most commonly used types of containers that you will need to select from
Dry storage containers:
Standard containers that are available in lengths of 20 feet and 40 feet and are typically used to ship general cargo.
