Shipping from USA to China
Airlift USA ships full containers from the USA to China, with LCL on select routings, its own New Jersey and Los Angeles offices handling pickup and US export filing, and licensed agent partners in China handling import clearance and delivery. Plan on 16–48 days port to port: Los Angeles to Shanghai 16–25 days, to Ningbo 18–27 and to Shenzhen 20–30; Houston to Shanghai 30–40; New York to Ningbo 36–48.
Get a USA–China freight quote
Lane Overview
Airlift USA ships cargo from the USA to China as full containers (FCL), with LCL on select routings and special equipment for machinery and out-of-gauge cargo. Containers leave Los Angeles, Houston or New York and take 16–48 days port to port in Airlift’s shipment history: Los Angeles to Shanghai 16–25 days, to Ningbo 18–27 and to Shenzhen 20–30; Houston to Shanghai 30–40, to Ningbo 32–42 and to Shenzhen 35–45; New York to Shanghai 35–45 and to Ningbo 36–48 (P10–P90 ranges). Qingdao is quoted per sailing.
Airlift’s own offices in New Jersey and Los Angeles manage the export side (pickup, the US export filing and the booking), and licensed agent partners in China handle the import declaration with China Customs and delivery; Airlift has no office of its own in China. Airlift USA is the trading name of AIRLIFT (U.S.A.), INC., in business since 1999 and an FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162). Typical cargo is industrial machinery and spare parts, non-hazardous chemicals, agricultural products and high-value manufactured goods.
Quick Facts: USA China
Main Ports on This Lane
Los Angeles gives the shortest transit to China, 16–25 days to Shanghai; Houston and New York sail all-water and take about twice as long. In the carrier schedules Sealanes tracked in September 2026, sailings from all three US ports to Shanghai and Ningbo were direct calls, and some Los Angeles sailings to Shenzhen relayed at Busan.
US Origin Ports:
Houston, Los Angeles, New York. Los Angeles gives the shortest transit to China.
China Destination Ports:
Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Qingdao
Transit Times by Port Pair (P10–P90)
From Houston
| Destination port | Transit planning range |
|---|---|
| Shanghai | 30–40 days |
| Ningbo | 32–42 days |
| Shenzhen | 35–45 days |
From Los Angeles
| Destination port | Transit planning range |
|---|---|
| Shanghai | 16–25 days |
| Ningbo | 18–27 days |
| Shenzhen | 20–30 days |
From New York
| Destination port | Transit planning range |
|---|---|
| Shanghai | 35–45 days |
| Ningbo | 36–48 days |
Ranges show the middle 80% (P10–P90) of Airlift’s past shipments on each port pair, port to port. They are planning ranges, not guaranteed transit times; depending on the carrier, some sailings relay at a hub such as Busan, so confirm the routing and sailing when you request a quote.
These ranges are port to port only. The glossary explains what a quoted transit time includes and which origin and destination legs it leaves out.
Shipping to China? Tell us your origin port and cargo.
Send your cargo details and ready date, and we’ll quote your shipment.Questions about your cargo?
Tell us what you ship and how it is packed, and a specialist will contact you.What Ships on This Lane
Most common:
- Industrial machinery and spare parts
- Chemicals (non-hazardous)
- Agricultural products
- High-value manufactured goods
We also handle:
Plastics, packaging materials, industrial equipment.
Customs and Paperwork
In the USA (export)
- Electronic Export Information (EEI) filed in the Automated Export System (AES) when the goods under any one Schedule B number are worth more than $2,500 or need an export license; AES returns an ITN that goes on the bill of lading
- Commercial invoice, packing list and, where needed, an export license: items on the Commerce Control List often need a BIS license for China, and every party must be screened against the Entity List and the military end-use rules
- Handled through Airlift’s own US offices
In China (import)
- Import declaration with China Customs (GACC), filed by the consignee or its licensed customs broker
- GACC inspection and quarantine for regulated goods; overseas food manufacturers must be registered with GACC
- Import duty, import VAT and, for some goods, consumption tax set by the HS code; China also applies additional tariffs to some US-origin goods, and those rates have changed several times since 2025
- China has banned imports of solid waste, including most scrap and recyclables, since January 1, 2021
- Coordinated by Airlift’s licensed agent partners in China
Service Options
- Full Container Load (FCL)
- Less than Container Load (LCL) on select routings
- Door delivery in China on request
- Special equipment on request for machinery or out-of-gauge cargo
Why Ship with Airlift
- Sailings from Los Angeles, Houston and New York to Shanghai, Ningbo and Shenzhen, 16–48 days port to port
- Experience with machinery, chemicals and industrial cargo
- Our own US offices manage the export and the AES filing, with licensed agent partners in China
- In business since 1999; FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162) and C-TPAT certified
- Track your shipment on Airlift’s digital platform
Check our licenses before you ship
Each license and membership below links to the public register or directory that lists it, so you can verify who you are dealing with before you send cargo details.
- FMC OTI license 016162 — Licensed and bonded NVOCC and ocean freight forwarder, d/b/a Airlift Container Line. Look it up on the FMC OTI list →
- FMCSA property broker, USDOT 2355713 / MC-798584 — US drayage and trucking arranged as a non-asset broker through contracted motor carriers. FMCSA SAFER company snapshot →
- WCA World member since 2019 — Los Angeles head office and New Jersey branch, both with Gold Medallion financial protection. WCA member profile →
- C-TPAT certified — Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. About C-TPAT →
- NCBFAA regular member — National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. NCBFAA →
- IATA CargoLink listed — IATA-accredited air cargo agent, listed in the CargoLink directory. CargoLink listing →
What to include in your quote request
The more of this you send, the more complete the quote, and the easier it is to compare with others.
- Pickup and delivery locations, preferred ports and inland transport requirements.
- Cargo description, package count, gross weight and packed dimensions, or container size and quantity.
- Cargo-ready date, delivery deadline and handling or storage requirements.
- Which services and charges you want quoted, so every quote you compare covers the same scope.
Get a USA–China freight quote
Your route is already in the notes; edit it if you need to. Then add what you are shipping, when it is ready, pickup and delivery locations, and the services you want quoted.
Tools and guides for this lane
Shipping from a country without a lane guide? See every origin, by region, on shipping to the USA by country of origin.
Frequently asked questions
Shipping from the USA to China takes about 16–48 days port to port by ocean, depending on the US port. Los Angeles to Shanghai is fastest at 16–25 days, Los Angeles to Ningbo takes 18–27 and to Shenzhen 20–30; Houston to Shanghai takes 30–40 days; New York to Shanghai 35–45 and New York to Ningbo, the longest, 36–48. These are P10–P90 ranges from Airlift USA’s shipment history (8 in 10 shipments arrived inside them), not guarantees.
On the USA to China lane, exports leave Los Angeles, Houston or New York and arrive at Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen or Qingdao. West Coast departures are much faster (16–25 days from Los Angeles to Shanghai) because Gulf and East Coast sailings take the longer all-water route. In the carrier schedules Sealanes tracked in September 2026, sailings to Shanghai and Ningbo were direct calls and some Los Angeles–Shenzhen sailings relayed at Busan.
Both. From the USA to China, Airlift ships full containers in 20′, 40′ and 40′ high cube, with flat-rack and open-top on request for machinery and out-of-gauge cargo, and offers LCL on select routings. Door delivery in China is available on request through Airlift’s licensed agent partners there.
To ship from the USA to China you need, in the USA, a commercial invoice, a packing list and Electronic Export Information (EEI) filed in the Automated Export System (AES) when the goods under any one Schedule B number are worth more than $2,500 or need an export license; Airlift’s US office files it for you. In China, the consignee or its customs broker files the import declaration with China Customs (GACC), coordinated through Airlift’s licensed agent partners, and regulated goods such as food and agricultural products go through GACC inspection and quarantine.
Duty on goods shipped from the USA to China depends on the goods, not the freight. China Customs sets import duty by the product’s HS code and charges import VAT on top, plus consumption tax for some categories. China also applies additional tariffs to some US-origin goods, and those rates have changed several times since 2025, so confirm the rate in force with the consignee’s customs broker before the order ships. The tariff simulator on airliftusa.com covers US imports only.
Often not, but China gets more scrutiny than most destinations. Most commercial goods are EAR99 and need no license, but many items on the Commerce Control List need a Bureau of Industry and Security license for China, and the Export Administration Regulations add military end-use and end-user rules for China. Screen the consignee and every other party against the Entity List and the other US screening lists before booking, and tell Airlift if any line is licensed so the license details go on the EEI.
Mostly not. China has banned imports of solid waste, which covers most scrap and recyclables, since January 1, 2021; only materials that meet Chinese standards as recycled raw materials (for example some graded copper, aluminum and brass) can enter. Check the classification and the Chinese standard with the consignee before you load. Other cargo, such as machinery, chemicals and agricultural products, ships from the USA to China as normal commercial freight.
No. Airlift USA has no office of its own in China. On the USA to China lane, Airlift’s own offices in New Jersey and Los Angeles manage pickup, the US export filing and the booking, and licensed agent partners in China handle the import declaration with China Customs and delivery. Airlift USA is the trading name of AIRLIFT (U.S.A.), INC., in business since 1999 and an FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162).
Airlift USA doesn’t publish a fixed price for shipping from the USA to China, because ocean rates change and every shipment differs. The main cost drivers are the US origin and inland pickup, the Chinese port, FCL or LCL, special equipment, the season and contract or spot pricing. Chinese destination charges, import duty and VAT come on top. Send your cargo details through the quote form and the team prices the lane directly.
For a USA to China ocean rate, search Airlift USA’s published rates by port pair and container type in the rate search tool; no signup is needed, but coverage varies. For recurring export programs, project cargo, LCL or door delivery in China, use the quote form on the USA to China lane page and Airlift’s team prices the lane directly.