Shipping Cargo From China
Dragged by the global economic slowdown overlaid with the widespread of the domestic epidemic, exports in December 2022 continued their downward trend, with growth rates hitting a new low for two consecutive months since March 2020.But China is still the world’s top exporting country.
China’s top 10 export product categories:Furniture, Small household electrical appliances, LED lighting, Consumer electronics category, 3D printing equipment, Bicycles, Toys,Textile and clothing category, medical equipment, Snacks.
When you are purchase and import from the China, you have the option of air or sea freight. While it takes longer, sea freight is more cost-effective, particularly when you are handling heavier cargo or huge size cargo.
Types of freight forwarding
Around 90% of world trade is transported by sea, with 70% of that as cargo in containers. Most cargo Export from China will be shipped in containers, and you can choose between full container load (FCL) and less-than-container load (LCL) depending on your shipment, budget, and timescale. And also the break bulk and Ro/Ro for shipping heavy machinery or vehicles etc by sea.
Full container load (FCL)
This type of shipment is used when you have enough goods to fill an entire shipping container, whether that is a 20-foot or 40-foot one. For regular consignments of large shipments, the FCL method should be more economical and more secure as, in theory, your goods will only be handled at loading and unloading. To get some idea of size, a 20-foot container will hold up to 10 standard pallets and a 40-foot one up to 22.
Less-than-container (LCL)
As the name suggests, this method is for shipping cargo that will not fill an entire container. If your cargo is smaller, you can pay for space in a shared container, and this is the best option for cargo that is not particularly fragile. It is quite cost-effective but will take longer than FCL as the container is only shipped when full. Consequently, it is important to factor extra time into your schedule.
One potential drawback is that your cargo will be handled more often than with FCL because other types of cargo will be shipped in your container. If this is not a concern for you, then LCL would be the ideal choice for your smaller, non-urgent shipments.
