How much shipping from China costs
There's no single per-kilogram figure, and anyone who quotes one without asking your dimensions will end up recalculating it later. The rate depends on cargo density, product category, and destination. For Ukraine the air rate depends on the category: components and mid-weight categories are cheaper, hard-to-ship goods dearer; Hong Kong is cheaper than mainland China. Trucking to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is priced per shipment. Below is how it's calculated, so you can check any quote — ours or anyone else's.
What the price is made up of
| Component | What it depends on |
|---|---|
| Shipping | destination, method, cargo density, product category |
| Packaging | fragility and route: from a taped bag to a wooden crate |
| Insurance | declared cargo value |
| Export documents | issued per shipment, billed separately |
| Delivery to address | city and distance from the recipient's warehouse |
| Customs payments | product code — calculated by a broker, yours or one we arrange; the ballpark figures are shown by customs clearance calculator |
The first line is what gets compared. The other five are where expectations and the final bill usually diverge.
The main mechanism: by weight or by volume
Transport is billed either by kilogram or by cubic meter — whichever is 'heavier' for the truck. Density decides.
- Volume = length × width × height × 1.1. The 1.1 factor accounts for stacking: there's always air between packages, and it travels too.
- Density = weight ÷ volume.
- The basis for calculation — kilograms or cubic meters — depends on the carrier's price list and is always stated in your quote.
Here's why: a heavy load hits the truck's weight limit before it fills the space, while a light one fills the space without reaching the weight limit. Either way, the carrier is selling the same thing — a trip.
Two examples, one truck
| Cargo | Weight and volume | Density | Charged by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto parts | 800 kg, 1.1 m³ | 727 kg/m³ | by 800 kg |
| Pillows | 150 kg, 3.3 m³ | 45 kg/m³ | by 3.3 m³ |
The second shipment is five times lighter than the first but takes up three times more space — and it will cost more. This is exactly where the comparison 'they charge $2 a kilogram, you charge $2.5' falls apart.
Calculate your cargo
The calculator shows the billable figure — the same one a manager will use when quoting a price. There are no prices in it on purpose: the rate depends on the destination and product category, and a made-up number is worse than none at all.
Rates by destination
Ukraine, air freight
| Category | How it compares to the rate |
|---|---|
| Components, mid-range categories | base rate |
| Mid-range category | above the base rate |
| Hard-to-export goods | well above the base rate |
| From Hong Kong | cheaper than from mainland China |
There's no fixed category reference: the rate is set by how difficult it is to export a specific product from China and the current situation with routes. A manager doesn't assign a category by eye — they send the item name to the logistics team and get the rate back.
Paid separately: T1 — the transit document from a Polish airport, opened by Polish brokers and calculated from the number of line items and the goods' value — and delivery within Ukraine: a truck from Warsaw to Kyiv costs $2,900, other regions are priced separately.
Europe, air freight with door delivery
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| First weight | ¥350 per kg |
| Subsequent weight | ¥120 per kg |
| Regular goods | may drop to ¥90/kg |
Delivery goes straight by air express to the recipient's address, taking 12–20 days depending on the destination. No warehouse pickup needed.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia
Here the rate is calculated for the specific shipment, and we don't post a 'from' figure on the site that means nothing. The reason is simple: on these routes, the spread between dense and bulky cargo is wider than the difference between carriers — a quoted range would mislead you rather than help.
We give the timelines upfront: Kazakhstan is 10–15 days in reality (the carrier claims 7–9), Uzbekistan 15–20, Russia's 'fast route' is claimed at 12–15 but actually takes 15–20.
What's included in the rate and what's billed separately
| Included | Separate |
|---|---|
| Pickup from the supplier within China | packaging: bag and tape $5 per package, with a cardboard corner $6, wooden crate $15–25, palletizing in a crate $30 per cubic meter |
| Warehouse receiving: recount, weighing, measuring, photos | insurance: 1.5% of value for goods valued up to $30/kg, 2.5% for $30–50, 3.5% above $50 |
| Shipment consolidation and storage before dispatch | export documents for the shipment |
| Transport to the recipient's warehouse | delivery to address and customs payments |
Storage before dispatch is free. Our goal is the same as yours: consolidate the shipment and send it out faster, not profit from idle storage.
Why 'cheaper' often turns out more expensive
Four mechanisms behind why the final bill diverges from the promised rate. All four are easy to check with one question in the first minute of a conversation.
- The rate was quoted without asking your dimensions. That means it was calculated by weight but will be billed by volume — you'll find out only after warehouse receiving.
- Packaging wasn't included in the price. A crate for a fragile shipment adds a noticeable sum, and that only comes up at the moment of dispatch.
- There are no documents. Goods without documents can't be booked on your balance sheet, sold to a VAT-registered company, or placed with a retail chain. Savings on the rate get eaten up by the sales channel you lose access to.
- The risk wasn't priced in. With cargo, the price of transport carries an added risk that the shipment gets stuck — and that risk should be counted not in percentages but in money: one delayed shipment wipes out a year's savings on the rate.
We're not the cheapest, and we don't pretend to be. The Kazakhstan market sits at $0.5–0.9 per kilogram, and competing on price there makes no sense.
Frequently asked questions
How much does shipping from China cost per kilogram?
There's no single figure: the rate depends on cargo density, product category, and destination. For Ukraine by air: components and mid-weight categories go at the base rate, hard-to-ship goods above it, and Hong Kong is cheaper than mainland China.
For Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia, we calculate per specific shipment. Send us the weight and dimensions — we'll quote the rate the same day.
How do you calculate a shipment's volumetric weight?
Volume = length × width × height × 1.1, where 1.1 is the stacking factor: there's air between packages, and it travels too. Density = weight ÷ volume. The basis for calculation — kilograms or cubic meters — depends on the carrier's price list and is always stated in your quote.
Why do different companies quote such different prices per kilogram?
Most often, different things are being compared. A rate quoted without dimensions is calculated by weight but ends up billed by volume; packaging, insurance, and delivery to address may be included in the price or added on top.
It's easy to check: ask which parameter the calculation will use for your dimensions, and what exactly is included in the quoted sum.
What's cheaper — trucking, air, or sea?
Trucking is many times cheaper than air, sea is cheaper than trucking but takes 2.5–3 months and only makes sense from a full container — from $6,000 per shipment.
The choice isn't made on price per kilogram but on when you need the goods on site: warehouse downtime and a missed season cost more than the difference in the rate.
Is there a minimum order amount?
The minimum by weight is 50 kilograms; there's no minimum amount. It's more cost-effective to consolidate from 150 kg: on shipments around 50 kg, the rate per kilogram is noticeably higher.
We don't carry parcels or small shipments — that's a deliberate choice, not a lack of capability.
Do you calculate customs payments?
No: duty and VAT are calculated by your customs broker based on the product code. The duty rate for neighboring HS codes can differ many times over, and a figure we guessed at would become a promise we'd later have to apologize for.
We handle the supplier, payment, the Guangzhou warehouse, product inspection, and delivery — via cargo or official import. No broker? We'll recommend vetted ones or arrange clearance as a separate service.
Can the rate change after dispatch?
It can — if the actual weight and dimensions differ from what was declared. That's why we measure and weigh the cargo when it's received at the warehouse, take photos, and report any discrepancy before dispatch, not in the invoice.
If the data matches what was declared, the quoted rate doesn't change.
Send us the weight, dimensions, and destination — we'll calculate the rate and break down what's included. The estimate is free and comes with no obligation.