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🚢 Sea Freight

China to Guatemala Sea Freight

Door-to-door transit 25-45 calendar days. Duty and final delivery are inside the published rate.

Container vessel and terminal operations on the Ningbo to Puerto Quetzal ocean freight lane
Sea freight — China to Guatemala

Sea Freight from China to Guatemala runs 25-45 calendar days door to door, clearing through the destination customs authority. Duty, customs handling and final delivery are inside the quoted rate. Send weight and dimensions for a firm figure on your cargo.

Transit time
25-45 calendar days
Destination
Guatemala
Customs authority
the destination customs authority
Duty-free threshold
USD 100 for courier consignments

Published channel rate for planning. The final quote depends on chargeable weight, cargo class and HS code.

💰 Current Freight Rates

Price data updating. Contact us for current rates.

Trade Terms Explained — Who Pays for What

The rate above is quoted on one specific trade term. Change the term and you change how much of the journey to Guatemala is already inside the price. The table below maps the eleven common Incoterms® against the twelve cost stages of a door-to-door shipment, so you can see exactly where our responsibility ends and yours begins.

  • Seller — Cost and arrangement sit with the seller / shipper.
  • Buyer — Cost and arrangement sit with the buyer / consignee.
  • Negotiable — Not fixed by the rule — agree it in the contract.
Responsibility for each shipment stage under each Incoterms rule
Term 1 Loading on truck 2 Export customs declaration 3 Carriage to port of export 4 Unloading at port of export 5 Loading on vessel / aircraft 6 Main carriage 7 Cargo insurance 8 Unloading at port of import 9 Loading on truck at import 10 Carriage to destination 11 Import customs clearance 12 Import duties & taxes
EXW Ex Works Buyer Buyer — Loading on truck Buyer Buyer — Export customs declaration Buyer Buyer — Carriage to port of export Buyer Buyer — Unloading at port of export Buyer Buyer — Loading on vessel / aircraft Buyer Buyer — Main carriage Buyer Buyer — Cargo insurance Buyer Buyer — Unloading at port of import Buyer Buyer — Loading on truck at import Buyer Buyer — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
FCA Free Carrier Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Buyer Buyer — Carriage to port of export Buyer Buyer — Unloading at port of export Buyer Buyer — Loading on vessel / aircraft Buyer Buyer — Main carriage Buyer Buyer — Cargo insurance Buyer Buyer — Unloading at port of import Buyer Buyer — Loading on truck at import Buyer Buyer — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
FAS Free Alongside Ship Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Buyer Buyer — Loading on vessel / aircraft Buyer Buyer — Main carriage Buyer Buyer — Cargo insurance Buyer Buyer — Unloading at port of import Buyer Buyer — Loading on truck at import Buyer Buyer — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
FOB Free On Board Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Seller Seller — Loading on vessel / aircraft Buyer Buyer — Main carriage Buyer Buyer — Cargo insurance Buyer Buyer — Unloading at port of import Buyer Buyer — Loading on truck at import Buyer Buyer — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
CFR Cost and Freight Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Seller Seller — Loading on vessel / aircraft Seller Seller — Main carriage Buyer Buyer — Cargo insurance Buyer Buyer — Unloading at port of import Buyer Buyer — Loading on truck at import Buyer Buyer — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
CIF Cost, Insurance and Freight Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Seller Seller — Loading on vessel / aircraft Seller Seller — Main carriage Seller Seller — Cargo insurance Buyer Buyer — Unloading at port of import Buyer Buyer — Loading on truck at import Buyer Buyer — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
CPT Carriage Paid To Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Seller Seller — Loading on vessel / aircraft Seller Seller — Main carriage Negotiable Negotiable — Cargo insurance Seller Seller — Unloading at port of import Seller Seller — Loading on truck at import Seller Seller — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
CIP Carriage and Insurance Paid Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Seller Seller — Loading on vessel / aircraft Seller Seller — Main carriage Seller Seller — Cargo insurance Seller Seller — Unloading at port of import Seller Seller — Loading on truck at import Seller Seller — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
DAT Delivered At Terminal (DPU) Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Seller Seller — Loading on vessel / aircraft Seller Seller — Main carriage Negotiable Negotiable — Cargo insurance Seller Seller — Unloading at port of import Buyer Buyer — Loading on truck at import Buyer Buyer — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
DAP Delivered At Place Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Seller Seller — Loading on vessel / aircraft Seller Seller — Main carriage Negotiable Negotiable — Cargo insurance Seller Seller — Unloading at port of import Seller Seller — Loading on truck at import Seller Seller — Carriage to destination Buyer Buyer — Import customs clearance Buyer Buyer — Import duties & taxes
DDP Delivered Duty Paid Seller Seller — Loading on truck Seller Seller — Export customs declaration Seller Seller — Carriage to port of export Seller Seller — Unloading at port of export Seller Seller — Loading on vessel / aircraft Seller Seller — Main carriage Negotiable Negotiable — Cargo insurance Seller Seller — Unloading at port of import Seller Seller — Loading on truck at import Seller Seller — Carriage to destination Seller Seller — Import customs clearance Seller Seller — Import duties & taxes

EXW Ex Works

Buyer takes over at the seller's door and carries every cost from there. Lowest quoted price, highest buyer workload.

FCA Free Carrier

Seller clears the goods for export and hands them to the carrier the buyer nominated.

FAS Free Alongside Ship

Sea and inland waterway only. Seller delivers alongside the vessel; loading is on the buyer.

FOB Free On Board

Sea and inland waterway only. Risk passes once the goods are on board. The most common buying term.

CFR Cost and Freight

Seller pays the main carriage but carries no insurance obligation; risk still passes on loading.

CIF Cost, Insurance and Freight

As CFR, plus the seller must buy and pay for cargo insurance (minimum cover unless you agree more).

CPT Carriage Paid To

Any mode. Seller pays carriage through to the named destination; insurance is not obligatory.

CIP Carriage and Insurance Paid

As CPT, plus the seller must insure the cargo through to the named destination.

DAT Delivered At Terminal (DPU)

Seller delivers unloaded at the named terminal. Renamed DPU (Delivered at Place Unloaded) in Incoterms® 2020.

DAP Delivered At Place

Seller delivers to your address ready for unloading; import clearance and duty stay with the buyer.

DDP Delivered Duty Paid

Seller carries everything through to your door, duty and tax included. Highest quoted price, least buyer workload.

Two things worth flagging. Under CIF and CIP the seller is obliged to buy cargo insurance and pay the premium; under every other term insurance is optional, and we recommend buyers arrange their own cover so a loss or damage in transit is recoverable. And this table is a working summary for planning purposes — the binding definitions are the ones published by the International Chamber of Commerce in the Incoterms® rules, so confirm the exact term wording in your sales contract before you ship.

📋 Service Details

Ningbo → Puerto Quetzal Container Shipping

Port-to-port FCL from Ningbo to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We book the whole box — the right structure once volume passes roughly 15 CBM, or when the cargo is heavy, oversized or awkward to consolidate. Transit is typically 22–30 days port to port.

Indicative rate. The figures below are benchmarked against current bookings on this lane group. They are a planning reference, not a firm offer — the booking rate is confirmed against the specific sailing when you enquire.

Rate by Container Type

  • 40NOR — USD 4,000 per container
  • 40HQ — USD 5,300 per container

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ℹ️ Additional Information

What the Rate Covers

Ocean freight, port to port. Origin haulage to Ningbo, export declaration, destination clearance, duty and VAT and delivery beyond the terminal are quoted separately.

  • One full container: 40NOR / 40HQ. Priced per box in USD, not per KG or CBM
  • Heavy and out-of-gauge cargo is our core traffic — machinery, steel, stone, building materials, project pieces
  • Cut-off and free time are tied to the specific sailing; demurrage starts when free time expires
  • Reefer, DG and out-of-gauge priced case by case

📊 China to Guatemala — Shipping Reference Data

Main sea gatewaysPuerto Quetzal (Pacific), Santo Tomás de Castilla (Atlantic)
Destination customs authoritySAT — Intendencia de Aduanas de Guatemala
De-minimis / duty-free thresholdUSD 100 for courier consignments
Import tax & duty regimeIVA 12%; Central American common tariff 0–15%
Local currencyGTQ
Typical clearance / dwell time4–10 days
Peak / busy seasonSep–Nov
Conformity & certificationHealth registration for food and cosmetics; conformity for regulated goods

Thresholds and duty bands are buyer-planning references, not formal customs rulings — confirm the exact HS-code rate for your goods before shipping.

🧰 Free 3D Loading Tools for This Sea Route

This page covers a Sea freight service from China to Guatemala. Use the matching tool below to plan your cargo before requesting a quote.

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3D Container Loading Planner

Maximize every CBM on this route: load your carton list into the 3D container planner, check space and payload utilization, and download the loading plan for your forwarder.

Open Container Planner →

✅ Guatemala Sea Freight Checklist

  • Verify the receiver's customs import capability in Guatemala for DDP terms before booking.
  • Photograph the container number, seal, and loading process for insurance evidence.
  • Confirm whether your Guatemala rate is per CBM or per container before comparing quotes.
  • Check pallet vs floor-loading: floor loading typically fits 8-12% more cartons per container.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Sea FCL Port-to-Port from China to Guatemala take?

Sea freight on this route runs about 25–45 calendar days door-to-door, plus roughly 4–10 days of clearance/dwell once it reaches the gateway. All times include customs clearance under DDP terms.

What duties and taxes apply when importing into Guatemala?

Clearance is handled by SAT — Intendencia de Aduanas de Guatemala. The regime is: IVA 12%; Central American common tariff 0–15%, with a de-minimis position of USD 100 for courier consignments. Under DDP these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival.

Which ports or airports does this route use into Guatemala?

Sea cargo to Guatemala clears through Puerto Quetzal (Pacific), Santo Tomás de Castilla (Atlantic); air freight clears via GUA (Guatemala City). We route through whichever gateway gives the fastest onward delivery to your address and build it into the DDP price.

How is the shipping cost on this route calculated?

We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight (L×W×H ÷ 6000) and charge the greater, rounded up to the next kilogram, then apply the per-KG rate shown in the table above.

When does capacity tighten on the China–Guatemala lane?

Space and rates tighten around Sep–Nov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb) and Golden Week (early Oct). Book 1–2 weeks earlier in these periods.

What documents are required for customs clearance in Guatemala?

SAT — Intendencia de Aduanas de Guatemala typically requires a commercial invoice with HS codes, a packing list, the bill of lading/air waybill, a certificate of origin (may lower duty), and any product certification (Health registration for food and cosmetics; conformity for regulated goods). We file these under DDP.

Shipping Guatemala cargo by industry

This rate is for the lane. What decides whether the cargo arrives intact is the commodity — how it prices, how it must be packed and loaded, and which compliance step holds it at the border. These guides cover that per industry.

All 139 industry guides →

📞 Contact Us

Ready to ship? Our team responds within one business day. We also handle sourcing and purchasing.

Customs clearance in Guatemala

Duty and tax position, certification, typical port dwell and what actually holds shipments at this border — plus who files the entry.

Guatemala clearance requirements →

Destination guide

Gateways, inland legs and clearance context for Guatemala — background rather than pricing.

Guatemala destination guide →