🚢 Sea Freight

China to Door to Door Sea Freight (Duty Unpaid)

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

Sea freight — China to Australia

Sea Freight from China to Door to Door 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: Door to Door, Australia
Customs authority: the destination customs authority
Duty-free threshold: AUD 1,000

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

Contents

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 Australia 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

China → Australia Sea Duty-Paid – Private Address Duty Unpaid

Sea Freight from China to Australia via Perth (WA 6000–6999), quoted first + continued weight — commercial cargo moving in volume, not one-off parcels.

Current Rate Card

1-10 — USD 14.87 per KG
11-49 — USD 14.36 per KG
50-99 — USD 13.86 per KG
100-299 — USD 13.35 per KG
300-499 — USD 12.85 per KG
500-999 — USD 12.34 per KG
1000+ — USD 11.84 per KG

Last refreshed 2026-08-06.

Ocean cargo on this lane discharges at Sydney (Port Botany), Melbourne and Brisbane. Which one your container routes through is decided by the sailing we book rather than by you, and it moves the inland leg far more than it moves the ocean rate, so if your consignee sits closer to one of them say so at booking and we will bias the routing that way.

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Additional Information

Scope and Exclusions

海派私人地址不含税 Perth (WA 6000–6999) 20-25 business days

General commercial cargo. Battery, magnetic, liquid and powder content must be declared at booking
Chargeable weight is the greater of actual and volumetric (divisor 6000)
Fuel and security surcharges, remote-area delivery and oversize handling quoted on top where they apply
Past roughly 15 CBM ask for an FCL comparison — a full container is usually cheaper

Every shipment needs a commercial invoice and packing list, plus destination certification where the commodity requires it.

Where these numbers come from

Every duty and tax figure quoted on this page is our working estimate for planning, not a ruling. The binding rate for your consignment is whatever Australian Border Force applies against your declared HS code on the day of entry, and their published guidance is the source to check before you commit stock.

Most landed-cost surprises trace back to classification rather than freight. the WCO Harmonized System defines the heading structure every customs administration builds on, and ITC Market Access Map will show you the duty a given heading attracts in this destination.

For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.

If this is your first shipment into Australia, the Australia Country Commercial Guide covers the practical import environment in more depth than a rate page reasonably can, and it is written by a party with no stake in your booking.

China to Australia — Shipping Reference Data

Main sea gateways	Sydney (Port Botany), Melbourne, Brisbane
Destination customs authority	Australian Border Force (ABF)
De-minimis / duty-free threshold	AUD 1,000
Import tax & duty regime	GST 10%; duty 0–5%
Local currency	AUD
Typical clearance / dwell time	3–7 days
Peak / busy season	Sep–Nov
Conformity & certification	RCM mark; biosecurity inspection for timber/packaging

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 Australia. Use the matching tool below to plan your cargo before requesting a quote.

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3D Container Loading Planner

Sea freight to Australia prices by CBM or container — plan your 20GP/40GP/40HQ loading in 3D, compare utilization, and see exactly how many cartons fit before you commit to a booking.

Open Container Planner →

Australia Sea Freight Checklist

Check pallet vs floor-loading: floor loading typically fits 8-12% more cartons per container.
Declare accurate gross weight — VGM misdeclaration delays vessels and triggers fines.
Photograph the container number, seal, and loading process for insurance evidence.
Verify the receiver's customs import capability in Australia for DDP terms before booking.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Sea DDP – Private Address Duty Unpaid from China to Australia take?

Sea freight on this route runs about 25–45 calendar days door-to-door, plus roughly 3–7 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 Australia?

Clearance is handled by Australian Border Force (ABF). The regime is: GST 10%; duty 0–5%, with a de-minimis position of AUD 1,000. Under DDP these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival.

What documents are required for customs clearance in Australia?

Australian Border Force (ABF) 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 (RCM mark; biosecurity inspection for timber/packaging). We file these under DDP.

Which ports or airports does this route use into Australia?

Sea cargo to Australia clears through Sydney (Port Botany), Melbourne, Brisbane; air freight clears via SYD (Sydney), MEL (Melbourne), BNE. We route through whichever gateway gives the fastest onward delivery to your address and build it into the DDP price.

What does DDP shipping to Australia include on this route?

DDP means one price covering freight, the duty/tax owed to Australian Border Force (ABF), and last-mile delivery to your door in Australia. There are no surprise charges at destination.

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.

Shipping Australia 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

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Customs clearance in Australia

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

Australia clearance requirements →