Current Freight Rates
Price data updating. Contact us for current rates.
Trade Terms Explained โ Who Pays for What EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP and seven more โ see which costs sit with us and which sit with you
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 โ Cost and arrangement sit with the seller / shipper.
- Buyer โ Cost and arrangement sit with the buyer / consignee.
- Negotiable โ Not fixed by the rule โ agree it in the contract.
| 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 โ Loading on truck | Buyer Buyer โ Export customs declaration | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to port of export | Buyer Buyer โ Unloading at port of export | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Buyer Buyer โ Main carriage | Buyer Buyer โ Cargo insurance | Buyer Buyer โ Unloading at port of import | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on truck at import | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| FCA Free Carrier | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to port of export | Buyer Buyer โ Unloading at port of export | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Buyer Buyer โ Main carriage | Buyer Buyer โ Cargo insurance | Buyer Buyer โ Unloading at port of import | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on truck at import | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| FAS Free Alongside Ship | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Buyer Buyer โ Main carriage | Buyer Buyer โ Cargo insurance | Buyer Buyer โ Unloading at port of import | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on truck at import | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| FOB Free On Board | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Seller Seller โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Buyer Buyer โ Main carriage | Buyer Buyer โ Cargo insurance | Buyer Buyer โ Unloading at port of import | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on truck at import | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| CFR Cost and Freight | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Seller Seller โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Seller Seller โ Main carriage | Buyer Buyer โ Cargo insurance | Buyer Buyer โ Unloading at port of import | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on truck at import | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| CIF Cost, Insurance and Freight | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Seller Seller โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Seller Seller โ Main carriage | Seller Seller โ Cargo insurance | Buyer Buyer โ Unloading at port of import | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on truck at import | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| CPT Carriage Paid To | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Seller Seller โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Seller Seller โ Main carriage | Negotiable Negotiable โ Cargo insurance | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of import | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck at import | Seller Seller โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| CIP Carriage and Insurance Paid | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Seller Seller โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Seller Seller โ Main carriage | Seller Seller โ Cargo insurance | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of import | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck at import | Seller Seller โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| DAT Delivered At Terminal (DPU) | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Seller Seller โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Seller Seller โ Main carriage | Negotiable Negotiable โ Cargo insurance | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of import | Buyer Buyer โ Loading on truck at import | Buyer Buyer โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| DAP Delivered At Place | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Seller Seller โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Seller Seller โ Main carriage | Negotiable Negotiable โ Cargo insurance | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of import | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck at import | Seller Seller โ Carriage to destination | Buyer Buyer โ Import customs clearance | Buyer Buyer โ Import duties & taxes |
| DDP Delivered Duty Paid | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck | Seller Seller โ Export customs declaration | Seller Seller โ Carriage to port of export | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of export | Seller Seller โ Loading on vessel / aircraft | Seller Seller โ Main carriage | Negotiable Negotiable โ Cargo insurance | Seller Seller โ Unloading at port of import | Seller Seller โ Loading on truck at import | Seller Seller โ Carriage to destination | Seller Seller โ Import customs clearance | Seller Seller โ 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 Incotermsยฎ 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 โ 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 → Fremantle Container Shipping
Full-container sea freight from China to Australia, Ningbo to Fremantle. A whole box is the right structure once your volume passes roughly 15 CBM, or as soon as the cargo is heavy, oversized or awkward to consolidate with anyone else's โ below that threshold LCL usually wins on cost, above it FCL wins on both cost per CBM and handling risk. Transit runs 18โ28 days port to port port to port.
Port-to-port means exactly that: the rate ends at the Fremantle terminal gate. Typical dwell at destination runs 3โ7 days before the box is available for collection, and that window sits outside the transit figure above. Origin haulage, export declaration, destination clearance, duty and delivery beyond the terminal are all quoted separately, so ask for a door figure if that is what you are comparing against.
Rate by Container Type
- 20GP โ quoted on request for the current sailing
- 40HQ โ quoted on request for the current sailing
Every consignment on this service is measured as well as weighed. Volumetric weight is LรWรH in centimetres divided by 6000 โ one cubic metre counted as roughly 166.7 kg โ and whichever figure is higher is the one charged. Dense cargo pays on its weight; light bulky cargo pays on its volume, and repacking to raise density is often the cheapest saving available on a Australia shipment.
Typical cargo on this route: restaurant furniture (HS 94 / 39 / 76), where clearance turns on cE on electrical assemblies and fire classification on display materials, pallet (HS 44 / 48) and fasteners (HS 73 / 82 / 83). If yours is on that list the commodity page is worth two minutes โ it covers how the goods should leave the factory, how they should sit in the container, and the failure mode we see most often on this kind of freight.
We move sea freight cargo for Australia through Sydney (Port Botany), Melbourne and Brisbane. The quoted rate covers the ocean leg to whichever of those the vessel calls at; the difference between them shows up in the trucking cost beyond the quay, which is why it pays to name the delivery city when you ask for a quote rather than just the country.
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Additional Information
Booking Conditions and Destination Requirements
What you are buying on Ningbo to Fremantle is the ocean leg and nothing else: the box on the vessel, from quay to quay. Pre-carriage in China, clearance into Australia, duty and tax, and the final delivery run beyond Fremantle are each priced separately. Ask for the door figure if you want to compare this against a DDP quote, because the two are not the same number.
- Priced per box in USD for 20GP and 40HQ, not per KG or per CBM โ utilization is yours to optimize
- Transit 18โ28 days port to port port to port on Ningbo to Fremantle, subject to the sailing booked
- Heavy and out-of-gauge cargo is core traffic here: machinery, steel, stone, building materials, project pieces
- Cut-off and free time attach to the specific sailing; demurrage begins the day free time expires
- Reefer, dangerous goods and out-of-gauge are priced case by case rather than from the card
- Clearance at destination is handled by Australian Border Force (ABF); the consignee must be registered to import
- Destination conformity for Australia: RCM mark; biosecurity inspection for timber/packaging
Two things decide whether an FCL booking runs cleanly. The first is container choice: a 40HQ carries roughly 76 CBM against a 20GP's 33, so where the cargo cubes out rather than weighs out, the bigger box is usually cheaper per unit even though it costs more per booking. The second is documentation โ the packing list has to match what is physically inside, because Australian Border Force (ABF) inspects against the declaration rather than against intent.
Paperwork closes more shipments into Australia late than freight does. Invoice, packing list and any certificate of origin have to describe the same goods at the same value, and the description has to be specific enough to classify โ 'electronic parts' is not a description, it is an invitation to be examined.
Where these numbers come from
Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. Australian Border Force sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large order.
If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name โ the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.
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.
On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.
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 โ 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 0โ5% |
| Local currency | AUD |
| Typical clearance / dwell time | 3โ7 days |
| Peak / busy season | SepโNov |
| Conformity & certification | RCM mark; biosecurity inspection for timber/packaging |
Thresholds and duty bands are buyer-planning references, not formal customs rulings โ 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.
3D Container Loading Planner
Wondering whether your cargo fills a 20GP or needs a 40HQ for this Australia route? The 3D container planner simulates cartons, crates, pallets, and even mixed box sizes in one container.
Open Container Planner โAustralia Sea Freight Checklist
- Ask whether the quote includes destination port charges in Australia or only ocean freight.
- Confirm whether your Australia rate is per CBM or per container before comparing quotes.
- Declare accurate gross weight โ VGM misdeclaration delays vessels and triggers fines.
- Verify the receiver's customs import capability in Australia for DDP terms before booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Sea FCL Port-to-Port from China to Australia take?
Sea freight on this route runs about 25โ45 calendar days door-to-door, plus roughly 3โ7 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 0โ5%, with a de-minimis position of AUD 1,000. Under DDP these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival.
How is the shipping cost on this route calculated?
We compare actual gross weight against volumetric weight (LรWรH รท 6000, so one cubic metre counts as about 166.7 kg) and charge whichever is greater, rounded up to the next kilogram, then apply the per-KG rate shown in the table above. A 300 kg consignment measuring out to only 200 kg volumetric is still charged on the 300 kg.
In what currency is this route priced and paid?
Freight is quoted and invoiced in USD; the destination-side currency is AUD. Payment is typically due before departure, and DDP means you settle the full landed cost once.
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.
Can you ship special cargo (batteries, branded goods) to Australia?
Yes โ battery goods by sea follow UN3480/UN3481 rules with an MSDS; we prepare the dangerous-goods paperwork as part of DDP into Sydney (Port Botany), Melbourne, Brisbane. Surcharges apply.
Shipping Australia cargo by industry
This rate is for the lane. What decides whether the cargo arrives intact is the commodity โ 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.
- Pipe Fittings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Generators New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Ceramic Tiles Building Materials & Construction Products
- Paper Packaging Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Packaging Materials Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Laboratory Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Fabric Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Salon Furniture Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness
- Sheet Metal Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Compressors General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Electrical Cabinets New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Flooring Building Materials & Construction Products
