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 Pakistan 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.
| 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
Shekou → Port Qasim Container Shipping
Full-container sea freight from China to Pakistan, Shekou to Port Qasim. 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 — below that threshold LCL usually wins on cost, above it FCL wins on both cost per CBM and handling risk. Transit runs 14–22 days port to port port to port.
Port-to-port means exactly that: the rate ends at the Port Qasim terminal gate. Typical dwell at destination runs 5–12 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 on application. We move containers on this lane but do not publish a standing figure for it, and we would rather quote it than print a number we cannot hold. Send us the commodity, box type and required ETD and we will come back with the allocation price.
Rate by Container Type
- 20GP — quoted on request for the current sailing
- 40HQ — quoted on request for the current sailing
We move sea freight cargo for Pakistan through Karachi (KICT/QICT), Port Qasim and Gwadar. 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.
Inland coverage matters more than the port rate for most consignees. We deliver to Karachi, Peshawar, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Multan and beyond, and the guide for each sets out its arrival gateway, the inland days to add to the transit quoted here, and the documentation the local office actually asks for. You can browse all Pakistan destinations we cover, 11 destinations in total.
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Additional Information
Booking Conditions and Destination Requirements
What you are buying on Shekou to Port Qasim is the ocean leg and nothing else: the box on the vessel, from quay to quay. Pre-carriage in China, clearance into Pakistan, duty and tax, and the final delivery run beyond Port Qasim 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 — utilization is yours to optimize
- Transit 14–22 days port to port port to port on Shekou to Port Qasim, 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 Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue); the consignee must be registered to import
- Destination conformity for Pakistan: PSQCA standards mark for regulated goods; import against a bank contract or letter of credit for most commercial cargo
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 — the packing list has to match what is physically inside, because Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) inspects against the declaration rather than against intent.
Paperwork closes more shipments into Pakistan 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 — 'electronic parts' is not a description, it is an invitation to be examined.
Where these numbers come from
Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) against your declared HS code at the time of entry; where the amount is material, verify the current rate through ITC Market Access Map before committing to an order.
If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name — 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 Pakistan, the Pakistan 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 Pakistan — Shipping Reference Data
| Main sea gateways | Karachi (KICT/QICT), Port Qasim, Gwadar |
|---|---|
| Destination customs authority | Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue) |
| De-minimis / duty-free threshold | No practical de-minimis |
| Import tax & duty regime | Sales tax 18%; customs duty 3–20% plus additional customs duty and regulatory duty on many consumer lines; withholding income tax on imports |
| Local currency | PKR |
| Typical clearance / dwell time | 5–12 days |
| Peak / busy season | Sep–Nov |
| Conformity & certification | PSQCA standards mark for regulated goods; import against a bank contract or letter of credit for most commercial cargo |
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 Pakistan. 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 Pakistan route? The 3D container planner simulates cartons, crates, pallets, and even mixed box sizes in one container.
Open Container Planner →Pakistan Sea Freight Checklist
- Ask whether the quote includes destination port charges in Pakistan or only ocean freight.
- Check pallet vs floor-loading: floor loading typically fits 8-12% more cartons per container.
- Verify the receiver's customs import capability in Pakistan for DDP terms before booking.
- Confirm whether your Pakistan rate is per CBM or per container before comparing quotes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Sea FCL Port-to-Port from China to Pakistan take?
Sea freight on this route runs about 25–45 calendar days door-to-door, plus roughly 5–12 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 Pakistan?
Clearance is handled by Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue). The regime is: Sales tax 18%; customs duty 3–20% plus additional customs duty and regulatory duty on many consumer lines; withholding income tax on imports, with a de-minimis position of No practical de-minimis. Under DDP these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival.
What does DDP shipping to Pakistan include on this route?
DDP means one price covering freight, the duty/tax owed to Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue), and last-mile delivery to your door in Pakistan. There are no surprise charges at destination.
In what currency is this route priced and paid?
Freight is quoted and invoiced in USD; the destination-side currency is PKR. Payment is typically due before departure, and DDP means you settle the full landed cost once.
When does capacity tighten on the China–Pakistan 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 certification is needed to import into Pakistan?
For regulated goods, plan for: PSQCA standards mark for regulated goods; import against a bank contract or letter of credit for most commercial cargo. Missing conformity paperwork is the most common clearance hold with Pakistan Customs (Federal Board of Revenue), so confirm requirements for your HS code before shipping.
Inland Delivery Coverage — Pakistan
We deliver beyond the arrival gateway. Each city below has its own destination guide covering the gateway it clears through, typical inland transit time and the local customs picture.
Note — these are reference guides, not quotes. The city pages describe routing, gateways and clearance for each destination. They do not carry rate tables. For pricing to any city listed here, use the rate table on this page or ask us for a quote.
- Port Qasim KHI air / Port Qasim sea inland same day Guide only — no rates
- Karachi KHI air / Karachi sea inland same day Guide only — no rates
- Lahore LHE air / Karachi sea inland +2 days Guide only — no rates
- Islamabad ISB air / Karachi sea inland +2 days Guide only — no rates
- Rawalpindi ISB air / Karachi sea inland +2 days Guide only — no rates
- Faisalabad LHE air / Karachi sea inland +2 days Guide only — no rates
- Sialkot SKT air / Karachi sea inland +2 days Guide only — no rates
- Multan LHE air / Karachi sea inland +2 days Guide only — no rates
- Peshawar ISB air / Karachi sea inland +3 days Guide only — no rates
- Gujranwala LHE air / Karachi sea inland +2 days Guide only — no rates
- Quetta KHI air / Karachi sea inland +3 days Guide only — no rates
Shipping Pakistan 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.
- Headphones Consumer Electronics & Smart Devices
- Home Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Garden Products Furniture & Home Products
- Footwear Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Medical Furniture Medical, Laboratory & Precision Instruments
- Display Stands Retail, Display & Commercial Fixtures
- Toys Toys, Sports, Outdoor & Leisure
- Baby Products Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Bathroom Accessories Consumer Goods & Gifts
- E-commerce Fulfilment E-commerce & Retail Channels
- Bearings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Automation Equipment General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
Contact Us
Ready to ship? Our team responds within one business day. We also handle sourcing and purchasing.
