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 Mexico 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
Yantian → Veracruz Container Shipping
Full-container sea freight from China to Mexico, Yantian to Veracruz. 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 22โ30 days port to port port to port.
Port-to-port means exactly that: the rate ends at the Veracruz terminal gate. Typical dwell at destination runs 4โ10 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.
Indicative rate. The figures below are benchmarked against current bookings on this lane group. They are a planning reference, not a firm offer โ the booking rate is confirmed against the specific sailing when you enquire.
Rate by Container Type
- 40NOR โ USD 4,000 per container
- 40HQ โ USD 5,300 per container
The per-kilogram rate above applies to chargeable weight, not to what the scale says. At 166.7 kg per cubic metre, a carton of light goods can be billed at several times its actual weight, so send dimensions with the weight when you ask for a quote into Mexico โ a rate quoted without them is only ever provisional.
In practice the cargo we move on this lane clusters into a few recognisable shapes โ electrical cabinets (HS 85 / 8541), where clearance turns on cE and IEC conformity, and a check that voltage and grid code match the destination, flexible packaging (HS 39 / 40) and doors & windows (HS 68 / 69 / 70 / 44). Each behaves differently against the rate: one fills the payload before it fills the space, the next does the reverse, and the packing brief we send back with the quote is written to the one you are actually shipping.
Discharge for Mexico on this service is at Manzanillo, Lรกzaro Cรกrdenas and Veracruz. Transit time in the rate table is measured to the port, not to the door: the inland days on top depend on which gateway the box clears through and how far inland the delivery address sits.
If your delivery address is inland rather than at the port, the destination guides are the useful read: Altamira, Merida, Veracruz, Puebla and Guadalajara each document their clearing gateway, typical inland transit and local customs behavior, none of which is visible in a rate table. See all Mexico destinations we cover for the other 8.
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Additional Information
Booking Conditions and Destination Requirements
What you are buying on Yantian to Veracruz is the ocean leg and nothing else: the box on the vessel, from quay to quay. Pre-carriage in China, clearance into Mexico, duty and tax, and the final delivery run beyond Veracruz 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 40NOR and 40HQ, not per KG or per CBM โ utilization is yours to optimize
- Transit 22โ30 days port to port port to port on Yantian to Veracruz, 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 Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de Mรฉxico (ANAM) and SAT; the consignee must be registered to import
- Destination conformity for Mexico: NOM standards compliance for regulated goods; the consignee must be listed on the Padrรณn de Importadores
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 Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de Mรฉxico (ANAM) and SAT inspects against the declaration rather than against intent.
Paperwork closes more shipments into Mexico 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
Duty and tax figures on this page are planning estimates. The binding assessment is made by Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de Mรฉxico (ANAM) and SAT 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.
Classification drives everything downstream: the same carton can attract very different duty depending on the heading it lands in, and the structure those headings come from is the World Customs Organization Harmonized System. If your product sits near a boundary between two headings, resolve it before shipping rather than at the border.
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.
For a wider view of how importing into Mexico actually works โ documentation norms, inspection behavior, the paperwork that tends to hold shipments โ the U.S. ITA guide to Mexico customs regulations is a useful independent read alongside our own lane notes.
China to Mexico โ Shipping Reference Data
| Main sea gateways | Manzanillo, Lรกzaro Cรกrdenas, Veracruz |
|---|---|
| Destination customs authority | Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de Mรฉxico (ANAM) and SAT |
| De-minimis / duty-free threshold | USD 50 for courier consignments |
| Import tax & duty regime | IVA 16%; duty 0โ35%, with additional temporary tariffs of up to 35% applied to textiles, footwear, steel and several other Chinese-origin categories |
| Local currency | MXN |
| Typical clearance / dwell time | 4โ10 days |
| Peak / busy season | AugโNov |
| Conformity & certification | NOM standards compliance for regulated goods; the consignee must be listed on the Padrรณn de Importadores |
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 Mexico. Use the matching tool below to plan your cargo before requesting a quote.
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 โMexico Sea Freight Checklist
- Ask whether the quote includes destination port charges in Mexico or only ocean freight.
- Photograph the container number, seal, and loading process for insurance evidence.
- Check pallet vs floor-loading: floor loading typically fits 8-12% more cartons per container.
- Declare accurate gross weight โ VGM misdeclaration delays vessels and triggers fines.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Sea FCL Port-to-Port from China to Mexico take?
Sea freight on this route runs about 25โ45 calendar days door-to-door, plus roughly 4โ10 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 Mexico?
Clearance is handled by Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de Mรฉxico (ANAM) and SAT. The regime is: IVA 16%; duty 0โ35%, with additional temporary tariffs of up to 35% applied to textiles, footwear, steel and several other Chinese-origin categories, with a de-minimis position of USD 50 for courier consignments. Under DDP these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival.
Which ports or airports does this route use into Mexico?
Sea cargo to Mexico clears through Manzanillo, Lรกzaro Cรกrdenas, Veracruz; air freight clears via MEX (Mexico City), NLU (Felipe รngeles), GDL (Guadalajara). We route through whichever gateway gives the fastest onward delivery to your address and build it into the DDP price.
When does capacity tighten on the ChinaโMexico lane?
Space and rates tighten around AugโNov, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb) and Golden Week (early Oct). Book 1โ2 weeks earlier in these periods.
In what currency is this route priced and paid?
Freight is quoted and invoiced in USD; the destination-side currency is MXN. Payment is typically due before departure, and DDP means you settle the full landed cost once.
What does DDP shipping to Mexico include on this route?
DDP means we quote the freight, the customs entry with Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de Mรฉxico (ANAM) and SAT and last-mile delivery in Mexico together, so you settle once. The duty and tax portion depends on your product's HS code, declared value and the exchange rate at entry, so it is confirmed against your actual goods โ the figures on this page are indicative and can move either way.
Inland Delivery Coverage โ Mexico
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 โ 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.
- Altamira TAM air / Altamira sea inland same day Guide only โ no rates
- Lazaro Cardenas LZC air / Lazaro Cardenas sea inland +1 day Guide only โ no rates
- Veracruz VER air / Veracruz sea inland same day Guide only โ no rates
- Mexico City MEX air / Manzanillo sea inland +2 days Guide only โ no rates
- Guadalajara GDL air / Manzanillo sea inland +1 day Guide only โ no rates
- Monterrey MTY air / Altamira sea inland +2 days Guide only โ no rates
- Puebla MEX air / Veracruz sea inland +1 day Guide only โ no rates
- Queretaro QRO air / Manzanillo sea inland +2 days Guide only โ no rates
- Tijuana TIJ air / Ensenada sea inland +1 day Guide only โ no rates
- Merida MID air / Progreso sea inland +3 days Guide only โ no rates
- Leon BJX air / Manzanillo sea inland +2 days Guide only โ no rates
- Manzanillo GDL air / Manzanillo sea inland same day Guide only โ no rates
Shipping Mexico 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.
- Umbrellas Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Bearings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Solar Panel New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Prefabricated Building Building Materials & Construction Products
- Pallet Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Conveyor Belts Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Hotel Furniture Furniture & Home Products
- Textiles Textiles, Apparel, Footwear & Leather
- Restaurant Furniture Retail, Display & Commercial Fixtures
- Metal Fabrication Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Pressure Vessels Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Switchgear New Energy, Power & Electrical
