Bearings Shipping from China
Ocean freight for bearings — container selection and loading plan, packing specification, HS classification and import clearance at destination. Quoted EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP or delivered duty-paid.
- Full container, LCL and breakbulk — priced per box, not per kilo
- Loading plan agreed before booking, not improvised at the warehouse
- Classification settled before the vessel sails
Bearings shipping from China is straightforward once the cargo is understood: this is freight that precision components ruined by contamination and by handling shock, and the routing follows from that.
It changes how the shipment prices. Above roughly 0.8 t/m³ the box fills on weight, not on space. A 20GP is legally good for about 28 tonnes against 33 m³ of cube, so the useful question is never "will it fit" but "what will the road authority at the far end allow on one axle". On several European and West African corridors the inland limit is lower than the ocean leg would permit, and that limit — not the vessel — sets your maximum load.
One thing specific to this material. Brinelling from transit vibration. Static indentation of the races, invisible externally, and it destroys the bearing's life expectancy before it ever turns.
One compliance step accounts for most delays on this commodity: Material certificates; CE marking where the part is load-bearing or safety-critical. Classification sits in chapter 73 / 82 / 83; the exact code varies by specification, so verify it before budgeting duty.
Freight reference — Bearings
| Typical HS chapter | 73 / 82 / 83 |
|---|---|
| Cargo behaviour | Precision components ruined by contamination and by handling shock |
| How it prices | Weight-limited |
| Usual service | Sea FCL |
| Main compliance step | Material certificates; CE marking where the part is load-bearing or safety-critical |
| Trade terms available | EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP or delivered duty-paid |
HS chapters are indicative. The binding classification depends on your exact specification — confirm the heading before relying on a duty estimate.
Packing and protection
Sealed in their original preservative wrap, boxed, and kept clear of anything that vibrates. Never repack bearings at origin to save cube.
Loading the container
In the box: Spread it along the full length of the box and keep the centre of gravity low and central. Loading everything against the door end is the commonest cause of an axle-weight failure at the gate, even when the total gross is perfectly legal.
Choosing the service
Which service: Ocean FCL is the only sensible base case. Air prices this on actual weight, so an air quote lands roughly an order of magnitude higher — justified only for a line-stopping replacement part.
Where it usually goes wrong
Brinelling from transit vibration. Static indentation of the races, invisible externally, and it destroys the bearing's life expectancy before it ever turns.
Live rates on lanes that carry this cargo
Published per-kilo and per-CBM rates from China, updated from carrier feeds. Rates are lane-based rather than commodity-based, so these apply to bearings as much as to any other general cargo on the same route.
Clearing bearings at destination
The freight is the easy half. What decides whether this cargo lands on time is the HS heading it is entered under, the certification the destination applies to it, and whether the consignee is registered to import it. We file the entry in 160 markets and settle duty and tax as part of the movement, so the classification we quote is the classification that gets used.
Clearance requirements by market →Frequently asked questions
How is freight priced for bearings?
Above roughly 0.8 t/m³ the box fills on weight, not on space. A 20GP is legally good for about 28 tonnes against 33 m³ of cube, so the useful question is never "will it fit" but "what will the road authority at the far end allow on one axle". On several European and West African corridors the inland limit is lower than the ocean leg would permit, and that limit — not the vessel — sets your maximum load.
How should bearings be packed for export?
Sealed in their original preservative wrap, boxed, and kept clear of anything that vibrates. Never repack bearings at origin to save cube.
Air or sea for bearings?
Ocean FCL is the only sensible base case. Air prices this on actual weight, so an air quote lands roughly an order of magnitude higher — justified only for a line-stopping replacement part.
What customs paperwork does bearings need?
The step that most often holds a shipment is Material certificates; CE marking where the part is load-bearing or safety-critical. Classification normally falls in HS chapter 73 / 82 / 83, but the exact heading depends on your specification — send the product details and we will confirm the code and the duty position for the destination before you commit.
What goes wrong most often with bearings shipments?
Brinelling from transit vibration. Static indentation of the races, invisible externally, and it destroys the bearing's life expectancy before it ever turns.
Is there anything specific to bearings we should know?
Precision-ground surfaces arrive coated in preservative oil and must stay that way. Do not let anyone wipe bearings down for inspection in transit, and keep the cartons off the container floor — condensation wicks upward and rust on a raceway scraps the part.
Can you quote bearings on FOB or CIF rather than duty-paid?
Yes. We quote EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP, DAP and delivered duty-paid on this cargo. The term decides how much of the journey is already inside the price — the trade-terms table on any of our rate pages sets out exactly who carries which cost at each stage.