Doors & Windows Shipping from China
Ocean freight for doors & windows — 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
We move Doors & Windows out of China as ordinary export freight — booked, packed and cleared to the same standard as any other commodity, but planned around the fact that it large flat units that are destroyed by point loads, not by impacts.
That shapes the quote directly. 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.
Worth knowing about doors & windows specifically. Frame racking. A unit that arrives square but was stored leaning for four weeks will not close properly once fitted, and there is nothing visible on the outside to photograph as damage.
The paperwork that most often decides whether a consignment clears on time is CE marking to the harmonised EN standard, including reaction-to-fire class. Expect HS chapter 68 / 69 / 70 / 44, with the precise heading depending on grade and construction — confirm it for your specific goods rather than assuming.
Freight reference — Doors & Windows
| Typical HS chapter | 68 / 69 / 70 / 44 |
|---|---|
| Cargo behaviour | Large flat units that are destroyed by point loads, not by impacts |
| How it prices | Weight-limited |
| Usual service | Sea FCL |
| Main compliance step | CE marking to the harmonised EN standard, including reaction-to-fire class |
| 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
Vertical in A-frames or purpose-built racks, never stacked flat. Glazed units carry their own weight badly when horizontal, and a stack of five is the bottom one broken. Protect the frame corners separately from the glass.
Loading the container
Stowage: 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
Service choice: 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
Frame racking. A unit that arrives square but was stored leaning for four weeks will not close properly once fitted, and there is nothing visible on the outside to photograph as damage.
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 doors & windows as much as to any other general cargo on the same route.
Clearing doors & windows 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 doors & windows?
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 doors & windows be packed for export?
Vertical in A-frames or purpose-built racks, never stacked flat. Glazed units carry their own weight badly when horizontal, and a stack of five is the bottom one broken. Protect the frame corners separately from the glass.
Air or sea for doors & windows?
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 doors & windows need?
The step that most often holds a shipment is CE marking to the harmonised EN standard, including reaction-to-fire class. Classification normally falls in HS chapter 68 / 69 / 70 / 44, 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 doors & windows shipments?
Frame racking. A unit that arrives square but was stored leaning for four weeks will not close properly once fitted, and there is nothing visible on the outside to photograph as damage.
Is there anything specific to doors & windows we should know?
Get the specification onto the invoice in the same words the manufacturer uses. Generic descriptions on mixed industrial consignments are the single biggest trigger for customs inspection, and an inspection costs more in delay than accurate paperwork costs in effort.
Can you quote doors & windows 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.