Furniture Shipping from China
Ocean freight for furniture — 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
Shipping Furniture from China is a planning problem before it is a price problem. The cargo volume cargo where the packing decision is worth more than the freight negotiation, and every sensible decision downstream starts there.
It changes how the shipment prices. Volume-limited, but with an unusually wide range: the same product assembled and knocked down can differ by a factor of three in cube. The freight consequence of that decision dwarfs any rate difference between forwarders.
One thing specific to this material. Hardware separated from its panels. A knock-down unit whose fittings travelled in another carton is an incomplete delivery even when every panel arrived intact.
One compliance step accounts for most delays on this commodity: Timber due diligence (EUTR / EUDR) and UK upholstery fire regulations. Classification sits in chapter 94; the exact code varies by specification, so verify it before budgeting duty.
Freight reference — Furniture
| Typical HS chapter | 94 |
|---|---|
| Cargo behaviour | Volume cargo where the packing decision is worth more than the freight negotiation |
| How it prices | Balanced weight and volume |
| Usual service | Sea FCL |
| Main compliance step | Timber due diligence (EUTR / EUDR) and UK upholstery fire regulations |
| 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
Knocked down and flat-packed wherever the design allows it, cartons banded to pallets, hardware fixed to the panels it belongs to. Assembled furniture ships three times the cube of the same product flat.
Loading the container
In the box: Lay flat and build in even courses so the weight distributes across the whole stack. Panels stood on edge without full-height support bow, and a bowed panel is scrap even when it is unbroken.
Choosing the service
Which service: Ocean, groupage or FCL depending on quantity. This cargo consolidates well, so accumulating two orders into one sailing is normally cheaper than shipping each as it is ready.
Where it usually goes wrong
Hardware separated from its panels. A knock-down unit whose fittings travelled in another carton is an incomplete delivery even when every panel arrived intact.
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 furniture as much as to any other general cargo on the same route.
Clearing furniture 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 furniture?
Volume-limited, but with an unusually wide range: the same product assembled and knocked down can differ by a factor of three in cube. The freight consequence of that decision dwarfs any rate difference between forwarders.
How should furniture be packed for export?
Knocked down and flat-packed wherever the design allows it, cartons banded to pallets, hardware fixed to the panels it belongs to. Assembled furniture ships three times the cube of the same product flat.
Air or sea for furniture?
Ocean, groupage or FCL depending on quantity. This cargo consolidates well, so accumulating two orders into one sailing is normally cheaper than shipping each as it is ready.
What customs paperwork does furniture need?
The step that most often holds a shipment is Timber due diligence (EUTR / EUDR) and UK upholstery fire regulations. Classification normally falls in HS chapter 94, 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 furniture shipments?
Hardware separated from its panels. A knock-down unit whose fittings travelled in another carton is an incomplete delivery even when every panel arrived intact.
Is there anything specific to furniture we should know?
Corner crush accounts for most furniture damage, and it happens from cartons rubbing in transit rather than from any single impact. Corner boards plus a tight, void-free stow prevent nearly all of it.
Can you quote furniture 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.