Wire & Cable Shipping from China
Ocean freight for wire & cable — 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 Wire & Cable 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 heavy drums and coils where the drum is the packaging and the hazard.
The pricing follows from it. Light for its value and its bulk, so it prices on volume rather than mass on nearly every service. The freight is a small line against the value of the machine, which is the argument for spending on the packing instead of shaving the rate.
A caution particular to this commodity. Insulation damage from crushing. The conductor is fine and the insulation is compromised, which only fails a test at commissioning.
On the compliance side the recurring item is straightforward to state and easy to leave too late: CE and IEC conformity, and a check that voltage and grid code match the destination. HS classification generally falls in chapter 85 / 8541, though the exact heading depends on specification and should be confirmed against your own product before you rely on a duty estimate.
Freight reference — Wire & Cable
| Typical HS chapter | 85 / 8541 |
|---|---|
| Cargo behaviour | Heavy drums and coils where the drum is the packaging and the hazard |
| How it prices | Weight plus packing overhead |
| Usual service | Air or sole-use Sea FCL |
| Main compliance step | CE and IEC conformity, and a check that voltage and grid code match the destination |
| 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
Drums upright, chocked and lashed so they cannot roll; coils banded and palletised flat. A loose drum at sea is a hazard to the container and everything in it.
Loading the container
On loading: Load away from the doors, blocked so nothing can shift into it, and never under anything heavier. If it shares a consol, ask what it is sharing with.
Choosing the service
On routing: Air where the installation date is fixed or the machine is a bottleneck. Ocean FCL where you control the whole box; ocean groupage only with the packing built for it.
Where it usually goes wrong
Insulation damage from crushing. The conductor is fine and the insulation is compromised, which only fails a test at commissioning.
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 wire & cable as much as to any other general cargo on the same route.
Clearing wire & cable 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 wire & cable?
Light for its value and its bulk, so it prices on volume rather than mass on nearly every service. The freight is a small line against the value of the machine, which is the argument for spending on the packing instead of shaving the rate.
How should wire & cable be packed for export?
Drums upright, chocked and lashed so they cannot roll; coils banded and palletised flat. A loose drum at sea is a hazard to the container and everything in it.
Air or sea for wire & cable?
Air where the installation date is fixed or the machine is a bottleneck. Ocean FCL where you control the whole box; ocean groupage only with the packing built for it.
What customs paperwork does wire & cable need?
The step that most often holds a shipment is CE and IEC conformity, and a check that voltage and grid code match the destination. Classification normally falls in HS chapter 85 / 8541, 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 wire & cable shipments?
Insulation damage from crushing. The conductor is fine and the insulation is compromised, which only fails a test at commissioning.
Is there anything specific to wire & cable we should know?
Drums must be chocked and shipped on their flanges, never on the barrel. A drum that rolls in transit will not stop, and cable crushed under its own drum is scrap.
Can you quote wire & cable 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.