
In the globalized business environment, trade between China and the United States is becoming more frequent daily. Choosing the right freight forwarder is crucial for the smooth transportation of goods. This article will give you a detailed introduction to selecting the best freight forwarder from China to the United States regarding freight rates, freight calculation, legality checks, and recommendations for excellent freight forwarders.
What is the cheapest air freight from China to the USA?
The standard freight methods from China to the United States are air, sea, and express delivery. Air freight is fast, usually arriving in 3-7 days, but more expensive. It is suitable for transporting high-value, urgent, and small goods.
Sea freight is inexpensive, but the transit time is longer, usually around 15-30 days. It is suitable for large goods and is not sensitive to transit time. Express delivery services such as DHL, FedEx, and UPS offer a certain degree of speed and convenience and can deliver goods in around 3-5 days. However, the price is reasonable and is suitable for small parcels and urgent documents.
LCL (Less than Container Load) is also a more cost-effective option for some general goods that are not urgent and in large quantities. It allows multiple owners to share the space in a container, reducing transportation costs.
How do I calculate freight rates from China to the USA?
There are usually multiple factors involved in calculating shipping costs. The first is the weight and volume of the goods, and the larger of the two is generally used for billing. The volume weight (length × width × height ÷ volume factor) is used for calculation.
The second is the distance of the shipment, and the shipping costs from China to different ports or cities in the United States will vary.
In addition, the price varies greatly depending on the shipping method, such as the air above freight, sea freight, and express delivery.
In addition, the type of goods also affects the freight cost. Some goods may require special packaging or transportation conditions, increasing the cost.
Additional fees such as fuel and peak season surcharges should also be considered. For example, during peak seasons, the peak season surcharge for sea freight can significantly increase the total shipping cost.
Taking the sea freight of a 1-cubic-meter, 500-kilogram general cargo from Shanghai to Los Angeles as an example, the cost is about 1,000–1,500 USD if shipped in a full container or 200–500 USD if shipped in a less-than-container-load (LCL) shipment, but destination port fees and other miscellaneous fees still need to be added.
How can we check if a freight forwarder in China is legal?
1. Check whether the freight forwarder has the relevant business license, and the scope of business should include freight forwarding business.
2. Find out if it is registered with the Ministry of Transport, and you can check the registration information through the relevant official website. Regular freight forwarding companies usually join industry associations, such as the China International Freight Forwarders Association, and you can verify their membership status through the association’s website.
3. You can check the company’s operating history and reputation and learn about its past service quality and reputation through online searches, consulting with peers, or customer reviews. For example, if a freight forwarding company is frequently complained about for lost, delayed, or fraudulent goods, then you need to be cautious when choosing it.
4. You can also ask the freight forwarder to provide the agency authorization letters from the shipping companies and airlines they cooperate with to prove the legality and regularity of their business.
What is the best freight forwarding company in China?

In China, there are some well-known freight forwarding companies with good reputations. For example, Hong Ocean is a large, comprehensive logistics enterprise with rich experience in international freight forwarding and an extensive global network.
It can provide one-stop services for various transportation modes, such as sea, air, and land. It has high reliability and stability in transportation services on the China-US route. Its service network covers many countries and regions worldwide, providing personalized freight forwarding solutions, high market visibility, and customer satisfaction. These companies have advantages in terms of service quality, transportation efficiency, and price reasonableness, but the specific choice still needs to be based on carefully considering the characteristics of the goods, transportation needs, budget, etc.
Choosing the best freight forwarder from China to the United States requires careful consideration of many factors, including the freight method, freight calculation, the legality of the freight forwarder, and the characteristics of different companies.