UK ⇆ China Logistics

UK ⇆ China
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Whether you’re importing or exporting from or to China, our comprehensive logistics solutions ensure that your cargo reaches its destination on time and in perfect condition. From air and sea freight to customs clearance and warehousing, we handle every aspect of the shipping process, allowing you to focus on what matters most — growing your business.

Page index:

• Air Freight UK ⇆ CHINA
• Sea Freight UK ⇆ CHINA
• Road Freight UK ⇆ CHINA
• Rail Freight UK ⇆ CHINA
• Compare: Sea vs Rail Freight
• Amazon FBA
• UK Bonded Warehouse
• Ecommerce
• BIRDS (Bulk Import Reduced Data Set)
• 2025 Imports tips: UK → China

Air Freight

UK → China

At DFS, we offer the most competitive Air Freight rates to China. After many years building relationships with Airlines, DFS became a very trusted partner, offering excellent volumes of cargo and, in return, getting the best fees to suit all our Customer’s needs. Regardless of the end destination, we cover every Airport for any sort of shipment, despite of its type and size.

From London Heathrow Airport

AOD	+45 Kgs	+100 Kgs	+500 Kgs	+1000 Kgs
PEK	£1.55	£0.85	£0.65	£0.55
PVG	£1.55	£0.62	£0.57	£0.52
CAN	£1.25	£0.55	£0.60	£0.55
SZX	£1.65	£0.55	£0.35	£0.30

China → UK

China is one of the major commercial feeders to Europe. Finding space on an aircraft isn’t always easy therefore difficult for us to provide stable rates. The main reasons are:

• The Crisis in the Middle East: The amount of cargo being shifted from other transit methods to Air raised exponentially.
• Embargo to Russia: Aircrafts require more fuel and less weight to fly for longer hours as the original traveling paths have changed to avoid restricted aerospace regions.
• Increase of electronic-commerce goods deriving from the creation of new online sales platforms based in China.

The reasons given are knock on effect for the air freight prices becoming so volatile. We will though endeavour to provide you with the best kilo rate in terns of cost and time efficiency, through our extended partnership with the best Chinese Airlines and associated partners.

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Sea Freight

Content index:

• LCL - China → UK
• LCL - UK → China
• FCL - China → UK
• FCL - UK → China

Welcome to our LCL services
At DFS Worldwide, we understand that not all shipments require a full container. That's why we offer comprehensive Less than Container Load (LCL) services to accommodate your smaller shipments with the same level of care and efficiency as our full container services.

What is LCL Shipping?
LCL shipping is a cost-effective solution for businesses or individuals who don't have enough cargo to fill an entire container. With LCL, your goods share container space with other shipments headed to the same destination. This allows you to pay only for the space you need, making it an ideal option for smaller shipments.

Why Choose Our LCL Services?
1. We can offer door-to-door services from China to the UK using a range of reliable carriers, many of which are based on direct services.

2. All-in port-to-door rates can be obtained directly from the website for standard cargo meaning you have access to instant rates, alternatively you can speak to the sales team for the same competitive rates or anything outside of ‘standard’ cargo.

3. We offer regular, frequent sailings to either Felixstowe or Southampton ensuring your cargo is on a quick and efficient service and we can choose the routing which is going to be best for your final delivery address. 

4. We can arrange customs clearance on your behalf at the major seaports in the UK. ↑ Top

LCL rates: China → UK

POL	POD	Cost W/M MIN 2 CBM	TT
Dalian	Southampton	£155	43
Guangzhou	Southampton Felixstowe	£155	37
Hong Kong	Southampton Felixstowe	£155	36
Ningbo	Felixstowe	£155	37
Qingdao	Felixstowe	£155	38
Shanghai	Southampton Felixstowe	£155	41
Shenzhen	Southampton Felixstowe	£155	31
Xiamen	Felixstowe	£155	32
Tianjin	Felixstowe	£155	52

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LCL rates: UK → China

POD	OCF W/M	THC W/M MIN 2 CBM	DOCS	TT
Dalian	$62	£18	£26	32
Guangzhou	$59	£18	£26	47
Hong Kong	$5	£18	£26	47
Ningbo	$68	£18	£26	32
Qingdao	$47	£18	£26	32
Shanghai	$2	£18	£26	44
Shenzhen	$64	£18	£26	32
Xiamen	$58	£18	£26	32

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LCL For Customers
Are you a small business owner looking to ship goods internationally? Or an individual relocating to a new country? Our LCL services are tailored to meet your unique shipping needs. With flexible scheduling options and personalized support, we make the shipping process hassle-free, allowing you to focus on what matters most – your business or your mov

LCL For Freight Forwarding Partners
Looking for a reliable partner to handle your LCL shipments? Partner with us and gain access to our extensive network, cutting-edge technology, and dedicated support team. Whether you need assistance with consolidation, documentation, or transportation, we have the expertise and resources to streamline your LCL operations and help you deliver exceptional service to your clients.

Contact Us Today
Ready to experience the benefits of our LCL services? Get in touch with us today to learn more about our rates and how we can customize a shipping solution to meet your needs. Whether you're shipping a small package or a large cargo, we're here to help you navigate the complexities of international logistics with ease.

At DFS Worldwide we offer comprehensive Full Container Load (FCL) shipping services from China to the UK. Our deep expertise in international logistics, combined with strong partnerships with major shipping lines, allows us to offer reliable and cost-effective FCL solutions tailored to meet your business needs.

Why Choose Our FCL Services?

1. Extensive Network
Our extensive network spans across all major ports in China, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo, and Guangzhou. This ensures that we can efficiently handle your cargo from any part of China, providing seamless connectivity to major UK ports like Felixstowe, Southampton, and London Gateway.

2. Competitive Pricing
We leverage our strong relationships with top-tier shipping lines to secure competitive rates, ensuring that you get the best value for your shipping budget. Our transparent pricing model means no hidden fees, giving you complete cost visibility.

3. Customized Solutions
We understand that each business has unique requirements. Our team of logistics experts works closely with you to develop customized FCL shipping solutions that align with your specific needs, whether it’s special handling, temperature control, or expedited services.

When it comes to shipping full container loads from China to the UK, DFS Worldwide is your trusted partner. Our commitment to excellence, customer-centric approach, and in-depth industry knowledge ensure that your cargo is in safe hands. Contact us today to learn more about our FCL services and how we can support your business’s international logistics needs.

Here are some of our shipping routes:

• Shanghai to UK shipping
• Guangzhou to UK shipping
• Ningbo to UK shipping
• Shenzhen to UK shipping
• Xiamen to UK shipping

FCL rates: China → UK

POL	POD	OCF USD 20' GP	OCF USD 40' GP	OCF USD 40' HQ
Dalian	Felixstowe	3095	5330	5330
Dalian	Southampton	2675	4700	4700
Huangpu	Felixstowe	3145	5430	5430
Huangpu	Southampton	2725	4600	4600
Hong Kong	Felixstowe	3092	5330	5330
Hong Kong	Southampton	2675	4700	4700
Ningbo	Felixstowe	3095	5330	5330
Ningbo	Southampton	2675	4700	4700
Qingdao	Felixstowe	3095	5330	5330
Qingdao	Southampton	2675	4700	4700
Shanghai	Felixstowe	3095	5330	5330
Shanghai	Southampton	2675	4700	4700
Shenzhen	Felixstowe	3095	5330	5330
Shenzhen	Southampton	2675	4700	4700
Xiamen	Felixstowe	3095	5330	5330
Xiamen	Southampton	2675	4700	4700
Tianjin	Felixstowe	3095	5330	5330
Tianjin	Southampton	2675	4700	4700

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FCL rates: UK → CHINA

POL	POD	OCF USD 20' GP	OCF USD 40' GP	OCF USD 40' HQ
London	Dalian	400	350	350
Southampton	Dalian	400	350	350
London	Huangpu	470	600	600
Southampton	Huangpu	470	600	600
Felixstowe	Hong Kong	1075	1335	1335
Southampton	Hong Kong	260	300	300
London	Ningbo	450	450	450
Southampton	Ningbo	300	300	300
Felixstowe	Qingdao	925	1185	1185
Southampton	Qingdao	300	300	300
London	Shanghai	300	300	300
Southampton	Shanghai	300	300	300
Felixstowe	Yantian	925	1185	1185
Southampton	Yantian	300	300	300
Felixstowe	Xiamen	925	1185	1185
Southampton	Xiamen	300	300	300
Felixstowe	Tianjin	925	1185	1185
Southampton	Tianjin	450	450	450

 

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Road Freight

For a long time, China, Europe, and the Middle East worked diligently to offer additional services from Asia to Europe, and vice versa, as alternatives to air, ocean, and rail transportation.

This ambition came to fruition as the Belt and Road Initiative, inspired by the historical Silk Road, which, centuries ago, opened the doors to commerce between “the Old Continent” and Asia. Spearheaded by Chinese authorities, this global infrastructure project aims to develop six land corridors, not only as road links but also to consolidate energy, digital infrastructure, rail systems, and optimize ports.

This giant step transformed a long-held dream into a significant achievement. With an efficient transit time, a truck can travel from Shanghai to London in less than three weeks, depending on the chosen operational procedure. Transit times vary, with longer durations for Low Truck Load (LTL) shipments compared to Full Truck Load (FTL) or the faster Express options.

This meticulously designed service does not compromise on time efficiency and, above all, offers extremely competitive prices. Additionally, many items restricted by other transportation methods, such as batteries, liquids, and dangerous goods, can travel safely, avoiding unnecessary fees.

Weekly connections are available from China to the UK via Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and into Europe through Poland. The same reliable service is offered in the reverse direction, with hassle-free operations and optional insurance coverage.

Key Features of Our Road Freight Services

Comprehensive Coverage
We cover major cities and industrial hubs in both the UK and China, ensuring that your goods can be transported to and from almost any location within these countries.

Customs Expertise
Navigating customs regulations can be a daunting task, but with DFS Worldwide, you can rest assured. We have a dedicated team of customs experts who manage all documentation and compliance requirements, simplifying the process for you.

Tailored Solutions
We understand that each shipment is unique. That’s why we offer tailored solutions to meet your specific needs, whether it’s a full truckload (FTL) or less than truckload (LTL) service.

Advanced Tracking and Support
Our state-of-the-art tracking systems provide real-time updates on the status of your shipment, ensuring transparency and peace of mind. Additionally, our customer support team is available around the clock to assist you with any queries or concerns.

The Benefits of Road Freight Between the UK and China

Opting for road freight between the UK and China offers several advantages:

Cost-Effectiveness
Road freight is generally more affordable compared to air freight, making it a preferred choice for bulk and heavy goods.

Flexibility
It provides greater flexibility in terms of routes and schedules, which can be crucial for businesses with specific logistical requirements.

Reduced Transit Times
In many cases, road freight can offer quicker transit times compared to sea freight, striking a balance between cost and speed.

Conclusion

DFS Worldwide is your trusted partner for road freight services between the UK and China. Our commitment to excellence, competitive pricing, and customer-focused approach make us the ideal choice for all your shipping needs. Let us help you streamline your logistics and ensure your goods reach their destination safely and efficiently.

For more information about our UK-China road freight services and to get a quote, please get in touch.

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Rail Freight

Freight traveling by train is a great option compared to the standard methods by Air or Ocean. In fact, China possesses the most intensive railway system in the world, along with the biggest hubs for cargo.

A total of 22 provinces offers daily departures with a transit time of around 25 days, and leaving an extremely important footprint in the environment, as it is less complex, generates lower pollution levels, and uses a smaller amount of fossil fuels. 

In terms of cost and transit time, Rail is a big player and becoming increasingly popular. The process of shipping is the same as Ocean, not only in incoterms but either on LCL ( Less than container load ) or FCL ( Full container load ). This means that we can organise the collection of goods throughout the entire territory and consolidate it, if necessary, in the same container.

The journey to Europe is via Western China to Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, entering Europe by Poland, followed by options to Germany and Holland. The goods can either be offloaded in the mentioned Countries and forwarded by truck to any destination within the continent or, if on FCL, transhipped to any Railway/Port of choice. In the case of Importing to the UK, it is common to consolidate the containers or the goods if LCL in the Dutch City of Rotterdam and ship it by sea across the English Channel.

In addition, Duty or VAT isn’t payable at the port of discharge but only at the destination. Not as muvh red tape and customs laws to our customers.

With reference to documentation, apart from a required licence to export by train, the paperwork is the same as an ocean or air shipment. Regardless, we can always help our clients with guidance to gain access to the correct papers, following up with the entire process, helping to create a faultless service to one of the trendiest styles of shippingnowadays.

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Compare Sea vs Rail Freight

When comparing rail freight with sea freight for shipping goods from China to the UK, several factors come into play, including transit time, cost, environmental impact, and flexibility. Here’s a detailed comparison of both modes of transportation. Please read in depth comparison here.

Summary table: China ⇆ UK

Aspect	Sea Freight	Rail Freight
Transit Time	30-40 days	18-22 days
Cost	Lower for large volumes	Higher than sea, lower than air
Environmental Impact	Higher CO2 emissions	Lower CO2 emissions
Flexibility	High for various cargo types	Growing with expanding infrastructure
Accessibility	Extensive global ports	Expanding rail networks
Security	Moderate risk due to long transit	Lower risk due to controlled transit
Use Cases	Bulk, cost-sensitive shipments	Medium volume, faster delivery needed

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Commodities accepted

Below commodities are accepted subject to MSDS (Material safety data sheet), DGN (Dangerous goods note) and Hazardous surcharges. Please get in contact for more information or pricing.  

• DG Cargo
• Hazardous cargo
• Chemicals
• Lithium batteries
• Other batteries

Other services

Amazon FBA

We are proud to be one of the leading freight forwarders in the UK offering specialised logistics services for Amazon’s FBA to freight forwarders, brokers, Amazon sellers and suppliers.

Amazon FBA page

UK Bonded Warehouse

- Storage facility with distributions as well as packing services.
- You have ordered your goods from a factory in China and need an agent to collect and deliver into the UK
- You are planning to send your goods from Europe to China.

UK bonded warehouse

Ecommerce

Outsource your e-commerce logistics activity in UK for a reliable, flexible and economically high-performance supply chain.

Ecommerce

BIRDS (Bulk Import Reduced Data Set)

Importers in the UK can save on duty and tax by bulk clearing several consignments of low-value items, instead of declaring each individual consignment.

BIRDS

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Importing goods from China 2025 - Our tips

Here are our Top 7 Tips for importing goods from China; we hope that they will help you to keep your costs down and save your time.

Tip 1 - Correct Customs Information

Having the correct customs information is critical. The shipping paperwork such as bills of lading, ID labels invoices and packing lists must include the following information: In the case of the commercial invoice you must show the authorised sender and receiver's full address information, a clear description of the goods and what they are made of and the quantity of the goods being imported and a very clear value of the goods. A fully typed invoice is required with no hand writing.

These are the first basic points if you have not had solid experience of importing from china before, then please ensure you use a BIFA accredited freight forwarder such as DFS Shipping to ensure these procedures are followed correctly.

Tip 2 - VAT Number - EORI Approved

Along with the above information an importer must also ensure his company VAT number is EORI approved. This stands for Economic Operator registration identification. There is a simple online form to complete that DFS can forward to you.

If your company is not Vat registered you still use the enclosed link and revenue and customs will issue you with a non-VAT registered EORI number.

Tip 3 - Consider using DFS Shipping

Importing from china can appear daunting at the outset but all DFS Shipping require is the supplier details in China or the country of origin and we can then obtain the weight and CBM of your goods and give you a clear price and handle the customs clearance of goods in the UK at all major ports.

This will ensure a hassle free shipment from your supplier's door to your door in the UK. For more information on this email our team at: [email protected]

Tip 4 - Calculating Import Tariffs & Duty Rates

Let us look at import tariffs and duty rates. It is very important to understand that different products have very different import duties attached to them.

You can contact Revenue and Customs or you can use our guide below which gives a broad idea of various import duty rates. We want to stress this is a very important step to understand and this will give you a clear costing platform.

You will need to calculate the value of your goods plus the cost of freight (sea or air), the UK landed charges and your import duty and add all of these factors together.

This will ensure you make solid calculations to give you a total price for your product per piece. At DFS we have seen several importers miscalculate there charges and it can be costly so please contact our team if you require any further advice on this importing from china subject.

Tip 5 - Trading Standards & Food Safety

Please ensure that you check with the relevant trading standards or food health agency (in the case of foodstuffs) that all licence requirements are met and that there are no potential copyright infringements.

It's important to let you know that for certain products and goods being imported from China you will need to acquire an import licence (don't worry, we can help with this).

Many goods that are manufactured in China and across the globe have certain restrictions when being imported into the UK.

Please contact DFS for any assistance regarding this matter. Some of the types of goods which are heavily controlled and legislated are military and arms goods, technology, artwork and antiques, plants and animals, medical supplies and chemical supplies.

There are also special controls on importing foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and hazardous chemicals.

The export and import of these types of goods without the right licence and documents is a criminal offence, so it's important to take advice from your UK freight and shipping agent.

Tip 6 - Marine Insurance

Importing from china can be a very rewarding and lucrative business when done correctly. One other small piece of advice is to ensure your goods are insured.

If instructions are given to us in writing, we can provide insurance for your goods at very competitive rates.

This means you have your own marine policy tailor-made for your own shipment. Also one other simple tip is to make sure that any agent or freight forwarder that you use can give you real testimonials and references from their customers.

Tip 7 - Importing from China Services

Finally, don't just take the first quote you receive from an agent or Freight Forwarding company. At DFS we don't just promote our services based on price but also on what we can give to our client with regard to our knowledge and experience and a personal service.

We give all our clients a client manager who will work to build a long term relationship with them and fully understand their individual needs.

No client is the same we understand this and that's why we have produced this importing from china newsletter.

We hope this has been useful for you and if you have any further questions about importing full container loads from China or LCL /groupage shipments from China then either call or email one of the team.

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China UK Shipping Questions?

Contact our CHINA shipping specialist:

WECHAT: id: dfs-Betty