How Long Does It Take To Ship From China?

Freight from a factory in China to a US warehouse takes anything from under a week by express courier to six weeks or more by ocean to the East or Gulf Coast. Those figures are freight-forwarder estimates. Plan with your own forwarder's quote for your route, and use the ranges below to check that the quote is realistic.

Two terms matter when you compare quotes. Port to port covers only the sailing or flight between terminals. Door to door adds pickup at the factory, customs clearance and the truck to your warehouse, so it is the number that tells you when your stock actually arrives.

Transit times by shipping method

The ranges below come from ExFreight's China-to-US transit guide (published February 2025, checked October 2026), which times sailings from Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo and Qingdao.

CargoLinked's July 2026 guide gives similar windows (checked October 2026): about 15–25 days port to port to the West Coast, 30–40 days to the East Coast via the Panama Canal, and 3–6 days airport to airport for air freight. The same guide suggests adding one to two weeks on top of the ocean sailing for a realistic door-to-door plan.

Several things can stretch these times beyond the sailing itself: waiting for the cargo to be ready and booked, Chinese holidays such as Lunar New Year and Golden Week, port congestion, and customs exams.

Which coast your freight lands on

Simpl's warehouse is in Austin, Texas. Freight that lands in Los Angeles or Long Beach lands sooner but still needs a truck or rail leg to Texas, while freight booked to Houston sails longer and lands closer. Ask your forwarder to quote both routes door to door to your 3PL's address, so you compare the whole trip and not just the sailing.

ISF: the filing ocean freight needs before it leaves China

An Importer Security Filing, or ISF (also called "10+2"), is a set of shipment details that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires for import cargo arriving by vessel. You, or an agent such as your customs broker, must file it no later than 24 hours before the cargo is loaded onto the ship at the port in China.

Air freight, express courier and postal shipments don't need an ISF, because CBP's ISF rule covers vessel cargo only. For ocean freight, CBP warns that failing to comply could ultimately result in monetary penalties, increased inspections and delay of cargo.

Two more terms come up when you import. A freight forwarder arranges the transport: it books space on the ship or plane and coordinates the legs between your supplier and your warehouse. A customs broker files your entry with CBP and pays duties on your behalf. Before the goods leave, check that your supplier's commercial invoice and packing list match what is in the cartons, so your broker files accurate numbers.

Small packages from China are no longer duty-free

De minimis was the rule that let low-value packages into the US without duties. The US suspended it for goods from China and Hong Kong effective May 2, 2025, and for every country effective August 29, 2025. On June 24, 2026, CBP published rules that indefinitely suspend duty-free de minimis treatment for imports valued at $800 or less and require more detailed information on international mail shipments.

So if a supplier posts or couriers you a small restock or a box of samples, budget for duties on it and expect it to need full entry information. If a parcel from China is taking longer than you expected, ask the carrier or your broker whether it is waiting on entry information or duty payment.

Duty rates on Chinese goods keep changing, so this page doesn't list them. Get the current rate for your product from your customs broker or forwarder. For background on recent tariffs and refunds, see our IEEPA tariff refund guide.

Plan your reorder from factory to sellable stock

Add up every leg:

1. Production and cargo-ready time. Ask your supplier for a ready date in writing, and check whether it falls near Lunar New Year or Golden Week.
2. Freight. Use the door-to-door range from your forwarder's quote, or the table above until you have one.
3. Customs clearance. Your broker handles the entry. On ocean freight, a late or wrong ISF can delay the cargo.
4. The trip to the warehouse. Door-to-door quotes include it; port-to-port quotes don't.
5. Receiving. Simpl checks new inventory into stock within 1–3 days of arrival.

For example, say your supplier needs 30 days to finish an order and you ship by ocean from Qingdao to Houston. ExFreight's door-to-door estimate for that route is 36–44 days, and receiving at Simpl takes 1–3 days, so the stock is ready to sell roughly 67 to 77 days after you place the order. Add a buffer for holidays, congestion or a customs exam, and reorder while you still have at least that many days of stock left.

What to send your 3PL before the freight arrives

• A packing list with each SKU, its quantity, and how many cartons it fills.
• Carton labels that show the SKU and unit count on the outside of each box.
• A heads-up with the expected delivery date and the tracking or container number.

Ask your 3PL for its own receiving requirements before you book freight. This list is a starting point, not Simpl's full receiving rules.

Where Simpl fits

Simpl Fulfillment receives this freight at its warehouse in Austin, Texas, and ships your orders to all 50 states. Your forwarder and customs broker handle the trip and customs, and Simpl takes over once the stock arrives. See how ecommerce fulfillment with Simpl works, or get started when you're planning your first inbound shipment.

Sending stock straight to Amazon instead? Read our guide to shipping from China to Amazon FBA.