One route, two useful starting points
Your cargo is ready: request a transport offer using the supplier’s address, packed weight or volume and ready date.
You need the import budget first: send the product, purchase value, supplier terms and final Indian address. Ask for the shipment costs and the information required to assess customs charges. The purchase cost of the goods is separate from the freight price.
Select either task in the short form below. A complete import-cost enquiry concerns goods you have identified with a supplier; the quotation should state who buys the goods and who acts as importer.
Compare origin and arrival gateways
Use Shanghai or Ningbo as origin options to investigate for eastern-China suppliers, and Shenzhen/Yantian for southern-China cargo. In India, compare Nhava Sheva/JNPA, Mundra or Chennai against the final delivery address. The choice depends on collection distance, equipment, sailing availability and destination transport.
Do not compare an ocean-only price to a delivered offer. Name the loading port, discharge port, any connection points and the service endpoints in the written quotation. Check the proposed carrier schedule for the actual cargo-ready date; port arrival and warehouse delivery are different milestones.
FCL or LCL: compare the complete movement
FCL uses a container for your shipment. Equipment selection depends on packed dimensions, weight distribution and loading access. See FCL shipping from China to India for the container-specific quotation brief.
LCL shares consolidated container space. Check the charging basis, minimums, consolidation handling and destination release costs. There is no universal volume threshold that makes one format cheaper: compare both with the same goods, dates and delivery scope.
Describe the commodity and materials, especially batteries, liquids, timber or other components affecting acceptance and documentation. Include any handling restrictions before requesting a rate.
What the freight offer should identify
- China collection, loading, export formalities, origin handling and documents.
- Ocean freight and applicable equipment or carrier surcharges.
- Indian arrival handling, release, clearance and inland transport where requested.
- Duty, taxes, government charges and insurance as separate included or excluded items.
- Conditional inspection, storage, waiting, demurrage and detention costs and their charging basis.
Record currency, pricing unit, validity, payment conditions and the exact service boundary. Request a dated, shipment-specific sailing estimate rather than relying on a generic country-pair transit claim.
Prepare the Indian import file
The importer normally needs an Importer-Exporter Code unless an exemption applies. DGFT’s mandatory import-document provisions include the transport document, commercial invoice with packing list, and Bill of Entry. Additional approvals depend on the goods. Read DGFT’s import provisions.
Confirm the product classification and current import policy with the importer’s customs broker. For applicable goods, check BIS certification requirements before dispatch. For the full preparation sequence, use the import-cost and documents guide.
Send a short shipment brief
Start with your email and describe the route, goods, approximate packed weight or volume, and ready date if known. Add the purchase terms and final postcode if available. You can send the missing packing details in follow-up.
For other origin countries, visit sea freight to India. For this route, use the form below to request transport or a complete import-cost breakdown.