Furniture shipping to China
Individual pieces or a part load — wrapped, crated where the piece needs it, shipped from the UK and delivered into your home in China.
Shipping furniture to China makes sense for pieces you cannot replace — antiques, commissioned work, family furniture — and rarely makes sense for anything you could buy again locally. On our published inventory a three-seat sofa is 1.40 m³ and a wall unit 1.30 m³, and at typical part-load rates that volume is a meaningful sum to move something replaceable.
Where it is worth doing, do it properly. Furniture that travels in a shared container without adequate protection is furniture that arrives marked.
- Typical volume
- 1–8 m³ for a few pieces
- Door-to-door planning range
- 9–14 weeks by sea
- Packing
- Blanket-wrap and export carton as standard; timber crating where needed
- Dismantling
- Included where the piece is designed to come apart
- Reassembly in China
- Included for anything we dismantled
What gets crated and what does not
Crating adds cost and volume, so we crate what needs it and wrap the rest. Our rule of thumb, which you are welcome to hold us to:
| Item type | Protection | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Upholstered sofas and chairs | Blanket wrap plus outer covering | Flexible, resilient, low breakage risk |
| Flat-pack and modern case goods | Dismantled, wrapped, boxed | Joints are the weak point; dismantling reduces both risk and volume |
| Solid wood tables and sideboards | Blanket wrap, corner protection | Edges and corners take the damage |
| Antiques and veneered pieces | Timber crate | Humidity and handling; a crate is cheap next to a French-polished surface |
| Mirrors, glass and marble tops | Timber crate, always | Not repairable, and not economically replaceable in China |
| Pianos | Purpose-built crate, specialist handling | Weight, value and climate sensitivity |
| Artwork | Timber crate, moisture barrier | Container humidity on a five-week sailing is the real risk, not impact |
Humidity is the underrated risk on this route. A container crossing from northern Europe to southern China passes through very different climates, and condensation inside a steel box is normal. Solid timber can move, veneer can lift and upholstery can mildew. For anything valuable we use moisture-absorbing materials inside the crate — worth asking any mover about, not just us. Asian Express has published guidance on mould and mildew prevention for exactly this reason.
When shipping furniture is not the right call
- Beds. UK and Chinese mattress sizes do not match, so a UK bed frame commits you to importing bedding indefinitely.
- Wardrobes and large storage. The worst volume-to-value ratio in the house, and many Chinese rentals have fitted storage already.
- Anything flat-pack that has already been assembled once. Chipboard and cam-lock joints do not survive a second dismantle well.
- Garden furniture. Bulky, cheap, and rarely relevant to an apartment.
If most of your list falls into these categories, excess baggage for the personal effects will serve you better and cost a good deal less.
Questions people ask before booking
How much does it cost to ship a sofa to China?
A three-seat sofa is 1.40 m³ on our published inventory. On a part load that is a small share of a shipment but, sent on its own, it would attract the minimum charge — so a single item is disproportionately expensive to send. Combining it with other effects is almost always better value. See what moving to China costs.
Will you dismantle and reassemble my furniture?
Yes, for anything designed to come apart. We dismantle in the UK, keep the fixings with the piece, and reassemble at your address in China. Items we did not dismantle are delivered as they are.
Can you ship a piano to China?
Yes, in a purpose-built crate with specialist handling at both ends. Tell us the type, make and whether there are stairs at either end — those three facts drive the whole quotation.
Is my furniture insured in transit?
Only if you take marine transit insurance, which is quoted separately. Standard carrier liability on international freight is calculated by weight and is nowhere near replacement value. For crated antiques it is not a sensible economy.
Get a quote for shipping furniture to China
Five short questions, and a move consultant replies with a written estimate.