Sea freight to China: part loads and containers
Nearly every household move from the UK to China goes by sea. This page explains the two ways it travels — shared container groupage and a container of your own — and how to tell which one you want.
Below roughly 25 m³, a part load in a shared container (LCL) is cheaper because you pay only for the space you use. Above roughly 25 m³, a dedicated 20ft container (FCL) usually costs less per cubic metre and moves faster, because it skips consolidation and deconsolidation entirely.
The crossover is not a fixed number — it moves with rates, the season and your destination city — but if the volume calculator puts you near 25 m³, ask us to price both. It is a genuine decision, not a formality.
- Crossover point
- Around 25 m³ — price both sides of it
- 20ft container
- 33 m³ usable, roughly a three-bedroom house
- 40ft container
- 67 m³ usable, roughly a four to five-bedroom house
- Part load door-to-door
- 10–14 weeks
- Full container door-to-door
- 8–12 weeks
- UK ports used
- Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway
| Part load (LCL) | Full container (FCL) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best below / above | Up to about 25 m³ | About 25 m³ and up |
| You pay for | The space you use | The container, used or not |
| Door-to-door planning range | 10–14 weeks | 8–12 weeks |
| Why the difference | Waits to fill at both ends | Loads at your home, opens at your destination |
| Handling | Loaded and unloaded with other shipments | Only your goods are touched |
| Date certainty | Lower — sailing depends on consolidation | Higher — you book the slot |
| Typical use | Studio to two-bedroom moves | Three-bedroom homes and larger |
Where the weeks actually go
When a UK mover says "about five weeks to Shanghai", they are usually quoting the sailing. That is the part of the journey you have least reason to care about, because it is the only part that is predictable. The door-to-door figure is what determines when you get your things.
| Stage | Typical duration | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Packing and collection | 1–3 days | Volume and access |
| UK consolidation | 1–3 weeks | How quickly the container fills |
| Export formalities and loading | 3–7 days | Sailing schedule |
| Sea transit | 4–6 weeks | Routing, transhipment, port pairs |
| Arrival and deconsolidation | 1–2 weeks | Port congestion; unpacking the shared container |
| Chinese customs clearance | 1–3 weeks | Documents in order; whether inspection is called |
| Delivery | 2–7 days | City, building access, scheduling |
Two of those stages are within your control. Consolidation is faster if you are flexible on the packing date. Customs clearance is faster if your residence permit is issued and your inventory is accurate. The rest is weather, schedules and ports.
Container capacities
| Container | Usable volume | Roughly equivalent to |
|---|---|---|
| 20ft standard | 33 m³ | A three-bedroom house, packed |
| 40ft standard | 67 m³ | A four to five-bedroom house |
| 40ft high-cube | 76 m³ | Extra height for bulky but light loads |
A container is not a storage unit. Once your own container is booked, the schedule is yours to keep. If your residence permit slips and the box has sailed, the goods arrive without a consignee who can clear them, and demurrage and storage at a Chinese port are expensive. If your dates are uncertain, UK storage then shipping is much the cheaper mistake to make.
UK ports and Chinese ports
We ship from the major UK container ports — principally Felixstowe, Southampton and London Gateway — to the main Chinese gateways serving our office cities: Shanghai for the east, Tianjin or Xingang for Beijing, and Nansha or Yantian for Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Hong Kong is served directly. The routing is chosen for the destination city, not for the port nearest to you, because inland movement in China is the expensive leg.
Questions people ask before booking
How long does sea shipping from the UK to China take?
Sea transit alone is typically four to six weeks. Door to door, plan on ten to fourteen weeks for a part load and eight to twelve for a full container. The shipping times guide breaks down where each week is spent.
What does LCL mean?
Less than Container Load — your goods share a container with other shipments and you pay for the space you occupy. FCL, Full Container Load, means you have the whole container. LCL is cheaper below about 25 m³ but slower, because the container has to be filled before it sails and emptied before you get your goods.
Can I put my own lock on the container?
On a full container, it is sealed after loading and the seal number is recorded on the documents; you are told the number. Shared containers are sealed by the consolidator, which is one of the practical differences between LCL and FCL.
Is a 20ft container enough for a three-bedroom house?
Usually, at 33 m³ of usable volume — but "three-bedroom house" covers a wide range. Run your actual contents through the volume calculator rather than relying on the room count.
Get a sea freight quote for China
Five short questions, and a move consultant replies with a written estimate.