Air express vs air freight vs sea LCL vs sea FCL vs China-Europe rail.
Plug in your cargo weight, dimensions, and destination corridor. We'll show the cost and transit time for each shipping mode — and tell you where you should switch. Default numbers are indicative 2026 averages from Shenzhen/Shanghai; edit them to match your forwarder's quote.
Free · No signupLogic: per-mode cost modelUpdated: 2026-09
Your shipment edit any rate
Set the larger of (actual weight, L × W × H cm / 5000). For sea, weight is tonnes; for air, kg.
Rail is only competitive into Germany / Central Europe.
Lane notes — US East: 28-35 days sea LCL/FCL, 5-9 days air. Germany: 32-40 days sea, 18-22 days rail, 4-7 days air. UK: 30-38 days sea, 6-9 days air (no rail). Australia: 18-25 days sea, 4-6 days air. Middle East: 18-22 days sea, 4-5 days air. Rates — indicative 2026 averages from Shenzhen/Shanghai; include port/airport charges but exclude last-mile, duty, and inspection. Verify with your forwarder. Charging rules — air: chargeable = max(actual kg, L×W×H cm / 6000). Sea LCL: 1 CBM = 1,000 kg chargeable. Sea FCL: 40' HQ = ~67 CBM internal. Last reviewed — 2026-09-04.