Furniture Shipping Cost from Shanghai to St. Paul, Minnesota

How long does it take to ship from China to the USA? Rules of thumb for lead times (in regular conditions) are 1-2 weeks for regular post, 3 days for air express freight, 8-10 days for air freight, and 30-40 days for ocean freight.

Ocean freight from Shanghai to the USA takes 15 to 40 days (port-to-port), depending on the type of load (FCL or LCL) and the port of arrival – West Coast is generally faster to reach from China than East Coast ports. Air freight is much faster, with expedited options ranging from 1 to 3 days.

The cheapest shipping from China to the US depends on weight and speed: Sea Freight (LCL/FCL) is cheapest for heavy/bulk (50kg+), taking weeks; Air Freight (3-10 days) is best for medium/heavy (150kg+) at ~$3-8/kg; while for small parcels (<2kg), specialized postal/e-packet services (like China Post, YunExpress) are cheapest but slow (7-14+ days). For mid-range items (2-20kg), express couriers (DHL/UPS/FedEx) cost more but offer speed, so compare forwarder rates.