Freight pricing
Sea and air freight from China into the UAE, with customs cleared at Jebel Ali (sea) or Dubai International (air) and your duties passed through at cost. Our SamVertex Guangzhou consolidation facility on the origin side keeps LCL costs lean and removes the supplier-side coordination headache.
Sea vs air, at a glance
Section titled “Sea vs air, at a glance”The cost-to-speed tradeoff is the headline decision. Sea is cheapest per cbm but slow; air is fastest but several times more expensive per kg. Sea fits planned restock; air fits launches and best-seller replenishment.
| Mode | Typical transit | Cost shape | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea LCL | 25 to 40 days | Per cbm, lowest | Planned restock, mid-volume shipments under ~15 cbm |
| Sea FCL | Faster end of sea | Per container, lowest per cbm at scale | Full-container volumes from ~20 cbm up |
| Air | 5 to 10 days | Per kg, fastest | Launches, best-seller replenishment, small high-AOV |
Sea LCL pricing
Section titled “Sea LCL pricing”LCL (Less than Container Load) is the right call when your volume per shipment is below ~15 cubic metres. We consolidate your cargo with other shippers at the origin, ship in a shared container, then de-consolidate at our Dubai warehouse. Slower than FCL by a few days, much cheaper than air for the same volume.
AED 499 per cbmA minimum charge applies on small LCL shipments to cover the fixed origin and destination handling regardless of cbm:
Custom quoteService detail in sea freight.
Sea FCL pricing
Section titled “Sea FCL pricing”FCL (Full Container Load) is the right call from ~20 cubic metres of cargo upward. The container is sealed at origin and only opened at our Dubai warehouse, so there is no risk of mixed cargo or in-transit re-handling. Faster transit than LCL because there is no consolidation at either end.
20ft container
Section titled “20ft container”Standard or high-cube. Roughly 28 cbm of usable space when packed properly.
Custom quote40ft container
Section titled “40ft container”Standard or high-cube. Roughly 58 cbm of usable space; high-cube adds vertical room for taller cartons.
Custom quoteAir freight pricing
Section titled “Air freight pricing”5 to 10 days door to door from major Chinese airports to our Ras Al Khor warehouse. Express air on dedicated lanes from Shenzhen and Hong Kong can land in 3 to 5 days at a meaningful premium.
AED 35 per kgA minimum charge applies on small air shipments to cover the fixed booking, handling, and clearance fees regardless of weight:
Custom quoteChargeable weight
Section titled “Chargeable weight”Air freight is billed on chargeable weight, which is the greater of actual gross weight or volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is calculated as length × width × height (cm) divided by 6,000 for standard air, or by 5,000 for express. A light, bulky shipment will price by volume; a small, dense shipment will price by actual weight. Quote stage shows both numbers so the chargeable basis is never a surprise.
Service detail in air freight.
Customs clearance and duties
Section titled “Customs clearance and duties”Standard freight quotes include customs clearance at Jebel Ali (sea) or Dubai International (air): broker work, entry filing, document review, release coordination.
Custom quoteDuties and 5% VAT are passed through at cost on your invoice with the customs receipts attached, so your accountant has clean documentation. We do not mark up duties or VAT. Standard UAE customs duty is 5% of CIF value with category exceptions; specialised clearance (food and beverage, cosmetics, regulated electronics) may carry an additional handling fee for the extra paperwork. Service detail in customs.
All-in versus itemised quotes
Section titled “All-in versus itemised quotes”Both options are available; pick at quote stage based on how your finance team wants to record the cost.
- All-in quote. One headline rate per cbm or per kg that bundles freight, customs, handling, and the standard surcharges. Easier for landed-cost calculations and SKU pricing decisions.
- Itemised quote. Each cost line broken out: ocean or air, origin handling, consolidation, customs broker, port charges, duties, VAT. Easier for VAT recovery and when you want to compare vendors line by line.
Cargo insurance is quoted separately on either model so you can decide insurance line by line for higher-value shipments.