Your postcode decides more than transit time does
Our working figures are ocean FCL 25–35 days, LCL 30–40, China–Europe rail 15–22, air 4–8, road and sea-road 20–28. But what actually decides the right mode is rarely those numbers — it is whether the delivery address is coastal or inland. Rotterdam and Vienna call for completely different answers, even for identical cargo.
When someone asks which China–Europe mode is best value, they are usually already comparing transit times and freight rates. That order is backwards — because Europe, unlike the UK or the US east coast, is a market with enormous inland depth. Ocean freight can only reach a port. Rail reaches an inland hub. What happens after that differs by an order of magnitude in trucking cost.
A comparison we run constantly: the same 40ft container to Rotterdam and to Vienna costs almost the same at sea, but one has a 50km inland leg and the other over a thousand. For the first, ocean is the answer. For the second, rail is frequently cheaper overall — even though rail's per-container main-haul rate is higher.
| Mode | Transit | Cost tier | Where it lands | Sweet spot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean FCL | 25–35 days | Lowest | European ports | Volume, low to mid value, delivery near a port |
| Ocean LCL | 30–40 days | Low (per cbm/tonne) | Port CFS for devanning | Under half a container, no deadline |
| China–Europe rail | 15–22 days | Medium | Inland hubs | Central and Eastern European inland points |
| Road / sea-road | 20–28 days | Medium | Nominated door | Door delivery where the address is not a port city |
| Air freight | 4–8 days | Highest | Major European airports | High value, stock-outs, first production batch |
Transit ranges are HSIEHSHUN's actual carrying ranges on the China–Europe lane, matching those published on our China–Europe service page. All are port-to-port or terminal-to-terminal and exclude booking waits and destination clearance and delivery. Cost tiers are relative, not quotations.
This is the first thing we establish when building an option — earlier even than asking what the cargo is:
"Compare an ocean rate against a rail rate directly and ocean almost always looks cheaper. Add the European trucking leg and, for inland destinations, the answer frequently reverses."
Which is why our first question is usually the postcode rather than the commodity. Once the postcode is fixed, the viable modes narrow from five to two or three — and only then does discussing cargo characteristics and budget become meaningful.
The lowest unit cost, and outside peak season 25–35 days holds up well. Its weaknesses are not at sea but at peak-season rollovers and port congestion — neither within a forwarder's control. Once volume approaches a 20ft load it is worth pricing FCL, because LCL is charged on volume and its unit cost rises as volume grows.
You wait for consolidation at origin, and at destination the container cannot be devanned until every consignee inside it has cleared — however well prepared your own paperwork is, you wait for the slowest consignment in the box. Right for genuinely unhurried cargo under half a container.
15–22 days, one to two weeks faster than ocean, at a unit cost well below air. Three constraints to know up front: departures run to a fixed schedule; there is a break-of-gauge transfer en route that congestion can extend; and acceptance conditions for batteries, liquids and powders are stricter than by sea. We treat the rail-against-ocean trade-off in depth in rail versus ocean freight.
These do not replace the main haul; they solve door delivery within Europe. If the address is not a port city and you need delivery to a specific site rather than collecting a container, this leg is unavoidable. Priced by distance and country zone, with cross-border sections subject to national road rules and driving restrictions.
4–8 days at the highest cost. Its correct use is not "a bit faster" but where the cost of the stock-out clearly exceeds the freight premium: already out of stock, a first production batch, or a genuinely tight replenishment window. A high value-to-weight ratio (small electronics, components, branded apparel) is what makes the freight share tolerable.
Answer those three and there are usually only one or two viable options left — at which point comparing prices is comparing like with like.
EU member states share a single customs territory: once cleared into any member state, goods circulate freely within the EU, and an EORI number is valid EU-wide rather than needing separate registration per country. That differs from the UK.
Two things do vary and should not be overlooked when planning: VAT rates differ between member states, and each country has its own product compliance and registration requirements — Germany's packaging registration being a prominent example. These are market-access requirements rather than customs documents, but missing them affects whether you can legally sell. The German specifics are in our China to Germany guide.
Note in particular that since Brexit the UK sits outside the EU customs territory: it requires a separate GB EORI and a separate clearance and cannot be processed together with EU-bound goods. The UK side is covered in the UK customs documents guide.
Every figure here is an experience range, not a service commitment, and all are port-to-port or terminal-to-terminal, excluding booking waits and destination clearance and delivery. Cost tiers are relative comparisons; actual pricing moves with the market and must be quoted against the day. National VAT rates and product compliance and registration requirements are governed by each country's own rules — take advice from your local accountant or compliance adviser. Peak season, re-routing, border congestion and severe weather can all push actual timings well beyond these ranges. The plan and timing for any shipment are governed by the sailing or departure confirmed at booking and by the written quotation.
Written by Alex · Operations, Shenzhen Xieshun Logistics Co., Ltd. · 5 years in international freight forwarding,
handling China–Europe and China–UK bookings, export declarations and destination clearance and delivery coordination.
Published · Last updated · Reviewed by the HSIEHSHUN commercial team
Questions We Answer Every Week
Give us the commodity, total weight and volume, European delivery postcode and the date you need the goods. We will apply the framework above and price the workable options to the door, side by side.