Air Freight Cost from China per kg: What Sets the Price

On the general-cargo rates published on our site, air freight from China starts at ¥25 per chargeable kg to the Amazon BWU and MEL warehouses in Australia, ¥35 to the USA, ¥38.5 to Canada and ¥41 to New Zealand. Those are the lowest rates on each lane, at the highest weight break. Your cost is the chargeable weight multiplied by the rate for its weight break, plus any surcharges, with duties and import taxes on top unless the line is duties-paid.

Published air rates by destination

The full tables are on each route page, for example China to the USA and China to Australia, and every lane is listed on our routes page with its transit times.

How do weight breaks change the price?

Each rate table has weight breaks, and the rate for a break applies to the whole chargeable weight once you reach it. On the USA lane the breaks are 22, 71 and 101 kg. This is channel 1 of the four US channels:

So 60 kg to the West Coast costs 60 × ¥38 = ¥2,280, while 150 kg costs 150 × ¥35 = ¥5,250, about ¥3 less per kilo. Across the four US channels the published rates run from ¥35 to ¥51 per kg, depending on channel, zone and weight. Other lanes work the same way with their own breaks: 22, 101 and 301 kg to Australia, 22, 101 and 2,001 kg to Canada, and 11, 51 and 101 kg to New Zealand.

Why chargeable weight matters as much as the rate

Air freight is charged on chargeable weight: the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight, which is length × width × height in cm ÷ 6,000. Ten cartons of 60 × 40 × 50 cm weighing 15 kg each weigh 150 kg, but their volumetric weight is 10 × 120,000 ÷ 6,000 = 200 kg, so 200 kg is charged. Airlines usually round chargeable weight up to the next 0.5 kg. At ¥35 per kg that is ¥7,000 instead of ¥5,250. Smaller or fuller cartons can close that gap; the CBM and chargeable weight calculator shows the figure for your cartons before you ask for a price.

What is included, and what isn't?

• The published tables are for general cargo. Batteries, magnets, liquids and other special goods always get a personal quote after a check.
• Market changes, surcharges, remote delivery areas and the goods themselves can change the final price, which we confirm in writing.
• Duties and import taxes are not included, except on the duties-paid China–Europe rail line; the New Zealand rates, for example, exclude duties and GST.
• Europe air is priced in parts. In our published reference example, origin charges are ¥700 per shipment (air waybill ¥150, export declaration ¥350, handling ¥200) and destination local charges are €750 per shipment, on top of ¥47 per kg, for cargo of 200–250 kg per CBM. Cargo is delivered to the designated Shenzhen airport warehouse (pickup not included), and destination customs clearance, T1 transit and inspection are quoted separately if they apply. Your quote confirms the charges for your shipment.

Is air freight the cheapest option?

Not always. Below the 22 kg minimum, express is often simpler, since it is priced per 0.5 kg and per kg from 21 kg. To Europe, the duties-paid rail line costs about a third of the air price and takes 16–19 days by rail plus UPS delivery, so it suits restocks that can wait about three weeks. For bulky goods with time to spare, sea freight is cheaper still. Our guide to choosing air, sea, rail or express compares them in detail.

How to get your price

Enter the destination, weight and volume in the comparison table on our homepage to see every method side by side, with duties and taxes added when you give an HS code and the goods value. Then send the details through the quote form. For batteries, magnets, liquids or powders, add the product details and the MSDS so the goods can be checked first. A specialist confirms the rate, the surcharges and the schedule in writing, usually during China business hours (UTC+8). The rates in this guide are as published on our site for general cargo, for reference only.