DDP Shipping Cost from China to USA: Rates, Fees and Examples
What a delivered-duty-paid shipment really costs: planning ranges by mode, the US entry fees most estimates skip, and worked examples that build a full landed cost, so you can read any DDP quote and know what is in it.
Quick answer
What this page covers
- 01How much does DDP shipping cost in 2026?→
- 02Four modes, four cost logics→
- 03What a DDP price is made of→
- 04US entry fees most DDP estimates skip→
- 05What is included in a DDP price→
- 06Worked examples with full landed cost→
- 07What moves your DDP price→
- 08Cost levers you can control→
- 09Sources and methodology→
- 10Estimate, then get the real number→
How much does DDP shipping cost in 2026?
The tables below are planning benchmarks for general cargo on the main China to US West Coast lanes. A quote that comes in far below these ranges usually excludes something: duties, brokerage, or final delivery. Ask what is not in the number before comparing it to anything here.
| Chargeable weight | Planning range | Typical door-to-door |
|---|---|---|
| 45–100 kg | $6–8 per kg | 5–10 days |
| 100–300 kg | $5–7 per kg | 5–10 days |
| 300–500 kg | $4.5–6 per kg | 5–10 days |
| 500+ kg | $4–5.5 per kg | 5–10 days |
| Volume | Planning range | Typical door-to-door |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 CBM | $130–150 per CBM | 20–55 days |
| 3–8 CBM | $115–135 per CBM | 20–55 days |
| 8–15 CBM | $100–120 per CBM | 20–55 days |
| Container | Planning range | Typical door-to-door |
|---|---|---|
| 20ft | $2,800–5,500 | 20–55 days |
| 40ft | $3,500–7,000 | 20–55 days |
| 40HC | $3,800–8,000 | 20–55 days |
| Shipment size | Planning range | Typical door-to-door |
|---|---|---|
| 10–100 kg | $8–15 per kg | 3–7 days |
These tables are planning benchmarks, not this week's number. AiDeliv shows the live market directly: the homepage carries a running auction counter, and posting your shipment returns real carrier bids, typically with a first bid within hours. Rates move week to week, so the auction is the figure that reflects today's market.
Four modes, four cost logics
The table below shows what each mode is best for and how it prices, so you can match the shipment to the mode before you ask for a number.
| Mode | Best for | Cost logic | Door-to-door |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express courier | Samples, urgent restocks under 100 kg | Highest per kg; divisor 5,000 punishes bulky parcels | 3–7 days |
| Air freight | Launches, high-value or seasonal goods | Priced on actual or volumetric weight (divisor 6,000), whichever is greater | 5–10 days |
| Ocean LCL | 1–15 CBM replenishment | Weight-or-measure: 1 CBM compared against 1,000 kg, the greater value is charged | 20–55 days |
| Ocean FCL | Full-container replenishment | Cheapest per unit; duties usually dominate the total | 20–55 days |
What a DDP price is made of
A DDP price is not one freight rate. It is six different bills rolled into one number, each moving on its own logic: some scale with weight and season, some with your declared value and HS code, and one is a flat federal minimum. Written out:
DDP landed cost = origin charges + international freight + customs clearance + duties (declared value × duty rate) + US entry fees (MPF, and HMF for ocean) + final delivery.
Two of these terms move the most. Freight moves with season and lane. Duties move with the HS code, and for tariffed China-origin goods they are often the largest single component, bigger than the freight itself. That is why two identical-looking quotes can hide very different assumptions, and why the duty term deserves your attention first.
US entry fees most DDP estimates skip
Beyond freight and duties, a US customs entry carries federal fees. They are small next to duties, but a DDP estimate that omits them is not a landed cost.
| Fee | What it is | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| MPF (Merchandise Processing Fee) | Federal fee on every formal entry, charged whether or not duty is owed | 0.3464% of the entered value, minimum $33.58, maximum $651.50 per entry (FY2026) |
| HMF (Harbor Maintenance Fee) | Federal fee on ocean imports only; not charged on air | 0.125% of cargo value, no minimum or cap |
| ISF (Importer Security Filing, '10+2') | Mandatory data filing for ocean shipments, at least 24 hours before vessel loading | Filing fee varies by provider and should be confirmed in the quote. A missed or inaccurate filing risks CBP liquidated damages of up to $5,000 per violation |
In a complete DDP bid these fees sit inside the price; confirm they are included rather than billed later.
What is included in a DDP price
| Component | Typical share of total | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| International freight | 35–55% | Main leg, China to US port or airport |
| Duties and tariffs | 10–30% (can exceed 50% for tariffed goods) | Declared value × your HS rate, paid at entry |
| Origin charges | 5–10% | Pickup, export handling, documentation in China |
| Customs clearance | 5–10% | Entry filing, bond, broker handling |
| US entry fees | 1–3% | MPF on every formal entry; HMF on ocean |
| Final delivery | 5–15% | Port or airport to your door or warehouse |
Shares shown are a planning split for general cargo; high-duty goods flip the split toward duties. Cargo coverage on AiDeliv is a carrier-level platform requirement, not a line you buy inside the price; how it works is covered in our DDP shipping guide.
Marketplace fees, product compliance testing, storage, and services beyond delivery sit outside any DDP price. The full scope table, including what to confirm explicitly before booking, is in our DDP shipping guide.
Worked examples with full landed cost
Each example below shows a representative landed cost for that shipment type. Treat the duty figures as illustrative, not as your rate: HS classification is specialized work, and a product that looks like one item can map to several codes with very different duty rates. A leather phone case, a plastic phone case, and a folio case with a card slot can each sit under a different heading. Your duty depends on the exact code your goods classify under, which a licensed customs broker confirms. Use our Customs Duty Calculator to sanity-check a code, and let carriers price the full landed cost in the auction.
6.1Example 1: Phone cases, 150 kg (air vs ocean LCL)
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Cargo | Plastic phone cases, 3,000 units, 150 kg, 1.2 CBM |
| Declared value | $3,000 |
| Illustrative HS basis | 4202.32 (verify your product's exact code) |
| Duty rate used | 15.5% (illustrative) |
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Origin charges | $80 |
| Air freight (150 kg chargeable) | $750 |
| Customs clearance | $120 |
| Duties ($3,000 × 15.5%, illustrative) | $465 |
| MPF (minimum applies) | $33.58 |
| Final delivery | $150 |
| Total DDP | $1,598.58 |
| Landed cost per unit | $0.53 |
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Origin charges | $80 |
| Ocean LCL freight (1.2 CBM) | $180 |
| Port and handling | $60 |
| Customs clearance | $120 |
| Duties ($3,000 × 15.5%, illustrative) | $465 |
| MPF (minimum applies) | $33.58 |
| HMF (0.125%, ocean only) | $3.75 |
| Final delivery | $150 |
| Total DDP | $1,092.33 |
| Landed cost per unit | $0.36 |
What moved this price most: the mode. Same cargo, same duties; choosing ocean over air cut the landed cost per unit by roughly a third, at the price of waiting 20–55 days instead of 5–10.
6.2Example 2: Kitchen organizers, 6 CBM ocean LCL
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Cargo | Plastic kitchen organizers, 1,500 units, 6 CBM |
| Declared value | $15,000 |
| Illustrative HS basis | 3924.90 (verify your product's exact code) |
| Duty rate used | 28.4% (illustrative) |
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Origin charges | $150 |
| Ocean LCL freight (6 CBM) | $690 |
| Port and handling | $100 |
| Customs clearance | $180 |
| Duties ($15,000 × 28.4%, illustrative) | $4,260 |
| MPF (0.3464%) | $51.96 |
| HMF (0.125%) | $18.75 |
| Final delivery | $300 |
| Total DDP | $5,750.71 |
| Landed cost per unit | $3.83 |
What moved this price most: the duty rate. At the illustrative 28.4%, duties are $4,260 of a $5,750.71 total, roughly six times the ocean freight. A different HS code on the same goods would rewrite this example.
6.3Example 3: Furniture parts, 40HC container
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Cargo | Furniture parts, 2,000 units, 40HC container |
| Declared value | $80,000 |
| Illustrative HS basis | 9403.90 (verify your product's exact code) |
| Duty rate used | 25% (illustrative) |
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Origin charges | $350 |
| Ocean FCL freight (40HC) | $4,500 |
| Port and handling | $250 |
| Duties ($80,000 × 25%, illustrative) | $20,000 |
| MPF (0.3464%) | $277.12 |
| HMF (0.125%) | $100.00 |
| Final delivery (drayage) | $450 |
| Total DDP | $25,927.12 |
| Landed cost per unit | $12.96 |
What moved this price most: duties dwarf freight. On a full container of tariffed goods, the $20,000 duty line is more than four times the $4,500 ocean freight. Negotiating the freight harder saves hundreds; verifying the HS code can move thousands.
What moves your DDP price
1HS code and duty rate
The biggest lever on the page. Your duty term is declared value times the rate attached to your product's HS code, and a misread code rewrites the whole landed cost, in either direction. Verify the code before you commit to an order: our Customs Duty Calculator checks a code against current rates in minutes.
2Weight versus volume
Air freight (IATA standard): volumetric weight = L × W × H in cm / 6,000, so 1 CBM is about 167 kg. Express couriers use divisor 5,000, so 1 CBM is about 200 kg, which is why bulky parcels cost more by courier. Ocean LCL is priced weight-or-measure: 1 CBM is compared against 1,000 kg and the greater value is charged. Example: a 40 × 40 × 50 cm carton of pillows weighs 6 kg actual, but its volumetric weight by air is 80,000 / 6,000 = 13.3 kg, so you pay for 13.3.
3Origin and destination
Main-port pairs (Shenzhen or Shanghai to Los Angeles or Long Beach) price tightest. Inland Chinese origins add a domestic leg; US East Coast destinations add either the longer all-water route or transcontinental rail and trucking.
4Season
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on February 6, with the mainland China public-holiday shutdown running roughly February 4 to 12. Factories slow before the break and rates spike as suppliers rush pre-holiday shipments, so place large orders well ahead. Peak season carries meaningful surcharges over low-season rates; the spread varies by year and lane. Our US Import Data page tracks how monthly volumes move through the year.
5Service level and FBA requirements
Amazon FBA deliveries add carton labeling, appointment scheduling, and prep requirements that belong in the quote scope; our DDP to Amazon FBA guide covers them.
Under current US policy, the duty-free de minimis exemption does not apply to imports regardless of value or origin, so small parcels enter with duties and fees like other shipments. For e-commerce parcels that used to clear duty-free, real cost moved into the landed price, one more reason all-in DDP pricing beats guessing at the border.
Cost levers you can control
- 1Consolidate shipments. Two half-CBM orders cost more than one full CBM. Fewer, larger shipments spread fixed entry costs (clearance, the MPF minimum, delivery) across more units.
- 2Ship off-peak. The same container costs meaningfully less in slack season than in the pre-holiday rush. If your inventory plan allows it, timing is free money.
- 3Pack tighter. Air and express price volumetric weight. Smaller cartons and less void fill directly cut the chargeable weight.
- 4Verify the HS code. The duty term is the largest lever on most tariffed goods. A confirmed code protects you from both overpaying and a re-classification bill at entry.
- 5Compare carriers through competitive bidding. A single quote reflects one provider's margin target; competing bids on identical scope converge on the market price. That convergence, not negotiation skill, is what reprices the freight term.
- 6Use ocean for replenishment. Reserve air for launches and stockouts; steady replenishment belongs on the water, where the per-unit cost is a fraction of air.
Key takeaway. The two biggest cost levers are HS code verification, which controls the duty term, and competitive bidding, which prices the freight term at the market instead of one provider's margin. Run the duty math first, then let carriers bid on the rest.
Sources and methodology
Duty rates come from the USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule (hts.usitc.gov) and Section 301 status from the USTR tariff actions search (ustr.gov). US entry fees follow US Customs and Border Protection fee guidance; the de minimis status follows the current Federal Register rule. Freight planning ranges are based on public benchmarks and quote observations on the platform. Reviewed June 2026; planning ranges are benchmarks, not live quotes.
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Duty ratesUSITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule · hts.usitc.gov
-
Section 301USTR tariff actions search · ustr.gov
-
US entry feesUS Customs and Border Protection fee guidance · help.cbp.gov
-
De minimisCurrent Federal Register rule · federalregister.gov
Estimate, then get the real number
Two free tools take you from a guess to a bookable price. The Customs Duty Calculator settles your duty exposure upfront, the term this page showed can dwarf the freight. The AiDeliv auction then prices the rest of the stack with live bids from verified carriers competing for your cargo. Registration includes 5 free points, enough to run your first auctions at no cost.
Stop estimating. Get bids.
Settle your duty exposure first with the Customs Duty Calculator, then let carriers price the rest.
The tables told you what shipments like yours cost; the auction tells you what yours costs. One posting, competing carrier bids, and a bookable number instead of an estimate. Registration includes 5 free points, enough to cover your first auctions.