Shipping from China to Houston
China → Houston · via IAH air / Houston sea · clearance by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
We move freight cargo from South China into Houston through IAH air / Houston sea. Houston is the Gulf gateway and the Texas industrial market, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.
The clearing authority is U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Historical dwell on this gateway is around 3-10 days, longer at the San Pedro Bay ports in peak season, and it lengthens in Aug-Oct, ahead of the retail peak.
Duty, tax and clearance into Houston
Imports into United States are cleared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The headline position is: No federal VAT; customs duty by HTS code, plus Section 301 tariffs on most China-origin goods. The de-minimis threshold is The USD 800 Section 321 de-minimis exemption no longer applies; every shipment is a dutiable entry. Confirm the current rate with CBP or a licensed broker before quoting, because these rules have changed repeatedly.
Conformity is the part most first-time importers underestimate: FDA, FCC, CPSC or USDA requirements apply by product category; a customs bond is required for formal entries. Getting this wrong is expensive because it usually cannot be fixed after the cargo has landed.
Restrictions and known friction points for United States: The duty position, not the freight, is now the main commercial variable: with de-minimis withdrawn, a formal entry, a bond and Section 301 tariffs apply to consignments that previously moved duty-free, and the rates have moved more than once. Quote freight and landed cost separately and date the duty assumption.
What the routing looks like in practice
The coast decides the route. Los Angeles and Long Beach together form the largest US gateway for Asian cargo and the shortest ocean leg from South China, with onward rail to Chicago and the interior. Savannah and New York serve the East Coast either all-water through the Panama Canal, which adds roughly ten days, or by rail from the West Coast. Houston serves the Gulf and the Texas triangle, and Seattle-Tacoma is the shortest crossing of all for cargo bound for the Pacific Northwest.
| Air gateways used | LAX (Los Angeles), ORD (Chicago), JFK (New York) |
|---|---|
| Air transit, China to gateway | 3-6 business days |
| Sea gateways used | Los Angeles / Long Beach, New York / New Jersey, Savannah |
| Sea transit, China to gateway | 18-28 calendar days to the West Coast, 30-40 to the East Coast |
| Gateway serving Houston | IAH air / Houston sea |
| Inland leg to Houston | same day from port from the gateway |
| Typical clearance / dwell | 3-10 days, longer at the San Pedro Bay ports in peak season |
| Peak season to plan around | Aug-Oct, ahead of the retail peak |
What to sort out before the cargo leaves China
- Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Aug-Oct, ahead of the retail peak, when space on this lane tightens.
- Check the de-minimis position (The USD 800 Section 321 de-minimis exemption no longer applies; every shipment is a dutiable entry. Confirm the current rate with CBP or a licensed broker before quoting, because these rules have changed repeatedly) against your invoice value before you decide how to split the shipment.
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the United States duty rate against it yourself.
- Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: FDA, FCC, CPSC or USDA requirements apply by product category; a customs bond is required for formal entries.
- Photograph carton markings and seal numbers before departure — it makes any claim far easier to settle.
Air, sea or overland into Houston?
| Mode | Transit to gateway | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Air Freight | 3-6 business days | time-critical, high-value and low-volume cargo |
| 🚢 Sea Freight | 18-28 calendar days to the West Coast, 30-40 to the East Coast | volume cargo where cost per kilo matters more than speed |
Transit shown is China departure to the United States gateway and excludes the same day from port inland leg to Houston and 3-10 days, longer at the San Pedro Bay ports in peak season of clearance.
Mode guides for Houston
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Houston take?
China to the United States gateway is 3-6 business days by air, 18-28 calendar days to the West Coast, 30-40 to the East Coast by sea. On top of that, allow 3-10 days, longer at the San Pedro Bay ports in peak season of clearance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and a same day from port inland leg to Houston.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Houston?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) applies: No federal VAT; customs duty by HTS code, plus Section 301 tariffs on most China-origin goods. The de-minimis position is The USD 800 Section 321 de-minimis exemption no longer applies; every shipment is a dutiable entry. Confirm the current rate with CBP or a licensed broker before quoting, because these rules have changed repeatedly. Under a DDP arrangement these are pre-paid, so nothing is collected on arrival in Houston.
Which port or airport does cargo for Houston clear through?
Cargo for Houston is routed via IAH air / Houston sea. Sea gateways for United States are Los Angeles / Long Beach, New York / New Jersey, Savannah; air gateways are LAX (Los Angeles), ORD (Chicago), JFK (New York). We pick whichever gives the shortest total door time for your address.
Can you ship batteries or sensitive cargo to Houston?
Yes. Battery cargo by air follows IATA PI 965–970 depending on how the cells are packed, and moves on certified channels via LAX (Los Angeles), ORD (Chicago), JFK (New York). Surcharges apply and the declaration has to be made before booking.
What documents does U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) require?
A commercial invoice with HS codes, a packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, a certificate of origin where it lowers duty, and any product certification (FDA, FCC, CPSC or USDA requirements apply by product category; a customs bond is required for formal entries). We prepare and file these as part of the service.
When is the busiest time on the China–United States lane?
Space and rates tighten around Aug-Oct, ahead of the retail peak, plus the China-side windows of Chinese New Year in January or February and Golden Week in early October. Book one to two weeks earlier in those periods.
Other delivery cities in United States
References & official sources
Duty rates, thresholds and conformity requirements for United States change by ministerial decision, sometimes mid-year. The figures on this page are buyer-planning references, not a customs ruling — confirm the current position for your own HS code with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or your broker before you ship.
- WTO — Tariff Profiles (applied MFN duty by country)
- IPPC — ISPM 15 wood packaging standard
- WCO — Harmonized System nomenclature
- IMO — IMDG Code for dangerous goods by sea
Page data last reviewed: November 2026.
Shipping by industry
This page covers the route and clearance picture for the destination. Packing, classification and the compliance step that actually holds a shipment depend on what you are sending — these guides cover that by commodity.
- Inflatable Products Toys, Sports, Outdoor & Leisure
- Artificial Flowers Consumer Goods & Gifts
- Retail Products E-commerce & Retail Channels
- Sheet Metal Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Storage Tanks Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Electric Motors General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Agricultural Drones Agriculture & Livestock Equipment
- Wire & Cable New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Automotive Lighting Automotive & Vehicles
- Flooring Building Materials & Construction Products
- Cartons Wood, Bamboo & Paper Products
- Flexible Packaging Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
Price Trend — Houston
Live rate for the linked route page, shown here for a quick read before you click through.
Checking the United States duty position yourself
Treat the landed-cost numbers here as a planning baseline. U.S. Customs and Border Protection sets the rate that actually gets charged, assessed against your HS classification at the moment of clearance, so their own guidance is worth reading before a large order.
If you want to sanity-check a duty figure yourself, start from the heading rather than the product name — the WCO Harmonized System is the underlying nomenclature, and the WTO Tariff & Trade Data portal holds the applied rates by country pair.
For ocean cargo, restricted commodities move under the IMO's IMDG Code, and the container has to be declared and stowed accordingly. Batteries, flammables and corrosives all have a compliant ocean path; what causes rolled bookings is finding out about them after the container is packed.
On the origin side, export declaration and any commodity inspection requirement fall under China Customs (GACC); we handle that filing as part of the service, but the requirement is theirs, not ours.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for Houston. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
LCL vs FCL | Difference Between Full Container Load & Less than Container Load | Which is better ? — 10 Min For Supply Chain. Published on YouTube by a third party; we link it because it explains the process well, not because we produced it or endorse the provider.