Shipping from China to Los Angeles
China → Los Angeles · via LAX air / Los Angeles or Long Beach sea · clearance by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
We move freight cargo from South China into Los Angeles through LAX air / Los Angeles or Long Beach sea. Los Angeles is the largest US gateway for Asian cargo, which shapes the kind of cargo that moves on this lane and how it should be packed.
Clearance itself is handled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and typical dwell at the gateway runs 3-10 days, longer at the San Pedro Bay ports in peak season.
Import duty and tax position for Los Angeles
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points for United States: The duty position, not the freight, is now the main commercial variable: with de-minimis withdrawn, a formal entry, a bond and Section 301 tariffs apply to consignments that previously moved duty-free, and the rates have moved more than once.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 Los Angeles | LAX air / Los Angeles or Long Beach sea |
| Inland leg to Los Angeles | 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 |
Before you book: Los Angeles checklist
- Confirm the consignee in Los Angeles can act as importer of record — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will not release cargo to an unregistered party.
- Ask for the HS code in writing from your supplier and verify the United States duty rate against it yourself.
- Get the conformity paperwork moving early: FDA, FCC, CPSC or USDA requirements apply by product category; a customs bond is required for formal entries.
- Plan around the China-side windows too: Chinese New Year and Golden Week both compress capacity on the United States lane.
- Book earlier than the transit time suggests during Aug-Oct, ahead of the retail peak, when space on this lane tightens.
- Use ISPM-15 treated pallets. Untreated wood is the most common reason otherwise-clean cargo gets held.
Air, sea or overland into Los Angeles?
| 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 Los Angeles and 3-10 days, longer at the San Pedro Bay ports in peak season of clearance.
Mode guides for Los Angeles
Frequently asked questions
How long does shipping from China to Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles.
What duty and tax will I pay importing into Los Angeles?
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 Los Angeles.
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.
What certification do I need for United States?
For regulated goods, plan for: FDA, FCC, CPSC or USDA requirements apply by product category; a customs bond is required for formal entries. Missing conformity paperwork is the single most common cause of a hold, and in most cases it cannot be remedied once the cargo has arrived.
Can you deliver door-to-door in Los Angeles?
Yes. Delivery to a Los Angeles address is quoted as one figure covering freight, duty and tax owed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the same day from port inland leg. Confirm whether your consignee wants the goods at a warehouse, a marketplace fulfillment center or a shop front, because the last-mile requirement differs.
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.
- Aluminum Coils Steel & Metal Materials
- Pipe Fittings Metal Products & Industrial Components
- Assembly Line Equipment General Machinery & Industrial Equipment
- Semiconductor Equipment Specialised Production Machinery
- Transformers New Energy, Power & Electrical
- Brake Parts Automotive & Vehicles
- Ceramic Tiles Building Materials & Construction Products
- Bathroom Products Building Materials & Construction Products
- Engineering Plastics Plastics, Rubber & Packaging
- Ceramic Components Glass & Ceramic Products
- Data Center Equipment Telecom, Computing & Data Centre
- Home Appliances Home Appliances, HVAC & Commercial
Price Trend — Los Angeles
Live rate for the linked route page, shown here for a quick read before you click through.
Checking the United States duty position yourself
Every duty and tax figure quoted on this page is our working estimate for planning, not a ruling. The binding rate for your consignment is whatever U.S. Customs and Border Protection applies against your declared HS code on the day of entry, and their published guidance is the source to check before you commit stock.
Most landed-cost surprises trace back to classification rather than freight. the WCO Harmonized System defines the heading structure every customs administration builds on, and ITC Market Access Map will show you the duty a given heading attracts in this destination.
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.
Watch: the process behind this route
This guide covers routing and clearance for Los Angeles. The video below covers the wider shipping process that sits around it.
4 Key Stages to US Customs Clearance — USA Customs Clearance. 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.