Freight from China to Brazil: sea or air, full container or shared

Freight tends to be where the first time importer gets lost. They negotiate the product well, agree a good price with the factory, and then get a shock at the cost of bringing the goods over, or worse, find out too late that they picked the wrong mode and gave up the margin or the deadline. Logistics looks complex, but it comes down to a few decisions, and understanding them puts you in control of the bill.

It all starts with two linked choices: which mode the cargo travels by (sea or air) and, in the case of sea, how it occupies the container (whole or shared). Each combination suits a profile of cargo and of urgency. Let us take them one at a time.

Sea or air: the first choice

The great majority of imports from China come by sea, and for good reason: it is the most economical mode for volume and weight, which is the typical profile of resale cargo. Price is the advantage; the cost is time, since transit takes weeks.

Air freight solves the opposite problem: it is fast, a matter of days, but far dearer per kilo. It shines in specific situations: samples, urgent stock replenishment, high value low weight products, or launches where arriving early is worth the cost. Using air for heavy, cheap cargo burns the margin; using sea when time is critical costs the sale.

FCL or LCL: full container or shared

With sea chosen, along comes the second decision, and here lies a classic doubt for anyone starting out: do I have to fill a whole container? No. There are two formats:

• FCL (Full Container Load): your cargo takes a whole container, booked for you alone. Better cost per volume, less handling and less risk of damage, because nobody else touches your goods. It is worth it when you have enough volume to fill, or almost fill, a container.
• LCL (Less than Container Load): your cargo shares a container with that of other importers, in a consolidation process. You pay for the space you take, generally by cubic metre, plus the consolidation charges. It is the way in for anyone importing smaller volumes.

To size things up, it helps to know the most common container sizes. The capacity figures are approximate and serve as a reference for planning:

The rule of thumb: while your volume is small, LCL is usually the way; when the cargo grows to the point where the cost of LCL approaches that of a container, FCL starts to pay off. It is a calculation redone with every import, according to the size of the order.

How freight is charged: weight or volume

A detail that confuses many people: freight is not always charged by weight. It is charged by chargeable weight, which is the greater of the actual weight and the weight of the volume taken up. The logic exists because light, bulky cargo occupies space that could belong to other cargo.

• By air: the actual weight is compared with the volumetric weight (the volume converted into weight) and the greater one is charged. A large, light box, such as pillows, pays by volume, not by what the scales say.
• By sea in LCL: the charge is generally by cubic metre or by tonne, whichever comes out greater.
• By sea in FCL: you pay for the container, full or not, which rewards anyone who makes good use of the space inside.

A tip that saves money: since volume weighs on the bill, the way things are packed matters. Cutting dead space, optimising the box and negotiating the packaging with the factory can genuinely lower the freight, above all in LCL and by air. It is the kind of detail an experienced partner adjusts before shipment.

The real timing is not just the transit

A common mistake is to look only at the ship’s sailing time and plan stock around it. The real timing of an import is the sum of several stages, and each one takes its own time:

Adding it all up, the full lead time of an import from China usually falls in the range of 60 to 120 days. Planning with that margin is what separates those who have stock at the right moment from those who run out of product in the best selling season. It is worth matching that planning with the step by step guide to importing.

The costs that are not the freight

The international freight charge is only a slice of the cost of bringing the cargo over. Looking at it alone is the fastest route to a margin that does not add up. There is also:

• Terminal and port charges at origin and destination.
• Cargo insurance, which protects the value of the goods in transit.
• Customs clearance and the customs broker’s work.
• Storage, if the cargo sits waiting for release.
• Inland freight in Brazil, from the port to your warehouse.
• Import taxes, which depend on the tariff classification (NCM code) of the product.

All of this also connects to the Incoterm negotiated with the supplier, which defines how far their responsibility goes and where yours begins. Understanding whether you bought FOB, CIF or EXW changes who pays for what in the freight; see the guide to Incoterms (FOB, CIF and EXW) and the one on what it costs to import from China to build the full sum.

How BCVN handles the logistics for you

Logistics is where a good purchase can turn into a headache if badly run, and where an experienced partner makes a difference to cost and timing. BCVN organises the freight end to end: recommending the right mode for your product and your urgency, choosing between FCL and LCL according to volume, consolidating cargo for those importing little, negotiating the terms, handling insurance, clearance and delivery to your warehouse, and folding it all into the cost calculation before you close the purchase.

That way you know, from the planning stage, how much it will cost and when it will arrive, with no freight surprises and no cargo sitting idle. That applies both to those bringing in a full container and to those starting out with a smaller volume in LCL, whether through a third party importer, or for your own brand. That is 18 years running the logistics bridge between China and Brazil, so your cargo arrives in good order, on time and with the right bill.