When importing goods from Asia or overseas, choosing the transport mode is one of the most important decisions. It affects not only the landed cost of your goods but also how far ahead you have to plan your orders. Here is a simple guide.
Quick comparison
| Criterion | Air | Rail | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | fastest – days | medium – weeks | slowest – weeks to months |
| Cost per kg | highest | medium | lowest |
| Suitable volume | small and medium shipments | medium to large | large volumes, full containers |
| Typical goods | electronics, spare parts, samples, urgent deliveries | engineering products, regular deliveries | consumer goods, furniture, materials, heavy goods |
| Carbon footprint | highest | low | low per tonne of cargo |
When to choose air freight
Air freight makes sense when time matters more than cost. Typically for goods with a high value per kilogram, urgent spare parts that stopped production, or restocking before a larger sea shipment arrives.
Watch out for volumetric weight. Airlines charge the higher of actual weight or volumetric weight, usually calculated as length × width × height in cm / 6,000. Example: a 60 × 50 × 50 cm box weighs 8 kg, but its volumetric weight is 25 kg – so you pay for 25 kg.
When to choose sea freight
Sea freight is the cheapest option for larger volumes. If you import regularly and can plan stock ahead, you save far more on each shipment than the longer wait costs you.
- LCL (groupage) – for smaller volumes you pay only for the cubic metres your goods take up.
- FCL (full container) – for larger volumes, often from roughly 13 to 15 m³, a full 20' container is usually better value than LCL.
Remember to add time for loading, port handling, customs clearance and transport from the port to you on top of the voyage itself.
Rail as a middle ground
If air is too expensive and sea too slow, rail or intermodal transport may be the answer. It is usually faster than sea and cheaper than air. Route availability changes, so it needs to be checked for each quote.
Three questions that decide
- When do you really need the goods? With a few weeks to spare, sea saves the most.
- What is the value of the goods per kilogram? The higher it is, the less the air freight cost weighs in the total.
- How big is the shipment? Small shipments by air or courier, large ones by sea or rail.
Not sure? Send us the dimensions, weight and deadline and we will compare several transport options for you.