Shipping from China to Canada

Transit times are port-to-port estimates. Add 2–5 days for customs clearance and inland delivery.

1. 1

   Origin pickup and export clearance in China

   The shipping chain starts at the supplier's factory or warehouse in China, where cargo is packed and picked up by a local trucking company arranged through the freight forwarder's China office. If an order combines goods from more than one supplier, everything is typically consolidated at a warehouse near the departure port so it can be inspected, repacked if needed, and shipped as a single consignment. Before it can leave the country, the cargo must clear Chinese export customs — the correct HS classification is applied, an export declaration is filed, and any export licensing or inspection requirements are confirmed. Cargo isn't released to the ocean terminal or airline until export clearance is complete.

2. 2

   Carrier booking: ocean or air

   With export clearance sorted, the next step is booking space with an ocean carrier or an airline, and the right choice comes down to the specific shipment rather than a single fixed rule. Ocean freight — whether a full container (FCL) or shared space in a container with other shippers' cargo (LCL) — generally suits larger or less time-sensitive orders, while air freight is chosen when speed outweighs the extra handling a smaller, lighter shipment requires. Shipment size, urgency, and how sensitive the goods are to a longer transit time all factor into that decision. Many importers use both modes at different times of year, moving routine restock orders by ocean and reserving air freight for shipments that can't wait.

3. 3

   Transpacific transit

   Once loaded, the shipment enters transpacific transit — the ocean voyage or flight that carries it across the Pacific toward Canada. Depending on the routing, an ocean shipment may sail directly to a Canadian port or connect through an intermediate transshipment hub, while air shipments typically move on a more direct routing given the smaller number of transpacific gateways. While cargo is in transit, the importer's paperwork — commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, and any permits the goods require — is prepared and matched to the shipment so that a customs entry can be submitted before arrival rather than after. Transit time can shift with weather, port congestion, and carrier schedules, which is why it's usually quoted as a range.

4. 4

   Canadian arrival and import customs clearance

   On arrival — typically at a West Coast port such as Vancouver or Prince Rupert for ocean cargo, an eastern port for some eastern-routed shipments, or a major Canadian airport for air cargo — the shipment must clear Canadian import customs before it can move any further inland. The Canada Border Services Agency reviews the customs entry, confirms the tariff classification and declared value used to calculate any duty and tax owing, and can select a shipment for further documentary or physical examination. Filing the entry before the vessel or flight actually lands is what allows a shipment to be released promptly once it arrives, rather than sitting at the terminal while paperwork is still being prepared.

5. 5

   Drayage, inland trucking, and transloading

   Clearing customs releases the cargo, but it still needs to physically get from the port or airport to wherever it's actually headed next, and how that happens depends on the destination. A short local truck move — drayage — from the terminal to a nearby warehouse or distribution centre is often all that's needed for destinations close to the arrival port. For cargo continuing further inland, ocean containers arriving on the West Coast are commonly transloaded — unloaded and reloaded into domestic trailers or rail cars sized for the Canadian highway and rail network — rather than trucking the international container the full distance across the country.

6. 6

   Final delivery to the importer

   The last stage is final delivery: moving the cargo from the drayage yard, transload facility, or rail ramp to the importer's own warehouse, store, or distribution centre. Larger shipments and destinations with limited dock space usually need a delivery appointment booked in advance so receiving staff are ready when the truck arrives. Once the delivery is accepted and signed for, the shipment is complete, and proof of delivery is typically issued to close out the file.