Ocean Freight Guide
Container shipping is the most cost-effective method for large shipments from China to Canada. This guide covers FCL vs LCL, port pairs, transit times, and customs clearance on arrival.
Container shipping from China to Canada takes 12–35 days depending on the port pair. Vancouver and Prince Rupert are the fastest routes for western Canada. Choose FCL (full container) for large volumes or LCL (shared container) for smaller shipments under ~15 CBM. Eztrans books FCL and LCL from all major Chinese ports.
Container Options
You book an entire container. Your cargo loads at the factory, seals, and ships directly to the destination port. Most cost-effective when cargo fills 60–70% or more of the container.
Your cargo shares a container with other shippers. You pay per cubic meter (CBM). Cost-effective for volumes under approximately 15 CBM.
Routes
Indicative port-to-port transit times. Add 2–5 days for customs clearance and inland delivery.
| Origin Port (China) | Destination Port (Canada) | Transit Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai (SHA) | Vancouver (VAN) | 12–16 days |
| Ningbo (NGB) | Prince Rupert (PR) | 11–15 days |
| Shenzhen (SZX) | Vancouver (VAN) | 13–18 days |
| Shanghai (SHA) | Montreal (MTL) | 28–35 days |
Container Specs
25–28 CBM / ~18,000 kg payload
Common for dense cargo — machinery, industrial goods
55–58 CBM / ~26,500 kg payload
Most common container type for consumer goods
67–68 CBM / ~26,300 kg payload
Extra height for lightweight bulky cargo — furniture, appliances
Container Selection
Container dimensions affect how efficiently your cargo loads and how it needs to be secured for the ocean voyage.
A 20ft standard container is the smallest of the three common ocean container types. Its shorter length and lower cubic volume make it well suited to dense, heavy cargo — machinery parts, metal goods, tile, or palletized materials — where the weight limit is reached well before the container is visually full. Because it is shorter, a 20ft container is also easier to maneuver on tight factory loading docks and can sometimes be positioned where a longer container cannot.
A 40ft standard container roughly doubles the internal length of a 20ft unit without doubling the weight allowance by the same margin, which makes it the more common choice for general consumer goods, cartons, and mixed palletized shipments where cubic space runs out before the weight limit does. Most general cargo moving from China to Canada travels in 40ft standard containers because the ratio of volume to weight suits typical retail and industrial goods.
A 40ft high-cube container has the same footprint as a 40ft standard unit but extra internal height, which suits cargo that is bulky or tall relative to its weight — furniture, appliances, plastic goods, or cargo stacked on taller pallets. Because the extra height doesn't change the container's road footprint, high-cube units are generally as easy to handle inland as standard 40ft containers, though some inland routes or rail corridors have height restrictions worth confirming with your forwarder before booking.
Shipment Planning
Beyond volume alone, transit time and handling risk are worth weighing before you book.
The FCL vs LCL choice ultimately comes down to how your cargo volume compares with a full container's capacity, but a few other factors are worth weighing alongside cost. With FCL, your goods are loaded, sealed, and generally not opened again until they reach their final destination, which reduces the number of times the cargo is handled and lowers the chance of damage or loss along the way. FCL cargo also tends to move on a more predictable schedule, since the container isn't waiting on other shippers' goods to arrive before it can be consolidated.
LCL cargo, by contrast, is combined with shipments from other shippers at an origin consolidation warehouse and then split apart again at a destination facility. This consolidation and deconsolidation step adds handling — and therefore adds some time and a marginally higher risk of mishandling or mix-ups — compared with a sealed FCL container. For smaller shipments, though, LCL avoids paying for space you won't use, and it lets importers bring in smaller, more frequent shipments rather than waiting to accumulate a full container's worth of goods. Many importers use LCL for sampling new products or for lower-volume, slower-moving SKUs, and shift to FCL once order volumes grow large enough to fill a container efficiently.
Booking Process
Booking an ocean container starts with reserving space on a specific vessel sailing with an ocean carrier, based on the cargo's readiness date and the intended destination port. Once the carrier confirms the booking, an empty container is allocated and released for pickup — either delivered to the factory or supplier's premises for FCL loading, or dropped at a container freight station (CFS) where LCL cargo is consolidated with other shipments before it's stuffed into a shared container.
After loading, the container is sealed and returned to the origin port to be loaded onto the booked vessel according to its published sailing schedule. Vessel schedules are set well in advance but can shift due to port congestion, weather, or carrier routing changes, so it's normal for a forwarder to reconfirm the vessel and sailing date closer to departure. Because space on popular routes can be limited during peak shipping periods, booking early relative to the cargo's readiness date helps avoid delays in securing equipment and vessel space.
Destination Options
Once a container is discharged at a Canadian port, there are a few ways it can reach its final destination, and the right choice depends on how far inland the cargo needs to travel and how much flexibility is needed at the receiving end. Direct delivery moves the ocean container itself — on its own chassis — straight from the port to the importer's door, which keeps handling to a minimum since the cargo isn't touched between origin and destination. This option works well when the destination is within a reasonable trucking distance of the port and can accept an ocean container for unloading.
For destinations further inland, many importers instead have their cargo transloaded — unloaded from the ocean container and reloaded into a domestic 53ft trailer — at a port-side facility, such as those near Vancouver. Domestic trailers are better suited to long-haul trucking across Canada and can sometimes be loaded more efficiently for inland distribution networks, though transloading adds an extra handling step compared with direct delivery. A third option is moving the container inland by rail to an inland terminal closer to its final destination, which can be an efficient way to cover long distances before a shorter final truck movement takes over. Which option makes sense depends on the destination, the cargo, and how it fits into the importer's broader distribution network — a topic worth discussing with your forwarder when planning a shipment.
FAQ
Clear answers for Canadian importers evaluating freight forwarding, China–Canada shipping, and integrated logistics options.
FCL (Full Container Load) is generally more cost-effective once your cargo fills roughly 60–70% of a container. For smaller volumes, LCL (Less-than-Container Load) is better — you share a container with other shippers and pay per cubic meter. The typical threshold is about 15 CBM.
Shanghai to Vancouver: 12–16 days. Shenzhen to Vancouver: 13–18 days. Ningbo to Prince Rupert: 11–15 days. Shanghai to Montreal: 28–35 days. Add 2–5 days for customs clearance and inland delivery.
FCL rates fluctuate with market conditions. Indicative ranges: 20ft container USD 2,000–3,500; 40ft container USD 3,000–5,000. LCL is typically USD 80–200 per cubic meter. Request a current quote from Eztrans for accurate pricing.
Your customs broker files a customs entry with CBSA. CBSA may release the container immediately (the majority of shipments) or select it for examination. After release, the container is transported by truck or rail to your warehouse or drayage depot.
Eztrans books FCL and LCL from all major Chinese ports into Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Montreal. Contact us for current rates.