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The two published rates
We publish two rates and they are the only two we have. Both are hub to door: from the moment your cartons arrive at our Foshan hub to the moment they are delivered to your Singapore address, with the import permit and customs clearance done in between. The same figures appear on the pricing page and in the CBM calculator.
Sea LCL is charged by volume: S$82 per cubic metre (CBM), with a minimum of 1 CBM. Your cargo shares a container with other customers' cargo, so you pay for the space you occupy and nothing more. A shipment smaller than 1 CBM is charged at the minimum, S$82, because a single carton still occupies a slot on the vessel.
Air freight is charged by chargeable weight, from S$6.00 per kg for general cargo, with a minimum of 10 kg. Chargeable weight is the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight, where volumetric weight is length × width × height in centimetres ÷ 6000. Light, bulky cartons are charged on volume; dense cartons on the scale weight. Below 10 kg the minimum charge of S$60 applies.
| Mode | Charged by | Rate | Minimum | Hub to door |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea LCL (shared container) | Volume in CBM | S$82 per CBM | 1 CBM | 10–14 days |
| Air freight (general cargo) | Chargeable weight in kg | From S$6.00 per kg | 10 kg | 3–5 days |
| Sea FCL (20', 40', 40'HC) | Per container | Quoted per booking | One container | 10–14 days |
Why a full container is quote-only
We do not print a price for a 20-foot, 40-foot or 40-foot high-cube container, and that is deliberate. Carrier rates for full containers move weekly, so any figure printed on a website is wrong within days. Instead we quote each FCL booking on the day you ask. Get a quote and you have a reference number immediately and a written quote the same business day. If you are not sure whether your volume justifies a full container, LCL vs FCL sets out where the crossover usually sits.
What the rate includes and what it does not
The per-CBM and per-kg figures are meant to be the whole freight bill. The list below is the same list that appears on your written quote.
| Included in the rate | Not included |
|---|---|
| Receiving and carton check at the Foshan hub | GST at 9% and any duty, passed through at cost |
| Consolidation of several suppliers into one consignment | Collection from your supplier to the hub (the supplier delivers to us) |
| Sea or air freight to Singapore | Storage beyond 5 days at the hub, at S$20 per CBM per day |
| Singapore import permit and customs clearance | Special handling: stairs, timed delivery, unpacking |
| Delivery to your Singapore address | |
| Cargo cover in transit at declared invoice value | |
| 5 days' storage at the hub while your consignment comes together |
Tell us what you're shipping.
Send the details and any invoice or packing list you have. You get a reference number immediately and a written quote the same business day.
What you pay on top: GST and duty
Singapore charges GST at 9% on the import value of goods. Singapore Customs defines that value as the CIF value: the cost of the goods, plus insurance, plus freight, plus duty if any. The rules are set out on the Singapore Customs pages on GST on imports and establishing customs value.
Duty is narrower than most importers expect. It applies only to liquor, tobacco, motor vehicles and petroleum products. Everything else is duty-free and still GST-liable. As Registered Declaring Agent we lodge the permit, pay the GST at clearance and pass it through on your invoice at cost. Our GST and customs clearance guide goes into the detail, including why the commercial invoice must show the real value of the goods.
How to estimate your own cost
You need three things from your supplier: the carton dimensions, the weight per carton and the number of cartons. They are usually on the packing list. With those, the estimate is arithmetic.
- Work out the CBM. Length × width × height in metres gives the volume of one carton; multiply by the number of cartons. A carton of 60 × 50 × 40 cm is 0.6 × 0.5 × 0.4 = 0.12 CBM, so 25 such cartons are 3 CBM.
- For sea, multiply by the rate. 3 CBM × S$82 per CBM is your indicative sea freight, hub to door. If the total is under 1 CBM, the S$82 minimum applies instead.
- For air, find the chargeable weight. A carton of 50 × 40 × 30 cm is 60,000 cubic centimetres, ÷ 6000 = 10 kg volumetric. If it weighs 8 kg on the scale, it is charged at 10 kg; if it weighs 14 kg, at 14 kg. Ten cartons at 10 kg chargeable are 100 kg × S$6.00 per kg.
- Add GST. Take 9% of the CIF value: goods plus insurance plus freight. That figure is paid to Singapore Customs and passed through at cost.
The CBM calculator does this for any number of carton types at once and shows the indicative figure from the published rates.
Indicative rates, the written quote and how you pay
The published rates are indicative. The figure you rely on is the one on your written quote, which we send the same business day you ask. Nothing is booked and nothing is payable until you confirm that quote. When the goods are delivered to your Singapore address, you pay the freight plus the GST we paid at clearance, by cash or PayNow. There is no deposit and we do not take card details.
Restricted goods are priced case by case
The air rate is for general cargo. Batteries, liquids, powders, food, cosmetics, magnets and medicines can be shipped in many cases, but they need the right paperwork and sometimes a different rate. Contact us before shipping and see the restricted goods guide.
For the whole process from supplier to door, read the China to Singapore shipping guide. The sea freight guide and the air freight guide go deeper into each mode. When you have your carton details, get a quote and we will confirm the figure in writing.