Asia → North America
Transpacific Eastbound
The highest-volume container trade into the United States, planned around its seasonal peaks.
How this lane works
Transpacific eastbound is the highest-volume containerised trade into the United States, and the one where the booking calendar matters more than the rate. Two annual events dominate it: the pre-peak build ahead of North American retail season, and the factory shutdown around Lunar New Year, which pulls a month of production forward into a compressed shipping window. Both are known months in advance, so both can be planned for early.
The second decision on this lane is the discharge coast. A West Coast call plus inland rail is usually the fastest way into the American interior, while a direct East Coast service via Panama or Suez trades transit for a single handover and no inland rail exposure. The right comparison is door to door, with drayage, rail dwell and destination free time included.
Compliance timing on this trade is unforgiving in one specific place. The Importer Security Filing is due twenty-four hours before the container is loaded at the foreign port, not before it sails and not before it arrives. On a short origin leg those two moments can be days apart, and a filing built around the sailing date is a filing that arrives late.
Indicative transit
- Ocean, US West Coast
- Roughly 2.5–4 weeks port to port
- Ocean, US East Coast
- Roughly 4–6 weeks port to port
- Air
- Days rather than weeks
Indicative ranges. We quote the services currently operating and flag anything that could affect the schedule.
- Ocean, US West Coast
- Direct services are quickest; transhipment adds a week or more.
- Ocean, US East Coast
- Routing via Panama or Suez changes both the transit and the exposure to canal conditions.
- Air
- Door to door adds handling, screening and clearance at both ends.
Key planning factor
Planning around seasonal peaks
Transpacific demand concentrates ahead of retail peak and around Lunar New Year factory closures. Rates and space move sharply in those windows and every shipper on the trade is competing for the same slots. The cost of a peak shipment is largely decided in the booking window months earlier, not in the week it ships.
Gateways
Where this lane starts and finishes.
The ports and airports we use most on this corridor, where routing options are widest. Other gateways are available on request.
Origin gateways
- Shanghai
- Ningbo
- Shenzhen
- Busan
- Ho Chi Minh City
Destination gateways
- Los Angeles / Long Beach
- Oakland
- Seattle / Tacoma
- New York / New Jersey
- Savannah
Planning notes
What we check before booking.
- Book peak-season capacity in the planning window rather than during peak.
- Decide West Coast plus inland rail against direct East Coast on total door-to-door cost and time, not port-to-port.
- File ISF against its own 24-hour-before-loading deadline, not against the sailing.
- Confirm free time at the destination terminal before booking, and plan clearance inside it.
Services on this corridor
What we run on this lane.
Ocean Freight
FCL, LCL and specialised equipment on the main east–west and transatlantic trades, with VGM, ISF and free time managed as part of every booking.
SVC-01Air Freight
Time-critical and high-value cargo on established airline and handling partners, with chargeable weight, screening and documents confirmed before booking.
SVC-05Customs & Compliance
Classification, entry preparation and regulatory filings coordinated with licensed customs brokers, so cargo clears smoothly.
SVC-03Rail Freight
Inland and intercontinental rail wherever it outperforms road on cost and ocean on time, including the China–Europe corridors and North American intermodal.
Lane questions
Transpacific Eastbound, answered.
How long does ocean freight from China to the United States take?
Indicatively two and a half to four weeks port to port to the US West Coast on a direct service, and roughly four to six weeks to the East Coast depending on whether the routing runs via Panama or Suez. Transhipment adds a week or more. These are indicative ranges: a single omitted port call moves them, so we quote the range and the reason it moves.
When should I book for transpacific peak season?
In the planning window rather than during peak. Demand concentrates ahead of North American retail season and again before Lunar New Year factory closures, and in those windows every shipper on the trade is competing for the same slots. The cost of a peak shipment is largely decided when the booking is placed, not in the week it ships.
Should I route through the West Coast or straight to the East Coast?
It depends on where the goods are going and how much inland rail exposure you want to carry. West Coast plus rail is usually quicker into the interior; a direct East Coast call is a single handover with no rail dwell risk. Compare them door to door, including drayage, inland transit and destination free time, because the port-to-port comparison hides most of the cost.
What is the ISF deadline on a transpacific shipment?
Twenty-four hours before the cargo is loaded aboard the vessel at the foreign port. That is the loading moment, not the sailing and not the arrival. On this trade the practical consequence is that the filing data has to be assembled while the container is still moving to the terminal.