Search results for shipping from China to France often show rates that are out of date. This engine uses current rates and transit times instead.
The CSL team has 15+ years of China–Europe shipping experience and uses its own shipment records. The rates and transit times come from CSL shipments to Le Havre, Fos-sur-Mer, Paris and Lyon. Start with four quick questions about cargo, size and destination. The engine then compares 2026 market rates for express, air, ocean LCL/FCL, rail, trucking and DAP/DDU or DDP door-to-door lines. It recommends the best option for your cargo, with a cost range and the reason for the recommendation.
Fill in weight, volume, cargo type and destination above to get a recommendation.
Sensitive cargo (batteries, liquids, powders, chemicals or food) needs DG handling and cannot be priced automatically. Rates depend on the cargo class, MSDS and carrier approval, so each shipment is quoted separately.
Request a quoteChoose a China origin and a French destination. The map then traces the sailing route, and the rate card updates with 2026 market rates and transit times from current schedules.
Most Asia–Europe services still round the Cape of Good Hope. On that route, Shanghai to Le Havre takes 40–48 days, while Fos-sur-Mer takes 38–46 days and diverts at Gibraltar. Dunkerque follows the Channel approach and takes 41–49 days.
Some carriers have resumed limited Suez transits. When available, those express services can cut the sailing to 22–26 days for an extra charge. The red dashed line marks the limited express service.
CSL also covers these additional ports, inland terminals and door-to-door delivery across France.
Choose a China origin airport and a French airport. Then compare air freight rates per kilogram at the +100 / +300 / +500 kg tiers.
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is the main import airport. It has scheduled all-cargo flights and cargo space on passenger flights from China. By contrast, Lyon (LYS) and Marseille (MRS) usually connect through a European or Gulf hub. Air freight bills on chargeable weight, so one CBM is billed as 167 kg.
Once cargo arrives, DGDDI (Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects, French Customs, or “la Douane”) handles customs clearance for the import. France is an EU member, so Chinese goods clear under the EU Common Customs Tariff. The 20% TVA (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée, French VAT) applies to the customs value. It also applies to import duty and other related costs included in the taxable amount. After clearance, the goods move freely across the whole EU. Because no China–EU FTA is in force, Chinese-origin goods cannot claim a lower tariff under a trade agreement.
Four variables explain 90% of your price: mode, volume, Cape routing, and the week you book. The 2026 market reference rates below come from our own China–France route data.
| Shipping Mode | Billing Unit | 2026 Reference Rate | What You Should Know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean FCL — 20ft | Per container | $1,450 – $1,900 | Direct port-to-port service to Le Havre, Fos-sur-Mer or Dunkerque. South China origins have the lowest rates. North China costs more, and Suez express services cost extra. |
| Ocean FCL — 40ft | Per container | $2,450 – $3,700 | Direct port-to-port service to Le Havre, Fos-sur-Mer or Dunkerque. Below ~13–15 CBM of cargo, LCL usually costs less. Above that volume, book a full container. |
| Ocean LCL | Per CBM | $95 – $160 | W/M: 1 CBM = 1,000 kg, whichever is greater. The rate includes consolidation at origin. Destination terminal handling, container freight station (CFS) handling and delivery charges are quoted separately unless your quote is explicitly all-in. |
| Air freight | Per kg (chargeable) | $2.50 – $4.50 | Airport-to-airport into Paris CDG. The weight tiers are 100 kg and up, 300 kg and up, and 500 kg and up. The lowest rates use the 500 kg tier, and the highest rates use the 100 kg tier. Lyon (LYS) and Marseille (MRS) usually connect through another hub. One CBM bills as 167 kg. |
| Express courier | Per kg (chargeable) | $4.50 – $10.00 | Door-to-door in 4–7 days. Most express carriers bill 1 CBM as 200 kg. Parcels under 21 kg often cost more, and per-box limits depend on the carrier. |
| Sea DDP line | Per kg | $2.00 – $2.70 | All-in door-to-door: duty, 20% TVA, French customs clearance and delivery included. Nothing to pay on arrival. Delivery takes 35–50 days. |
| Air DDP line | Per kg | $6.00 – $8.80 | All-in door-to-door with duty and 20% TVA included. Air DDP takes 5–10 days, between standard air freight and express courier. |
These are reference rates, not a price list. Ocean and air rates move weekly, so the rate on your written quote matters most. Four factors drive most of the price change:
This range shows how much the total price can change. The exact split depends on the mode, booking week and changes in surcharges.
The base freight rate for the shipment: a full container (FCL), per-CBM (LCL) or chargeable kg (air). After the Red Sea disruptions, this is the cost item that changes most on the invoice.
Red Sea risk premiums, fuel (BAF), peak season (PSS), congestion and security fees. Allow 15–30% on top of base freight. The increase is higher when carriers divert around the Cape.
Chinese pickup, export clearance and terminal handling. French THC, CFS handling and port fees at Le Havre, Fos-sur-Mer or Dunkerque. Billed per container or CBM, often higher than base freight on small shipments.
20% TVA applies to the customs value, duty and other taxable charges. Delivery also includes DGDDI entry and final trucking. VAT-registered businesses reclaim TVA on the next return; bonded storage defers duty and TVA until release. DDP includes these costs; FCL shows them separately.
Transit time is the biggest difference between quotes. A “43-day” service means 43 days on the water, not to your door.
France is at the western end of the Asia–Europe corridor, and ports on its two coasts follow different schedules.
Services to Fos-sur-Mer enter the Mediterranean at Gibraltar two to four days before the Channel ports. Services to Le Havre continue past Biscay into the Seine estuary. Services to Dunkerque follow the same Channel approach.
The table compares every major mode port-to-port and door-to-door:
| Shipping Mode | Transit time (Port / Airport) | Door to Door | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean FCL — via Cape of Good Hope | 39–49 days sailing | 43–55 days | Most Asia–Europe services use this route. Red Sea risk still keeps many services around the Cape of Good Hope. Le Havre and Fos-sur-Mer receive direct services. Fos enters the Mediterranean at Gibraltar, while Le Havre continues past Biscay into the Channel. South China origins are 1–2 days faster than Shanghai. |
| Ocean FCL — Express Suez service | 22–26 days sailing | 26–32 days | The fastest ocean option when carriers offer Suez transits. Some services have resumed, but Red Sea conditions still change weekly. These services cost more, availability changes by season, and space is limited. Book weeks ahead. |
| Cross-border trucking | Daily departures | 18–26 days | Express trucks travel door-to-door through the China–Europe road corridor. France is on the main route. There is no detour through a third country, no sailing schedule and no port waiting time. Loads range from a few pallets to a full trailer. |
| Ocean LCL | +3–7 days vs FCL | 42–56 days | Consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at the Le Havre or Fos CFS each add roughly half a week. |
| Air freight | 2–3 days (CDG) | 4–7 days | CDG carries scheduled all-cargo flights plus cargo space on passenger flights from China. LYS and MRS typically connect through a European (AMS / FRA) or Gulf (DXB / DOH) hub. |
| Express courier | — | 4–7 days | Fastest door-to-door. Common per-box limits are around 65–70 kg but vary by carrier. Heavier cartons are usually quoted as air freight. |
| Sea DDP line | — | 35–50 days | Duty and 20% TVA are paid at booking. You do not handle a separate clearance step. |
| Air DDP line | — | 5–10 days | It clears French customs and delivers to the door. Use it when courier costs too much and ocean is too slow. |
| Rail freight (China–Europe) | 15–20 days terminal-to-terminal | 22–30 days | Xi’an or Yiwu to Duisburg takes 15–20 days, then 1–2 days by road into France. Origin pickup, terminal transfers and customs make up the door-to-door time. Use rail when ocean is too slow and air is too expensive. |
The chart compares every mode on the same door-to-door timescale. Cape-routed ocean services take 43–55 days door-to-door. Limited Suez express services and cross-border trucking finish in under a month:
Door-to-door transit days, China to France. Air and courier include pickup and customs; ocean lanes add clearance and delivery on top of sailing time.
Airport choice changes speed. CDG normally takes 2–3 flying days on a direct service. Connections through Lyon or Marseille can add one handling day. A missed connection adds more.
Whatever the mode, your door-to-door journey is four separate stages:
Container space and booking deadlines.
Cape routing; Fos diverts at Gibraltar.
DGDDI entry; checks add time.
Distance from Le Havre or Fos.
Flight space and cargo readiness.
CDG direct or one connection.
DGDDI entry; checks add time.
Distance from Paris or Lyon.
Stages are shown in delivery order. Duration ranges depend on schedules, customs checks and final-mile distance.
Where your container lands affects delivery time and cost. Le Havre is the main China port for France. It is the country’s largest container port and receives direct Asia–Europe services. Trucking to Paris takes about 2–2.5 hours. Fos-sur-Mer is the fastest Mediterranean entry through the Strait of Gibraltar and serves the Rhône corridor. Dunkerque serves Hauts-de-France near the Belgian border.
Peak season changes port and trucking conditions. In the Q4 peak, deep-sea terminals can queue and trucking capacity can tighten. Atlantic storms can also delay Channel docking by one or two days. All times are port-to-port from Shanghai. Use the ocean matrix above to choose your origin.
Le Havre receives direct China services for northern France. Fos-sur-Mer enters the Mediterranean at Gibraltar for the Rhône corridor. Dunkerque covers Hauts-de-France from the Channel coast.
The default port for almost all Chinese cargo into northern and central France. Direct Asia–Europe services unload here, with short trucking into Paris, Rouen and the Seine corridor.
The Marseille–Fos port complex enters the Mediterranean at Gibraltar, two to four days before the Channel ports. It is the natural choice for Lyon, the Rhône corridor, Toulouse and the south, with direct China services on the main Asia–Med routes.
The third French container port serves Hauts-de-France and Lille without a Paris detour. Direct China services are limited, so many boxes connect through Rotterdam or Antwerp before a short road journey south.
Ocean door-to-door generally takes 43–55 days on Cape-routed services. Red Sea conditions still keep many Asia–Europe services around the Cape of Good Hope, but some carriers have resumed limited Suez transits. Weekly schedules change.
Le Havre takes 40–48 days port-to-port on those Cape services, and Fos-sur-Mer takes 38–46 days. Fos diverts at Gibraltar two to four days earlier.
When Suez service is available, express services can cut sailing time to 22–26 days for an extra charge (+$600 per 20ft / +$900 per 40ft). Air freight reaches Paris CDG in 2–3 days airport-to-airport, or about 4–7 days door-to-door. Express courier takes 4–7 days.
Use Le Havre as the standard choice. It is France’s largest container port and the main China port for the Paris basin. Trucking to Paris takes about 2–2.5 hours.
Fos-sur-Mer is the usual port for Lyon, the Rhône corridor and the south. It arrives two to four days earlier on Mediterranean services.
Dunkerque serves Hauts-de-France and Lille without a Paris detour. Direct China services are limited.
DGDDI (Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects, French Customs) calculates import duty on the customs value under the EU TARIC schedule. A simplified port example is CIF $1,000 + duty $60 = $1,060. TVA is 20% of $1,060, or $212. Total duty and tax are $272.
For formal import VAT, the taxable amount can also include other import charges and related costs up to the first destination. Use the simplified CIF + duty figure only as an estimate.
France is an EU member and no China–EU FTA is in force. Chinese goods pay the general MFN rate on almost every HS code.
Core set: Commercial Invoice, Packing List, and Bill of Lading (sea) or Air Waybill (air). Businesses importing for commercial purposes generally need an EU EORI number. Declarations file electronically with DGDDI.
Food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics need EU or French registration. Products covered by EU rules need CE marking and a technical file or declaration. Product labels must carry information required for the French market.
Yes — goods can be held in an EU bonded warehouse before duty and 20% TVA are paid. Taxes become due only when the goods enter free circulation; if they are re-exported outside the EU, neither is due.
This is useful for distribution across the EU in stages or inventory management. Ask us to plan clearance and warehousing when booking.
Our Air and Sea DDP lines are all-in door-to-door rates. The per-kg price includes China pickup, freight, French import duty, 20% TVA, DGDDI clearance and final delivery.
Sea DDP runs about $2.00–$2.70/kg in 35–50 days; air DDP runs $6.00–$8.80/kg in 5–10 days. You pay nothing extra on arrival.
DAP (the current Incoterms term; DDU is its older label) and DDP both deliver to the named French destination. DAP/DDU leaves French import duty and 20% TVA unpaid. Your importer of record, normally with an EU EORI, pays them to French customs (DGDDI).
DDP includes duty, TVA and DGDDI clearance in the quoted price. DAP/DDU therefore shows a lower freight rate. The total delivered cost depends on the HS-code duty rate and the 20% TVA on the customs value.
Yes, but they need special handling and cannot be priced by the automatic estimator. Lithium batteries normally need UN38.3 test reports, carrier acceptance and dangerous-goods packaging for each transport mode. Other battery chemistries are checked separately.
Cosmetics and food need EU or French registration and labels that meet French and EU rules. Liquids and powders need an MSDS.
Send the product details and we will check whether clearance is possible and quote case by case.
Air freight costs much more per kilogram than ocean freight. The exact difference varies widely with chargeable weight, routing and booking week. Use it for urgent restocks, high-value goods, samples and light, bulky cargo.
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) carries cargo space on passenger flights plus scheduled China all-cargo flights. Lyon (LYS) and Marseille (MRS) more often connect through a European or Gulf hub.
Chargeable weight determines the price: one CBM bills as 167 kg.
Yes. Our dangerous-goods team prepares compliant sea and air export plans, secures space with carriers and airlines that accept DG, and handles Class 2–9 cargo.
We review the product, MSDS and UN number, arrange UN-approved packaging and DG declarations, and confirm carrier acceptance, routing and documents before shipment.
Yes. Our project-cargo team ships special-container sea freight (open-top and flat-rack), out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo, breakbulk, RoRo and oversized air freight through major Chinese ports and airports.
We arrange lifting plans, lashing and securing, route surveys, port or airport handling and door delivery for machinery, construction equipment and heavy project cargo.
Yes. We arrange full and part charters from major Chinese airports. We can fly to Paris CDG (CDG), Lyon (LYS) or Marseille (MRS) in France. We can also serve other regional airports on request.
Charters are suitable for urgent, high-value, oversize or special cargo that scheduled flights cannot carry.
Send us the route, payload and timeline. We will source the aircraft, landing permits, ground handling and an all-in quote.
From sea, air and rail freight to DAP/DDU or duty-and-TVA-paid DDP door-to-door lines, we handle every step of your China-to-France supply chain. Prices are shown up front, with no hidden fees.
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