How long does sea freight from India to the USA take?

Port to port is typically 22 to 35 days. Nhava Sheva or Mundra to the US West Coast is faster than to the East Coast. Add 7 to 14 days for customs, drayage and receiving, so plan 35 to 50 days door to door.

Is LCL or FCL cheaper?

LCL is cheaper until you are filling roughly half a 20 foot container. Past that point a full container is usually cheaper per unit and arrives faster because it skips deconsolidation.

Can sea freight go directly into Amazon?

It can, but a rejected delivery at an Amazon fulfillment center is expensive and slow to fix. We land freight in our own Texas warehouse, inspect and prep it, then send compliant cartons into FBA.

What documents does ocean freight need?

Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, and an ISF filing before the vessel sails. Late or inaccurate ISF filings carry penalties, so this is not a step to leave to the last day.

Ocean freight · LCL and FCL

Sea freight from India to the USA.

The workhorse of the India to USA lane. Sea freight carries most ecommerce restocks because it is the cheapest way to move volume, provided you plan around a 35 to 50 day door to door window rather than hoping for the best case.

Get a freight quote Estimate the cost

22-35

days port to port

35-50

days door to door

LCL

from one pallet

$0.75

per unit prep on arrival

When sea freight is the right call

Ocean is right when your demand is predictable enough to order 6 to 8 weeks ahead. It is wrong when you are about to go out of stock on a ranking product, because the saving on freight never covers the lost BSR and the lost Buy Box. Most sellers we work with run sea as the default and keep a small air lane open for emergencies.

The break point between LCL and a full container usually arrives around half a 20 foot container. Below that, LCL lets you ship from a single pallet. Above it, FCL is normally cheaper per unit and faster, because your cargo is not waiting to be deconsolidated with everyone else's.

What drives the cost per CBM

Ocean freight is priced by volume, so the carton decisions made in your Indian factory set the invoice you pay in America. Wasted air inside cartons is paid for twice: once in freight and again in storage. Origin port, destination coast, season, and capacity all move the rate, which is why a quote from three months ago is not a quote today.

Then there is everything that is not the ocean leg: export clearance, terminal handling, ISF filing, US customs duty against your HTS code, drayage from port to warehouse, and deconsolidation. Sellers who compare only the ocean line item are surprised by the landed cost.

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