How many cases fit in a 20GP and a 40HQ?

Answer: 470 and 960 palletised; floor loaded, a 40HQ takes 1,100 at the cost of unloading time and damage.

How much more does rail cost, and when is it worth it?

Answer: About USD 3.2 a case for 16 days, worth it when the shelf date is inside 30 days or the vessel sails in six weeks.

Does air charge actual or volumetric weight?

Answer: Whichever is higher — 9.8 kg volumetric against 4.6 kg actual.

Do wooden pallets always need ISPM 15?

Answer: Yes for the EU: 56 °C for 30 minutes plus the IPPC stamp, against a return shipment at 40 times the cost.

Should the quote stop at the port or reach the door?

Answer: The gap is about EUR 500 a 40HQ covering THC, clearance, and 220 km of trucking.

Protective Case China to Europe: Sea, Rail, Air

Quick answer: China to Europe runs 38 days by sea at USD 3.18 a case, 20 by rail at USD 6.4, 6 by air at USD 45 — choose by volume and stock window.

Sea, Rail, Air: Sorting by Transit Time First
Sea Freight: 28 to 38 Days on 20GP and 40HQ
Rail: 18 to 22 Days, and the Volume That Pays
Air: 5 to 7 Days and Why It Is Only for Replenishment
Customs, Duty, and Port versus Door
FAQ

1. Sea, Rail, Air: Sorting by Transit Time First

Take 1,100 cases at 580×440×230 mm, Ningbo to Duisburg. Door to door the spread is 32 days: 38 by sea, 20 by rail, 6 by air.

Sea rounds Suez for 19,500 nautical miles; rail covers 11,000 km and changes gauge twice at Malaszewicze; air flies 12 hours and queues for the rest.

Cost does not scale with speed: USD 3.18 a case by sea, USD 6.4 by rail, USD 45 by air.

Lane	Door to door	Minimum	Per case (USD)	Fits
FCL, sea	32 to 38 days	1 × 20GP	2.8 to 3.2	Over 15 m³ a month
Rail	18 to 22 days	15 m³ or 1 × 40HQ	4.7 to 6.4	Restock inside 30 days
Air	5 to 7 days	30 kg	42 to 48	200 cases or fewer

Reverse the logic: count days of stock, then cubic metres, then rates. On a 40-day window a USD 3.2 gap decides nothing; on a 20-day window saved freight will not cover one stockout.

2. Sea Freight: 28 to 38 Days on 20GP and 40HQ

The 28 days are port to port, the 38 door to door, the extra 10 going to cartoning, trucking, declaration, and a berth. Ningbo to Rotterdam runs 30 days, Hamburg 32.

A 40HQ measures 12.03×2.35×2.39 m inside, about 65 m³ usable. One case takes 0.0587 m³: 960 fit palletised, 470 in a 20GP.

China to Europe batch costing reference: bright red case standing upright, one-piece top handle, level mid seam, two latches at the base

Rates land in the unit price: USD 2,200 for a 40HQ is USD 2.3 a case, 1,400 gives 1.5, 3,800 gives 4.0. Count cubic metres first — 960 cases weigh 4.4 t, short of the limit.

Item	Per 40HQ (USD)	Per case (USD)
Ocean freight	2,200	2.29
Origin THC and documents	260	0.27
Destination THC and documents	250	0.26
Customs broker	82	0.09
Inland trucking, 220 km	263	0.27
Total	3,055	3.18

Three orders stay off the water: on-shelf within 45 days, under 8 m³, or DDP over 600 km.

3. Rail: 18 to 22 Days, and the Volume That Pays

Trains leave Chengdu, Xi'an, and Yiwu, exit at Alashankou, change gauge at Malaszewicze, and reach Duisburg in 18 to 22 days — 16 days faster than sea, 14 slower than air, at 2.3 times the rate.

Per box, USD 5,200 for a 40HQ is USD 5.4 a case at 960. LCL runs USD 95 per m³, and under 15 m³ the fixed charges push the unit cost past USD 8.

The gain covers Germany, Poland, Czechia, and Hungary; Italy and Spain add 5 to 7 days of trucking, halving it. Book four weeks ahead before Spring Festival.

Two limits apply: a box is capped at 21 t, and the European gauge is 4.0 m, so a three-pallet stack loses 100 mm and the upright pallet goes to two layers.

4. Air: 5 to 7 Days and Why It Is Only for Replenishment

Air runs 5 to 7 days door to door, 12 hours airborne. Rates sit near USD 4.6 a kg and reach 6.2 in peak season.

Chargeable weight is not actual weight: 0.0587 m³ converts at 1:6000 to 9.8 kg against 4.6 kg actual, so the airline bills 9.8 kg — USD 45 a case, 14 times the sea rate.

China to Europe replenishment count reference: pale pink case upright, curved top handle, smooth mid seam, base latches aligned

Air does samples and up to 200 cases ahead of a stockout. The test is lost sales: a day of shortage at USD 1,500 justifies 10 days of air at USD 4,500 against USD 15,000 lost.

Packaging has its own rules: 32 kg a piece, IPPC marks on crates, five-ply cartons — cheaper at the factory than at the airport.

5. Customs, Duty, and Port versus Door

Plastic cases classify under HS 4202.12 at a 6.5% EU duty, plus VAT by country: Germany 19%, the Netherlands 21%, Italy 22%. Duty is charged on CIF value, so freight raises the tax base.

Anti-dumping depends on material: plastic cases sit outside the EU measures, steel and aluminium bodies must be checked against origin. A plain case needs no CE mark, but an LED brings the EMC directive, and the importer needs an EORI number.

Pallets require ISPM 15: 56 °C for 30 minutes plus the IPPC stamp, EUR 35 a pallet. VAT can be deferred in the Netherlands and Belgium, where the 21% never leaves the account; Germany has no such scheme.

Port and door differ by three charges: CIF stops at the wharf, leaving THC, brokerage, and trucking to the buyer; DAP adds EUR 242 for 220 km, EUR 75 clearance, EUR 185 THC.

Larger buyers run a mix: 80% FCL, 20% held for air, 45 days of stock in Europe, rail as backup.

Monthly volume (m³)	Stockout risk	Lane
Over 30	Low	40HQ FCL, 6 boxes a year
15 to 30	Medium	20GP FCL, two suppliers combined
8 to 15	Medium	LCL or rail groupage
Under 8	High	Rail groupage, urgent lots by air

Conclusion

Sea is the default, rail the accelerator, air the insurance. Four checks settle it: above 15 m³ a month, a 40HQ keeps freight under USD 3.5 a case; inside a 30-day window with 15 m³ or more, rail earns its USD 3.2 premium; air stays for 200 cases or fewer; pallets get ISPM 15 and the delivery point is named in writing. Meet those and 1,100 cases from Ningbo to Duisburg land on time, with the freight bill inside the quote.