Import freight into the US: air and ocean, priced live to your door
Live import prices into the US: a 40 foot high cube from Shanghai to Los Angeles ran $8,507 to $9,229, two pallets by air from Shanghai $5,470 to $7,092, and two pallets by sea from Manchester from $1,196 on Warp’s captures through October 28, 2026. Prices that end at a US door carry the customs entry, and you see every line before you book, with no forwarder login.
Live all-inclusive rates
How much is air freight to the US?
On Warp’s live captures, two pallets by air ran $5,470 to $7,092 from Shanghai to Los Angeles, $5,164 to $5,633 from Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles, $6,168 to $6,393 from Mumbai to New York and $2,978 to $3,070 from Manchester to Los Angeles: about $5.47 to $15.63 per kilogram of cargo, 11 to 13 days from Shanghai, airport or full door by tier.
What does a US import price include?
A Warp price that ends at a US door itemizes every line before you book: the freight, the origin handling, the US customs entry and, by sea, the Importer Security Filing (ISF), plus the delivery truck. On the Oct 20, 2026 Shanghai to Los Angeles container, the US customs entry was $49.75 and the ISF filing $11.06. Duty, import tax and the federal entry fees are billed to the importer after arrival.
Do I need a freight forwarder to import into the US?
Not to get a price or to book. Warp prices imports live with no forwarder login: tiered rates locked online, booking confirmed the same day. When the ocean price ends at a door, the customs entry and ISF filing are itemized in it and filed by Warp’s licensed forwarder partners; Warp itself is not a customs broker. Duty, import tax, the MPF and HMF entry fees, a customs bond if you don’t hold an annual one, and any exam or storage fees are billed to the importer after arrival.
Warp customers
US import prices, dated and real
Every number below is a real production quote from Warp’s live rate engine, with its capture date and service scope on the row. Rates move with sailings, flights and fuel; the card above prices your exact lane in about a minute.
| Mode | Lane | Load | Live quote | Transit | Scope | Captured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean FCL | Shanghai to Los Angeles | 40'HC, 15,876 kg (35,000 lb) | $8,507 to $9,229 | 18 days | Port or full door by tier | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Ocean FCL | Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles | 40'HC, 15,876 kg (35,000 lb) | $8,377 to $9,387 | 21 to 22 days | Port or full door by tier | Oct 27, 2026 |
| Ocean FCL | Mumbai to New York | 40'HC, 15,876 kg (35,000 lb) | $9,971 to $16,161 | 39 to 50 days | Port or full door by tier | Oct 27, 2026 |
| Ocean LCL | Manchester, UK to Los Angeles | 2 pallets, 544 kg (1,200 lb) | $1,196 to $3,230 | 21 to 55 days | Port or full door by tier | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Ocean LCL | Hamburg to Newark, NJ | 4 pallets, 1,361 kg (3,000 lb) | $1,880 to $3,689 | 18 to 34 days | Port or full door by tier | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Air | Shanghai to Los Angeles | 2 pallets, 454 kg (1,000 lb) | $5,470 to $7,092 | 11 to 13 days | Airport or full door by tier | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Air | Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles | 2 pallets, 454 kg (1,000 lb) | $5,164 to $5,633 | 12 days | Airport or full door by tier | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Air | Mumbai to New York | 2 pallets, 544 kg (1,200 lb) | $6,168 to $6,393 | 12 days | Airport or full door by tier | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Air | Manchester, UK to Los Angeles | 2 pallets, 544 kg (1,200 lb) | $2,978 to $3,070 | 7 to 10 days | Door to door | Oct 28, 2026 |
Per kilogram on these captures: a full 40 foot high cube moved freight for $0.53 to $1.02, pallets in a shared container for $1.38 to $5.93, and air for $5.47 to $15.63.
What the price leaves for after arrival
Customs clearance is in a price that ends at a US door. These are billed to the importer of record after arrival:
- Duty and import tax on the goods
- Federal entry fees: MPF at 0.3464% of the declared value (with a minimum and a cap), plus HMF at 0.125% on ocean freight
- A customs bond, unless the importer holds an annual one: a single entry runs about $5.50 per $1,000 of declared value, $55 minimum
- Exam, storage or permit fees, only if customs holds the goods
Get your number
The steps of a US import
Price and book first: the live quote returns tiered prices by sea and air, and you lock one online.
Door to door tiers collect from your supplier; port and airport tiers start when the freight reaches the port or airport abroad.
By sea, the Importer Security Filing goes to US Customs at least 24 hours before the container is loaded, and it is itemized in the price.
The crossing runs 18 days by sea from Shanghai to Los Angeles and 11 to 13 days by air, by tier.
At arrival the US customs entry is filed for you, also itemized, and the freight goes on to your door, your 3PL or Amazon FBA.
Duty and the federal entry fees are invoiced to the importer of record after it lands.
Air import or ocean import
On Warp’s captures, air ran $5.47 to $15.63 per kilogram against $0.53 to $1.02 for a full container by sea, and it arrived in 11 to 13 days from Shanghai where the container took 18 days.
Fly what a launch date or a stockout needs, and send the rest by sea.
A full container, a shared container, or pallets by air
A 40 foot high cube holds about 20 pallet positions and ran from $8,507 out of Shanghai.
For a few pallets, shared container space priced by the pallet is usually the cheaper buy: two pallets from Manchester ran from $1,196, four from Hamburg from $1,880.
The live quote prices each option for the same lane, so the choice is a comparison, not a guess.
Where an import can start
Warp prices imports by port and airport from China, Vietnam, India, South Korea and Taiwan, and by postal code from the UK and much of Europe, into any US ZIP.
China, Vietnam, India, South Korea and Taiwan each have their own page with dated captures for their main lanes.
Frequently asked questions
What is ISF (10+2) and who files it?
The Importer Security Filing is the shipment data US Customs requires for ocean freight at least 24 hours before the container is loaded abroad: who sells, who buys, what the goods are and where they were packed.
On a Warp ocean price that ends at a door, the filing is itemized in the price and filed by Warp’s licensed forwarder partners. Air freight doesn’t need one.
How long does it take to import freight into the US?
On Warp’s captures, a container ran 18 days from Shanghai to Los Angeles, 21 to 22 days from Ho Chi Minh City and 39 to 50 days from Mumbai to New York; air ran 11 to 13 days from Shanghai and 12 days from Mumbai, by tier.
Can I import a few pallets instead of a full container?
Yes.
Shared container space and air both price by the pallet: two pallets from Manchester to Los Angeles ran from $1,196 by sea, about $2.20 per kilogram, and two pallets from Shanghai ran from $5,470 by air.
Can Warp deliver my import to Amazon FBA?
Yes. After clearance, Warp transloads at its own dock and delivers into Amazon FBA, retail DCs, or your 3PL with LTL, FTL, box truck, or cargo van under one tracking spine.
About the Warp freight network
More about the Warp freight network
Warp is the open source freight network: the tech is free and the network is open. We run Warp LTL, our own carrier, Warp FTL, cargo van, box truck and fulfillment ourselves, with every major LTL carrier, parcel, ocean, air and drayage plugged in beside them. Our driver app rides on every truck and our warehouse app runs every cross-dock, so an open network of 38,000+ carriers behaves like one carrier you control. Warp is licensed by the FMCSA as a property broker and freight forwarder, and runs the network itself: instant rates, live tracking, 70+ cross-dock facilities, 14,000+ cargo vans and box trucks, 80%+ US LTL zip-to-zip coverage and nationwide FTL, box truck and cargo van.
The network is supported by 24,000+ vetted FTL carriers.
Unlike traditional brokers, Warp uses AI to match the right vehicle to every load based on weight, dimensions, urgency, and cost targets. Cross-dock operations reduce transit time by eliminating unnecessary terminal transfers.
Pool distribution and zone-skipping programs help enterprise shippers lower per-unit delivery costs while maintaining tight appointment windows.
Self-serve shippers can quote, compare, and book freight online in under two minutes. Enterprise accounts get dedicated capacity planning, committed rate programs, and a named operations team. Every shipment includes scan-level visibility from pickup through final delivery.
Warp operates across the contiguous United States with regional density in the Southeast, Texas, Midwest, and Northeast corridors, and West Coast and Southwest coverage from Los Angeles, Seattle and Phoenix.
Warp operates 70+ cross-dock facilities across the US, with named markets including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, New York, Savannah, Orlando, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Columbus, Denver, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Dallas-Fort Worth, Nashville, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Los Angeles. They support faster transfers and fewer touches on recurring lanes.
Freight modes and vehicle types
| Mode | Max payload | Max cube | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo van | 3,500 lbs | 400 cu ft | Time-sensitive, last-mile, light pallets |
| Box truck | 10,000 lbs | 1,500 cu ft | Regional distribution, no dock required |
| LTL | Per-pallet | Shared trailer | Lower per-pallet cost via cross-dock routing |
| Dry van / FTL | 42,000+ lbs | Full 53-ft trailer | High-volume lanes, recurring programs |
Cargo vans handle loads up to 3,500 pounds and 400 cubic feet, ideal for time-sensitive deliveries, last-mile retail replenishment, and lightweight palletized freight.
Box trucks carry up to 10,000 pounds and 1,500 cubic feet, fitting most regional distribution and store delivery needs without requiring a loading dock.
Dry vans and full truckloads move 42,000+ pounds for high-volume lanes and recurring programs. LTL shipments share trailer space on optimized routes through Warp cross-docks, reducing per-pallet cost by consolidating multiple shippers on the same vehicle.
Warp does not default every shipment to a 53-foot trailer. The AI engine evaluates load weight, cube, delivery window, and cost to recommend the right vehicle. Shippers see all available mode options with live pricing in one comparison screen before booking.
Cross-dock operations
Cross-docking at Warp facilities keeps freight moving instead of storing it: inbound freight is sorted and transferred directly to outbound vehicles, typically within hours. When inventory does need to sit, Warp's fulfillment centers in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and New Jersey hold it inside the same network, with same day delivery within 30 miles of each.
This reduces dwell time, lowers damage risk, and compresses delivery windows. Warp cross-docks support pallet-in, pallet-out operations with scan-level tracking at every handoff point.
- Atlanta — Southeast retail flow
- Chicago — Midwest manufacturing and replenishment
- Houston — Texas industrial distribution
- New York — dense Northeast delivery
Facility locations are selected for corridor density: Atlanta handles Southeast retail flow, Chicago serves Midwest manufacturing and replenishment, Houston covers Texas industrial distribution, and New York supports dense Northeast delivery. Each facility operates on appointment-based scheduling to prevent congestion and maintain throughput consistency.
Enterprise freight programs
Enterprise shippers get committed rate programs, dedicated account management, and custom SLA design. Warp builds lane-by-lane rate structures that account for volume commitments, seasonal variation, and mode flexibility. Operations teams monitor shipment execution daily and intervene proactively when exceptions occur.
Self-serve freight quoting
Shippers enter origin and destination, load details, and delivery requirements to see live rates across all available modes. Quotes include estimated transit time, vehicle type, and total cost.
Booking takes one click. After booking, shippers track every shipment with real-time GPS location, milestone updates, and proof of delivery documentation.
Industries and use cases
Retail shippers use Warp for store replenishment programs that deliver to hundreds of locations per week on tight appointment windows. Apparel brands use zone skipping to bypass regional parcel sortation and reduce per-unit delivery cost.
Food and beverage companies rely on time-definite delivery for perishable goods. Manufacturing operations use Warp for inbound vendor consolidation, combining multiple supplier shipments into fewer, fuller loads through cross-dock facilities.
Distribution companies use pool distribution to serve multiple delivery points from a single origin, splitting full truckloads at cross-docks into smaller last-mile vehicles.
Urgent freight recovery covers emergency capacity needs when primary carriers fail or demand spikes unexpectedly. Middle-mile optimization reduces cost and transit time on the longest segment of multi-leg shipments.
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