Reference

Freight modes and partners

Freight is the line sellers most often estimate from a single quote and least often model properly. The mode determines the unit cost, the cash cycle, the damage risk and the documentation. These pages explain what each choice actually buys.

Freight is a system, not a rate

A quote is only the transport line. The total cost includes origin handling, export documentation, the freight charge, destination charges, drayage, import clearance, demurrage risk and the cash tied up in transit. Two quotes with the same headline rate can have very different totals.

The mode also changes the business: air shortens the cash cycle but costs more per kilogram; sea lowers the unit cost but requires more working capital and better forecasting. The right choice depends on the product's margin density and the demand uncertainty.

Use the calculators on your own shipment

The shipping cost calculator handles parcel-level cost; the CBM calculator converts cartons into container utilisation; the landed-cost calculator adds duty and tax. Use them together before you commit a purchase order.

Where a charge depends on the carrier, port or season, the page says so and points to the quote. No page presents a current surcharge as permanent.

All entries

FCL versus LCLFull container load is cheaper per cubic metre at volume; LCL lets you ship less but adds handling and consolidation risk. Air freightAir freight is priced on chargeable weight and buys time. It is usually justified by margin density or a stockout. Rail freightRail sits between sea and air on cost and time. It works on specific corridors and needs a partner who knows them. Express versus standardExpress buys days and costs more. Standard is cheaper but changes the delivery promise, returns and conversion. Freight forwarderA forwarder buys capacity, handles documents and coordinates the chain. The quote is only as good as the charges it includes. 3PL versus 4PLA 3PL stores and ships your goods. A 4PL coordinates multiple providers. The difference is control and visibility. DrayageDrayage moves a container from the port to a warehouse. It is short, expensive and full of accessorials. Demurrage and detentionDemurrage is time inside the terminal; detention is time with the container outside. Both are avoidable with planning. Cargo insuranceCarrier liability is limited. Cargo insurance covers the gap between that limit and the invoice value. Bill of lading typesA bill of lading is a receipt, a contract and a document of title. The type decides who can release the cargo.

Use these with

Shipping cost calculator

Billable weight, dimensional weight, fuel, residential and insurance in one estimate.

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CBM calculator

Carton volume, total shipment CBM and container equivalents from carton dimensions.

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Landed Cost Calculator

Add duty, import tax, freight and handling to a goods value to get the true landed cost and per-unit cost.

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Inventory Cash-Flow Calculator

See the cash tied in stock and payout float, the cash cycle in days, runway and the reorder point.

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Tell me when the rules change

De minimis thresholds, import tax rates and marketplace fee schedules move more often than most price lists. Leave an address and we will send a short note when one of the tracked markets changes.

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