If you have a shipment from the USA to the UK which is not big enough to fill a full shipping container (even a 20’ shipping container), you might be asking whether you should arrange your LCL USA to UK sea freight or air freight USA to UK. There are various positives (and negatives) for both modes of shipping.
Shipping Transit Times USA to UK
Time is typically a big factor when it comes to international trade. Air freight USA to UK is a much speedier mode than sea freight, taking a matter of hours airport to airport (for direct flights), up to 4 days for indirect. Add a few days either side for airline handling, loading, screening, customs clearances, and you’re looking at 3-7 days door to door for air freight USA to UK.
For LCL USA to UK, the location of the goods in the USA will affect the transit time port to port. If your goods originate on the East Coast of the US, then port to port transit can take as little as 7 days. However, if your goods are on the West Coast, this would look more like 30 days port to port. LCL requires a few extra days than FCL for consolidation, loading, and unpacking at destination, so expect the transit time door to door to range from 15 days to as much as 40 days.
Cost of Shipping from USA to UK
Air freight is a more costly option than sea freight. Costs for air freight and LCL sea freight are dependent on the weight and dimensions of the shipment (unlike FCL, where the cost is flat, even if the container is not completely full). There are intricate calculations for air freight weight measure and LCL sea freight is calculated similarly, up to 1000kg per 1cbm (where you are either charged the actual weight or the amount of space the shipment takes up, whichever is greater).
If your air freight shipment is particularly small, but heavy, you are likely to be charged based on the actual weight of the shipment, however, if it is large and light, the chargeable weight will be based on the space it takes up. For LCL sea freight, you are likely to be charged per cubic meter, unless the shipment weighs more than 1000kg per 1cbm.
Other things to consider for Shipping from USA to UK
Ensure that you know your commodity code for the goods you are importing into the UK. You can check the rates of import VAT and duty on the HMRC trade tariff – select the country of origin and the rates will populate.
Understand your incoterm and which part of the shipping journey is your risk and responsibility. The incoterm will be agreed with your supplier in the US, common terms are FOB (free on board), EXW (ex-works), CFR (cost and freight), and CIF (cost, insurance and freight). There are 11 incoterms which are internationally recognised and set out clearly who is responsible for what. If you need advice, your freight forwarder is a good first port of call.
Ensure you choose a UK based freight forwarder with good connections in the US to assist with the process, particularly if you are purchasing on EXW or FOB. A freight forwarder like Mercator with a longstanding relationship with a partner agent based in the US will be able to arrange for pick up from the supplier’s door, US export customs, and freight to the UK. That way, you will only require one point of contact: your UK forwarder who will arrange the rest for you.
Make sure your company is registered in the UK for importing, this is a very simple thing to do but one which can easily get overlooked if you are new to importing. Failing to do so in advance of your shipment arriving in the UK can cause delays, which inevitably end up incurring charges for storage. Mercator will check your paperwork and will ensure that you have the necessary registrations in the UK to import prior to the departure of your shipment.
LCL USA to UK Shipping
Mercator’s import team regularly handles freight from the US to the UK. We were recently tasked with shipping 5 pallets from New York to the UK. Due to each pallet weighing around 360kg, the customer opted for LCL USA to UK to keep the costs down. Teamed with the fact that the goods were in New York, with a short transit time of 7 days, LCL sea freight was the preferred option. Our customer purchased the goods on an EXW term, so our team arranged a full door to door shipment in conjunction with our partner agent based in the US.
If you have a shipment from the US to the UK, for either air freight or sea freight, get in touch with our team who will be happy to provide you with a quote. You can get in touch with our team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and our team will get back to you.
