Shipping from China to Russia: transit times, routes and cost
Sea, rail and road freight from China to Russia: comparison of transit times and cost, routes via Zabaikalsk and Khorgos, ports of Saint Petersburg and Novorossiysk, Incoterms and logistics cost calculation.
Three main routes
Comparison of the main ways to ship consolidated and project cargo from China to Russia.
| Route | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Sea: Shanghai/Ningbo → Saint Petersburg or Novorossiysk | 30–45 days | Large batches, heavy and oversized equipment |
| Rail: Zabaikalsk–Moscow, Khorgos–Tashkent | 18–25 days | Medium batches, priority cargo |
| Road: Manzhouli/Suifenhe–Blagoveshchensk, Kyzyl–Tashkent | 8–14 days | Small and urgent batches |
| Air (small, high-value items) | 3–7 days | Spare parts, samples, urgent replacements |
Sea freight
Main loading ports are Shanghai and Ningbo, close to Guangzhou where most of our supplier factories are located. In Russia — Saint Petersburg, Novorossiysk and Vladivostok.
Note that rates rise and transit times extend by 1–2 weeks in peak periods (before New Year and before holidays in the destination country). Schedule shipments for the start of a period, not the end.
Rail and road freight
The Zabaikalsk–Moscow rail route takes 18–25 days and is often cheaper than sea freight for batches of 1–20 tons. The Kyzyl–Tashkent route is convenient for deliveries into Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Road freight is the fastest and most flexible option for smaller batches, but requires a complete document set for every item and driver changes along the route.
Incoterms and who pays for what
The delivery term determines where responsibility passes and which costs you carry.
- EXW — seller hands over at its warehouse in China, everything else is on the buyer
- FOB — seller is responsible until loading on board at the port of shipment
- CIF — seller pays freight and insurance to the destination port
- DAP — seller delivers to the buyer’s warehouse but does not unload or handle import clearance