Indonesia is the largest island country in Southeast Asia. China is Indonesia’s biggest trade partner and an important source of investment.
This guide is about shipping from China to Indonesia, written by one of the leading China freight forwarding companies to answer all the possible questions clients may encounter, including mode of transport, timing, cost, how to ship, how to decide the best way to ship, and what to expect from a freight forwarder for your China-Indonesia shipment handling.
For China-Indonesia trade lane, sea and air freight are the 2 main shipping methods.
Sea freight from China to Indonesia
Sea freight is the answer when shipping cargo from China to Indonesia, for business with limited shipping budget, less pressing delivery deadline, cargo too large or too heavy to be air shipped. Shipping by sea is the most popular mode of transportation, and 90% of the world’s cargo is carried out by sea freight, China-Indonesia shipments are no exception.
The majority of shipments are containerized, and some with bulk cargo ship and RO-RO ship. Besides low shipping cost, large shipping capacity and ability to carry large and bulk shipments, another advantage of sea freight is, it handles almost every type of cargo.
FCL (full container load): shipping a container filled with goods exclusively for one client, cost efficient.
LCL (less than container load): sharing a container with other clients who have cargo at the same time, to the same destination. Naturally due to extra work in LCL (warehousing, consolidation, de-consolidation, paperwork, etc.), the final cost on each unit is higher than shipping FCL, and the transit time is longer.
We offer not only regular FCL and LCL services, but also OOG cargo shipping from China to Indonesia. Our sea freight forwarding services cover all China major seaports, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Qingdao, Tianjin, Dalian, etc.
Major ports of Indonesia
Jakarta
Located on the Northwest Coast of Java Island, capital city, center of economy, culture and politics of Indonesia. Jakarta port has several terminals, of which Port of Tanjung Priok (located in North Jakarta) is the busiest and most advanced Indonesian seaport, handling over 50% of the country’s cargo traffic. In 2021, container throughput was 6.75 million TEU.
Surabaya
Port of Tanjung Perak, located in Surabaya, East Java, is the second busiest sea port in Indonesia.
Annual container volume is over 3.8 million TEU.
Semarang
Port of Semarang is the 3rd largest seaport in Indonesia, handling container shipments, breakbulk, RO-RO, dry and liquid bulk.
Medan
The port of Belawan serves the nearby city of Medan, and it is the busiest port in Indonesia outside Java.
Batam
If you are interested in shipping to an Indonesian port from China, contact us and get a shipping cost from China, and start a stress-free shipping experience
Air freight from China to Indonesia
When coordinating time-sensitive shipments from China to Indonesia, air shipping ensures a fast delivery. Air freight is not so popular, main reason is its high shipping cost. Not everything is worth shipping by air, and not everything is accepted by airlines. Cargoes air shipped from China to Indonesia are often perishable goods, high value equipment, or consignment with pressing delivery deadline. And sometimes people choose air freight for higher level of security.
There are quite a few products that are forbidden by air freight, however, almost everything can be shipped by sea.
Major airports of Indonesia
Jakarta
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (IATA CODE: JKT) is the main airport serving the greater Jakarta area on the island of Java. It’s the busiest and largest airport also the main air cargo gateway to Indonesia.
Other airports include:
Surabaya
Juanda International Airport, IATA CODE: SUB
Medan
Kualanamu International Airport, IATA CODE: KNO
How long does it take to ship from China to Indonesia?
Cargo shipping to Indonesia from China will take 1 day to 20 days, depending on many factors, such as shipping method, port/airport, route, service chosen, weather, seasonal change of shipping market, etc.
China-Indonesia sea freight transit time
Sea container shipping transit time from China to Indonesia (Jakarta, Surabaya)
| POL (port of loading) | POD (port of discharge) | Transit time |
| Shanghai | Jakarta | 12 days |
| Shanghai | Surabaya | 14 days |
| Shenzhen | Jakarta | 6 days |
| Shenzhen | Surabaya | 6 days |
| Qingdao | Jakarta | 14 days |
| Qingdao | Surabaya | 16 days |
The transit time by sea, port to port, depends on the specific origin and destination ports chosen, service route, sailing schedule and choice of carrier.
Above transit time is for full container load shipping, port to port, not door to door
For LCL shipping time estimate, an extra of 7-10 days is required.
China-Indonesia air shipping transit time
Direct flights between China and Indonesia are available, which means transit time of air shipment from China to Indonesia can be only 1 day. As general rule of thumb, for faster speed, higher cost is required. In most cases, we are expecting air cargo to take 3-5 days.
Air freight market changes more frequently than sea freight, contact us for advice on your next air shipment from China to Indonesia, and get a shipping cost from China.
How much does it cost to ship cargo from China to Indonesia?
How much shipping from China to Indonesia costs is dictated by many factors, shipping method, available capacity, oil price fluctuation, sometimes carrier’s strategic adjustment, and other commercial, environmental factors. Shipping cost is an indispensable, sometimes a significant percent of the total cost of importing from China to Indonesia, so knowing the shipping cost from China to Indonesia is essential to your business.
However, each client is unique, and each shipment is different, it’s impossible to provide a general estimate of shipping cost from China to Indonesia. Besides, the shipping market is ever changing. Sea and air freight rates fluctuate with time, affected by supply and demand relationship, as well as by carrier’s strategic adjustment.
Best Way to ship from China to Indonesia
Facing the fast-changing shipping market, different shipments under different circumstances, there’s no one simple answer to the “best way” to ship cargo from China to Indonesia. To decide what the best way is, we’ll have to take the below factors into consideration.
- The type of goods and its value
- How quickly you need your goods
- The load of your goods (size, weight, quantity) or simply share the packing list
- Supplier address (origin seaport/airport), delivery address(destination seaport/airport)
- Goods ready time
China-Indonesia door to door shipping
Sometimes maybe clients are not interested in handling the shipping process or papers, they just want to find a freight forwarder that takes care of everything, the only thing they do is to receive goods when they arrive. You are in the right place if you are seeking door to door shipping service.
we provides customers the easiest one-stop shipping solution, i.e. to have their goods shipped from China to Indonesia door to door. Whatever your shipment is, whether you are shipping a private address, or commercial address, regardless of which shipping method you prefer, sea, air, or express, we got you covered. You are released from all the complexity and perplexity related to international shipping. China-Indonesia door to door shipping is made easy.
How to ship from China to Indonesia
Step 1: Contact a freight forwarder; a China based one is preferred. （We are a great choice for you，We have many years of experience in freight forwarding）
Step 2: Submit shipment details and get a shipping quote from China
Step 3: Connect the freight forwarder with supplier, forwarder does his job
Step 4: Get cargo insurance (optional)
Step 5: Arrange customs clearance
Why us when importing and shipping from China to Indonesia
We are China based freight forwarder, specialized and experienced in international logistics for import and export business, and have been connecting business from Indonesia with China. For importers from Indonesia, we have the below reasons for you to choose us as freight forwarder for your freight shipping from China.
- Quick Response, high efficiency
- Communication
- Professionalism, agility, accuracy
- Our logistics expertise, local and global connections
- Cost-saving
- Dedicated, focused
- Higher attention & tailored shipping solution
With XCJD Freight Forwarder, The preferential price you can get is 80%-90% discount from the official quotation of DHL and FEDEX, UPS, EMS.