Why nobody can quote you a single number
Ocean rates move weekly with capacity on the trade lane. A 40' from Shanghai to San Antonio has traded across a very wide range in recent years, and anyone quoting you a fixed figure without knowing your cargo, your Incoterm and your timing is guessing.
What does not move is the structure. Here is what the invoice is made of.
The six blocks
- Origin charges: pickup inside China, export clearance, terminal handling and documentation
- Ocean freight: the sea leg, plus surcharges — BAF for fuel, CAF for currency, peak season where it applies
- Destination charges: terminal handling in Chile, and deconsolidation if you shipped LCL
- Customs: clearance fees, plus duty — usually 0% from China with a certificate of origin — and 19% VAT on CIF plus duty
- Inland: trucking from the port to your warehouse and the empty return
- Optional: cargo insurance, warehousing, inspection
The number you should budget against
VAT at 19% applies to the CIF value plus duty, not to the product price. So freight and insurance increase your VAT bill, which catches people out when they compare an FOB purchase against a CIF one.
It is recoverable if you are VAT-registered, but it is cash you have to find at clearance, which is a cash-flow question rather than a cost one.
Where you can genuinely save
- Buy FOB rather than DDP, so you see the freight and can negotiate it
- Always get the certificate of origin: it is usually the difference between 0% and 6% duty
- Consolidate several suppliers into one shipment and one customs entry
- Move from LCL to a 20' once you are near 15 CBM — the cost per CBM drops sharply
- Collect promptly at destination; demurrage is the most avoidable cost in the chain
Getting a real figure
Send us the origin port, the commodity, the packed weight and dimensions, and the Incoterm. You get a quote within 24 hours with all six blocks itemised, in CLP and USD, with a validity date on it.
That is a landed cost you can put in a spreadsheet. A freight rate on its own is not.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a container from China to Chile cost?
There is no fixed figure: ocean rates move weekly with capacity. What is fixed is the structure — origin charges, freight, destination charges, customs, inland transport and optional extras. Ask for a landed-cost quote rather than a freight rate.
Is VAT charged on the freight?
Yes. Chile's 19% VAT applies to the CIF value plus duty, so freight and insurance increase the VAT you pay at clearance. It is recoverable if you are VAT-registered, but you need the cash at the time.
What is the biggest avoidable cost?
Demurrage. It is charged when the container sits beyond its free days, and it is almost always avoided by having the documentation ready and the truck booked before the vessel arrives.
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