由 caicai8478
I. Core comparison of three logistics methods
Comparison dimensions Sea transport China-Europe railway Air transport
Transport time 30-50 days (Europe) 18-25 days (Europe) 3-7 days
Transportation cost Lowest (about $800-1500/40HQ) Medium (about $4000-6000/40HQ) Highest (about $15000+/40HQ)
Cargo restrictions Almost unlimited Single box weight limit 21-23 tons Strict volume weight restrictions
Suitable cargo volume Large quantity (full container is best) Small and medium quantity (can be LCL) Urgent small quantity
Peak season impact Port congestion risk Train stability is good Airport capacity limit
Environmental protection index Medium High (30% emission reduction compared to sea transport) Low
II. Suggestions for export selection of door and window building materials
- Situations where sea transportation is preferred:
Large-volume orders (especially full-container transport)
Regular orders with low timeliness requirements
Destination ports with complete infrastructure (such as Hamburg and Rotterdam in Europe)
Orders for cost-sensitive customers
Typical route reference:
China to Europe: about 35-45 days
China to the West Coast of the United States: about 15-20 days
China to the Middle East: about 20-25 days
- Situations where China-Europe railway is preferred:
Medium- and high-value door and window products (such as system doors and windows, smart doors and windows)
Orders with certain timeliness requirements but limited budget
Inland destinations (such as railway hubs such as Mala, Poland and Duisburg, Germany)
Emergency replenishment affected by congestion in seaports
Advantageous routes:
Chongqing/Chengdu/Xi’an→Mala, Poland→Europe distribution (18-22 days)
Zhengzhou→Hamburg, Germany (about 20-25 days)
Yiwu→Madrid (about 21 days)
- Situations where air transport is preferred:
Samples or urgent replenishment (small quantity, high price)
Exhibits transportation for international exhibitions
High-end customized products (single item value exceeds $5000)
Special orders where the customer bears the freight
III. Special precautions for door and window product transportation
Packing requirements:
Moisture-proof packaging is required for sea transportation (especially glass components)
Rail transportation requires enhanced shockproof treatment (track vibration is greater than sea transportation)
Lightweight packaging is required for air transportation (charged by volume weight)
Special treatment:
Large door and window components are recommended to be transported in pallets
Glass products are recommended to purchase separate breakage insurance
System door and window electronic components require anti-static packaging
Customs clearance tips:
CE certification and DoP documents need to be prepared in advance for Europe
IGCC certification documents need to be prepared for the United States
Middle East needs to meet GCC certification requirements
IV. 2 Market changes and suggestions for 2023
New trends in shipping:
Capacity on Southeast Asian routes increased (increasing demand for doors and windows in Vietnam and Thailand)
Freight rates on South American routes dropped significantly (Brazil’s construction market recovered)
New developments in railways:
China-Europe Express added a “door and window train” service (Chongqing→Germany)
Capacity on Central Asian routes increased (strong demand for building materials in Kazakhstan)
Combination plan recommendation:
“Sea-rail transport”: Chinese port→Piraeus, Greece→railway to China-Europe (saving 5-7 days)
“Air-land transport”: air transport to hub airports + local truck delivery (suitable for urgent orders in Western Europe)
It is recommended that export companies flexibly choose according to order amount, timeliness requirements and destination conditions. For large conventional orders, a mixed strategy of “80% sea transport + 15% rail + 5% air transport” can be adopted to balance cost and service.