Container Shipping vs Air Freight: Choosing the Right Method for Your International Move
Important Disclaimer: All shipping costs, transit times, and fee estimates in this article are approximate based on industry averages as of early 2025. Actual costs vary significantly based on origin/destination, volume/weight, season, current market rates, fuel surcharges, and other factors. Transit times are estimates and subject to delays due to weather, port congestion, customs, and other variables. Always request current quotes from shipping companies for accurate pricing specific to your situation. International Van Lines provides customized quotes based on your specific needs.
When Sarah accepted a two-year consulting contract in Dubai, she faced a decision that stumps most people planning international moves: should she ship her belongings by ocean container or air freight?
Her furniture and household goods weren’t super valuable, but they were hers. She’d carefully curated her apartment over years. Starting completely over would cost thousands. But she also needed her stuff relatively quickly since her company was only covering two weeks in temporary housing.
After getting quotes for both methods, Sarah discovered what many people learn: there’s no universally “better” option. The right choice depends entirely on your specific situation, timeline, budget, and what you’re shipping.
Understanding Container Shipping
Container shipping means your belongings travel by cargo ship in steel shipping containers. This is the traditional method for international household moves and what most people use.
How It Actually Works
Your household goods get packed into wooden crates or directly into the container. The container travels by truck to a port, gets loaded onto a cargo ship, sails across the ocean, clears customs at the destination port, and gets delivered to your new home.
You have two main container options: shared container (also called consolidated shipping) or exclusive use container.
Shared containers mean your belongings share space with other people’s shipments. The moving company loads multiple customers’ goods into one container. This is cheaper because you only pay for the cubic feet you use. Most smaller moves (studio or one-bedroom apartments) use shared containers.
Exclusive use containers are dedicated entirely to your shipment. You might have a 20-foot container (fits 2-3 bedroom home) or 40-foot container (fits 3-4 bedroom home) all to yourself. This costs more but offers better security and faster processing.
Realistic Transit Times
Here’s where people get surprised. Ocean freight isn’t fast. The actual sailing time is just the beginning. Port processing, customs clearance, and ground transportation add significant time.
US East Coast to Europe: 6-8 weeks total The sailing takes 10-14 days, but your container sits at origin port for 1-2 weeks waiting for a ship with available space, then sits at destination port for 1-2 weeks during customs clearance and processing.
West Coast to Asia: 8-10 weeks total Ocean transit is 14-21 days depending on destination. Add port time on both ends, customs clearance in Asian countries (which can be slow), and inland delivery.
US to Australia: 10-14 weeks total This is one of the longest routes. The sailing itself takes 4-5 weeks. Australian customs and quarantine inspections add time. If your container gets flagged for detailed inspection, add another week or two.
We once helped a family ship from Boston to Melbourne. They packed their container in early March. It arrived at their new home in early June. That’s three months from door to door. They’d underestimated the timeline and ended up living with borrowed furniture for an extra month.
What Container Shipping Costs
Shared container costs depend on volume. Companies charge by cubic feet or cubic meters. Expect:
- 100 cubic feet (small studio apartment): $1,500-2,500
- 250 cubic feet (one-bedroom apartment): $2,800-4,500
- 500 cubic feet (two-bedroom house): $5,000-8,000
- 1,000 cubic feet (three-bedroom house): $9,000-15,000
Exclusive 20-foot container: $3,000-6,000 depending on destination Exclusive 40-foot container: $5,000-11,000 depending on destination
Those numbers are base shipping costs. Add customs duties, destination port charges, delivery fees, and insurance. Most people discover their total cost runs 30-50 percent higher than the initial quote once all fees are included.
Understanding Air Freight
Air freight means your belongings fly as cargo on commercial airlines. This is faster but significantly more expensive and limited in what you can send.
How Air Freight Works
Your items get packed into specialized air freight containers or pallets. They’re trucked to an airport, loaded onto cargo planes, flown to your destination, clear customs, and get delivered.
Most international moves using air freight are small shipments—a few boxes, essential items you need quickly, or specific valuable items that justify the cost.
Realistic Transit Times
Air freight is genuinely faster than ocean, but not as dramatic as you might think. The flight itself might only be 12-20 hours, but ground handling and customs processing still take time.
US to Europe: 1-2 weeks total The flight is less than a day, but your shipment might wait 2-3 days for available cargo space on a plane. Customs clearance takes 3-5 days. Ground delivery adds another 2-3 days.
US to Asia: 2-3 weeks total
Similar situation. The flight is quick, but cargo space availability, customs, and ground handling create delays.
US to Australia: 2-4 weeks total Australia’s strict biosecurity requirements mean even air freight faces customs delays. Your shipment won’t be significantly faster than your physical arrival.
One client shipped essential documents and laptops via air freight from San Francisco to Singapore. The flight took 16 hours. The boxes arrived at his office 11 days later. He expected next-day delivery and was shocked by the actual timeline.
What Air Freight Costs
Air freight costs vary wildly based on weight, volume, and destination. Airlines charge by either actual weight or volumetric weight (dimensional weight), whichever is higher.
Volumetric weight calculation: Length x Width x Height (in cm) divided by 5,000 equals volumetric weight in kg. This formula means bulky, lightweight items cost a fortune to ship by air.
Approximate costs:
- 50 kg (110 lbs) to Europe: $800-1,500
- 100 kg (220 lbs) to Europe: $1,500-2,800
- 50 kg to Asia: $900-1,800
- 100 kg to Asia: $1,800-3,500
- 50 kg to Australia: $1,000-2,000
- 100 kg to Australia: $2,000-4,200
These rates are for the flight itself. Add origin handling charges ($100-200), destination handling charges ($150-300), customs clearance fees ($100-250), delivery costs ($75-150), and insurance.
Notice that 100 kg is only 220 pounds. That’s maybe 8-10 boxes of household items. Air freight becomes prohibitively expensive very quickly for normal household moves.
Comparing the Methods Side by Side
Let’s take a realistic scenario: moving a one-bedroom apartment’s worth of belongings from New York to London.
Container Shipping:
Volume: approximately 250 cubic feet Ocean freight cost: $3,200 Origin port fees: $250 Destination port charges: €400 ($430) Customs clearance: $200 Inland delivery: €180 ($195) Insurance (1.5% of goods value): $300 Total: approximately $4,575 Timeline: 6-8 weeks door to door
Air Freight:
To ship 250 cubic feet by air, you’d need to be selective. Let’s say you ship 300 kg (660 lbs) of essentials instead. Air freight rate: $3,800 Origin handling: $150 Destination handling: $250 Customs clearance: $175 Delivery: $120 Insurance: $200 Total: approximately $4,695 Timeline: 2-3 weeks door to door
For this scenario, the costs are surprisingly similar. But notice what you’re getting: full one-bedroom apartment contents by container versus roughly 12-15 boxes by air freight.
Air freight only makes sense when speed matters more than cost and you’re shipping limited volume.
When Container Shipping Makes Sense
Container shipping is the right choice for most international household moves. Use containers when:
You’re shipping furniture and large items. Couches, beds, tables, appliances—these are impossible or prohibitively expensive to ship by air. If you’re taking furniture, you’re using containers.
You’re moving a full household. Anything beyond a few boxes of essentials requires container shipping. The cost per cubic foot becomes reasonable when you’re shipping substantial volume.
You have time for the transit. If you’re moving for a permanent job or retirement and can wait 2-3 months for your things, containers work perfectly. Plan to arrive a few weeks before your container and live with basics during the gap.
Cost is a primary concern. Container shipping offers the best cost per pound or cubic foot. You maximize value when shipping substantial weight and volume.
You’re shipping a vehicle. Cars and motorcycles travel in containers (or via RoRo shipping). Air freight isn’t an option for vehicles.
One family we worked with moved from Seattle to Amsterdam for a permanent relocation. They shipped a full 20-foot container with furniture, appliances, boxes of household goods, bicycles, and a small motorcycle. Total cost was $6,800. Shipping that same volume by air would have cost $40,000+, and airlines wouldn’t even accept most of those items.
When Air Freight Makes Sense
Air freight is the right choice in specific situations. Use air freight when:
You need items quickly. If your job starts immediately and you need your belongings within 2-3 weeks, air freight might be worth the premium. But be realistic about actual transit times.
You’re shipping very limited volume. If you’re only taking a few boxes of essentials and buying furniture at your destination, air freight’s higher per-pound cost becomes manageable because you’re shipping so little.
You’re moving temporarily. A short-term contract overseas doesn’t justify shipping full household contents. Air freight a few boxes of clothes and personal items, then ship more by container if you extend your stay.
Your items are extremely valuable. High-value art, jewelry, or collectibles might justify air freight for security reasons. Shorter transit time means less exposure to damage or theft.
Container shipping isn’t available. Some destination routes lack regular container service or have extremely long transit times. Air freight provides the only reasonable option.
A consultant we worked with took a six-month project in Dubai. He air-freighted three boxes of clothes, his laptop and electronics, and some personal items. Total cost was $850. He rented a furnished apartment and bought anything else he needed locally. When the project ended, he carried most items home in luggage and abandoned cheap purchases. This made perfect sense for his situation.
Hybrid Approach: Using Both
Many international moves use both container and air freight strategically. You ship most belongings by container and air freight a small package of essentials you need immediately.
This approach works well when you can’t wait months for your container but want the cost efficiency of ocean shipping for your main belongings.
Example strategy:
- Air freight 2-3 boxes of essential clothes, toiletries, important documents, laptop, and must-have items. Cost: $500-900. Timeline: 2-3 weeks.
- Container ship all furniture, bulk household goods, and everything else. Cost: $4,000-7,000. Timeline: 2-3 months.
You arrive with what you need to function for a few weeks. Your air freight arrives within 2-3 weeks with enough supplies to last comfortably. Your container arrives 2-3 months later with everything else.
The combined cost is higher than container-only, but the convenience of having essentials quickly often justifies the extra $500-900 for air freight.
Items You Can’t Ship Either Way
Both shipping methods have restrictions on hazardous materials. You cannot ship:
- Flammable liquids or gases
- Aerosol cans
- Batteries (sometimes exceptions for installed batteries in electronics)
- Paint, solvents, cleaning chemicals
- Ammunition, explosives, fireworks
- Compressed gases
- Certain chemicals and pesticides
Perishable foods are prohibited in most cases. Some countries have specific restrictions on any food products due to biosecurity.
Plants and plant material face heavy restrictions. Australia, New Zealand, and other countries ban or severely restrict importing plants.
Alcohol and tobacco have limits and high duties in many countries. Shipping your wine collection internationally is complicated and expensive.
Customs Considerations
Your shipping method doesn’t change customs requirements much. Either way, you’ll complete customs declarations listing your goods and their value. Duties and taxes apply based on the destination country’s rules.
Air freight sometimes clears customs faster simply because it’s prioritized. But don’t count on dramatic differences. Both methods involve customs processing that can create delays.
Some countries inspect a percentage of containers randomly. If yours gets selected, expect delays. Air freight is less likely to face detailed physical inspection, though it certainly happens.
Proper documentation matters more than your shipping method. Accurate inventory lists, commercial invoices, and required certificates prevent customs delays regardless of how goods travel.
Making Your Decision
Start by answering these questions:
How quickly do you need your belongings? If you can’t wait 8-12 weeks, consider air freight or a hybrid approach. If time isn’t urgent, containers offer better value.
What’s your budget? Air freight costs 3-5 times more per pound than containers. If budget is tight, containers are the only realistic option for normal household volumes.
How much are you shipping? More than 300-400 pounds makes air freight prohibitively expensive. Less than 200 pounds might make air freight viable if you need speed.
What items are you taking? Furniture requires containers. A few boxes might work via air freight.
Is this permanent or temporary? Permanent moves justify the cost and effort of container shipping. Temporary assignments might work with air freight only.
Talk to moving companies about both options. Get specific quotes for your situation with realistic timelines. The companies that specialize in international moves can guide you based on your destination and circumstances.
Don’t Forget About Excess Luggage
Sometimes the cheapest “shipping” method is just paying airline excess baggage fees. If you’re taking just a few extra boxes, bringing them as checked luggage might cost less than any freight method.
Airlines charge $100-200 per extra bag on international flights. Six extra bags costs $600-1,200. For limited items, this beats air freight costs and is faster—your bags arrive when you do.
The limit is size and weight restrictions. Most airlines cap individual bags at 50-70 lbs and have dimension limits. But for clothes, books, and personal items, excess luggage is worth considering.
Making Your International Move Easier
Whether you choose container shipping, air freight, or a combination, international moves involve complex logistics and paperwork. Working with experienced professionals who handle these shipments daily makes the process substantially smoother.
We’ve helped thousands of families move internationally and can advise on the best approach for your specific situation. We handle all the documentation, coordinate with overseas partners, and ensure your belongings arrive safely.
Get Your Free International Moving Quote
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I track my container shipment?
Yes, containers have tracking numbers and you can follow the vessel’s progress online. However, tracking shows general vessel location, not real-time container status. You’ll know when the ship is at port, but not precisely where your container is in the stacking yard.
Is air freight more likely to result in damage?
Not necessarily. Both methods involve handling and potential for damage. Container shipments face longer exposure to movement and weather. Air freight involves more frequent loading/unloading. Proper packing matters more than shipping method.
What if I underestimate how much I’m shipping?
With containers, you pay for space used. If you ship less than estimated, you might get a refund. If you ship more, you pay the additional cubic footage. With air freight, final charges are based on actual weight, so estimates are just estimates.
Can I ship frozen food or refrigerated items?
Generally no. Container ships and air cargo aren’t refrigerated unless you pay for specialized reefer containers, which are extremely expensive and usually reserved for commercial shipments. Don’t ship food that requires refrigeration.
How much insurance should I get?
Insure for the full replacement value of your items. Standard liability coverage is inadequate. Full value insurance costs 1-3% of the declared value but provides actual protection if something goes wrong.
What if my container or air freight shipment is delayed?
Delays happen. Port congestion, customs inspections, weather, labor strikes, and countless other factors create unpredictable delays. Build buffer time into your plans. Don’t schedule container delivery the day before you host Thanksgiving dinner in your new country.
