


High-volume shippers of furniture, plastics, machinery, and apparel favour sealed 20 ft or 40 ft containers for tighter security and predictable landed costs. Typical port-to-port transits: Rotterdam → New York ≈ 9–12 days; Shanghai → New York ≈ 26–30 days.
SMEs move lower-volume luxury goods, specialty foods, or pharma via consolidation hubs such as Antwerp, Hamburg, and Cartagena, arriving door-to-door in 15–30 days depending on origin and de-consolidation queue.
When speed outweighs cost, ship by air into JFK—handling ≈ 1.3 million t of freight in 2024—or EWR for express connections to the U.S. Northeast. Perfect for high-value electronics, urgent samples, or temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals needing 2–5-day delivery.
Container shipping rates to New York
| Mode & Lane | Typical Transit Window* |
|---|---|
| FCL – N. Europe → NY | 9 – 14 days |
| FCL – Asia → NY (all-water via Panama) | 25 – 35 days |
| LCL – Regional hubs | 15 – 30 days |
| Air Freight – Global | 1 – 7 days |
*Includes sailing time plus average terminal handling and customs.
| Origin Ports | NY/NJ Gateway | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rotterdam • Hamburg • Antwerp | Port Newark / Elizabeth (US NWK / ELZ) | Fast North-Atlantic loops, weekly departures. |
| Shanghai • Ningbo • Yantian | Port of New York & New Jersey | All-water via Panama; daily/near-daily Trans-Pacific departures. |
| Cartagena • Caucedo | PONYNJ | Feeder services supporting LatAm perishables and coffee imports. |
| — | JFK (air) | #1 U.S. international air-cargo gateway by value. |
| — | EWR (air) | FedEx & UPS hubs; late cut-offs for overnight U.S. distribution. |
Common Commodities
Restricted or Permit-Required Goods
Not by law, but iContainers strongly recommends it—winter storms and North-Atlantic swells can cause rollovers or weather damage en route.
Importer Security Filing (ISF), commonly called 10+2, is advance cargo information required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for covered ocean imports.
For most shipments, eight importer data elements must be filed no later than 24 hours before cargo is loaded aboard the U.S.-bound vessel at the foreign port. Stuffing-location and consolidator details have separate timing rules. Your broker or forwarder may require information earlier.
Confirm the responsible filer and its cutoff before loading. Late, missing or inaccurate filings can lead to penalties, holds and additional costs.
Yes. Goods stored in a bonded warehouse or Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ 49) can be manipulated or re-exported without paying U.S. import duty.
