A rate per kilogram is the most quoted and least useful number in this trade. It describes one line of a bill that normally has five, and it is quoted for consignments large enough to fill a substantial part of a pallet. Understanding what a forwarder is selling, and what its rate deliberately leaves out, is what turns a set of quotes into a comparison. The short version is that air freight is priced per consignment on chargeable weight, and the rate you are shown is usually airport to airport.
What the forwarder is actually selling
A forwarder buys airline capacity in bulk and resells it. Its core product is the flight plus handling at each end, and the quoted rate normally runs airport to airport. Collection from the shipper, export clearance, import clearance at the destination, duty and import VAT, and delivery from the arrival airport are each separate lines. That is not a trick, it is how the trade is structured, but it means two quotes are only comparable once you have established which of those legs each one contains. Ask for door to door explicitly if that is what you want.
Why rates per kg do not transfer between shipments
Air freight charges on chargeable weight, the greater of actual weight and the consignment's volume divided by the carrier's divisor. A published rate per kilogram therefore describes a density as much as a price, and it applies in bands: the rate steps down as the consignment gets heavier, so a figure quoted for 500kg says little about 50kg. Rates also move with fuel, with the season and with capacity on the specific lane. A rate per kilogram found on a website is a starting point for a conversation, not something you can multiply by your weight.
Inbound to the UK, and what waits at the airport
For air freight arriving in the UK the shipment must be cleared before it can be released, which requires a commodity code, a value and someone acting as customs agent. Import VAT is due on the goods plus freight, with duty above the threshold depending on the code. Storage at the arrival airport is free only for a short period, after which demurrage accrues daily, and this is where shipments that arrived cheaply become expensive. Having the clearance arranged before the aircraft lands is the difference between a smooth import and a mounting storage bill.
Outbound to the USA, and when to use a courier instead
Air freight to the USA follows the same shape, with the added point that US import requirements are strict on the description and the consignee's details, and formal entry applies above a value threshold. For anything under roughly thirty kilograms the parcel networks are normally the better total buy on this lane: Parcel2Go's USA page priced five services on the day it was read with the cheapest at 11.59 pounds, door to door and with clearance included, which is difficult for a forwarder to beat once both inland legs are added back.
Questions people ask about air cargo freight forwarder
What does an air cargo freight forwarder charge for?
Normally the flight plus handling at each end, quoted airport to airport on chargeable weight. Collection, both customs clearances, duty, import VAT and final delivery are usually separate lines.
Are international air freight rates per kg reliable?
Only within the band and lane they were quoted for. Rates step down as consignments get heavier and move with fuel and capacity, so a figure quoted for 500kg tells you little about 50kg.
What is chargeable weight?
The greater of a shipment's actual weight and its volume divided by the carrier's divisor. It exists because aircraft run out of space before they run out of payload.
When should I use a courier instead of air freight?
Generally below about thirty kilograms. The cheapest published door to door figure to the USA in this record is 11.59 pounds, and it includes the clearance and the final delivery a freight rate does not.