Asking for a per-kilogram rate on the China corridor is asking the right question in the wrong tier. Below the parcel bands there is no rate per kilogram, there is a band: Parcel2Go publishes £10.99 for a parcel on its own China page, read on 10 September 2026, and dividing that by your parcel's weight produces a number that will not hold for the next one. Above the bands a per-kilogram rate is real, and it is not one number.
Air, where per kilogram means chargeable weight
Air freight is priced per kilogram of chargeable weight, the greater of what the shipment weighs and what its volume implies at the carrier's divisor, with a minimum charge underneath. That makes the rate a function of density rather than of mass: two consignments of the same weight can be quoted very differently if one is a pallet of tiles and the other a pallet of cushions. Rates also move with available capacity, which is why an air quote is valid for days.
Sea, where per kilogram is the wrong unit entirely
Sea freight is quoted by the container or by the cubic metre of a shared one. Converting that to a per-kilogram figure is possible arithmetic and useless planning, because filling the space is what changes the number. For anything bulky this is where the real saving on the China corridor lives, and the cost is time: the sailing is the smallest part of a door-to-door timeline that also contains the cut-off, the wait for a shared container to fill and customs at both ends.
What any China price excludes
UK duty and import VAT on arrival, charged on the goods plus the shipping, and the carrier's handling fee for clearing the entry. On a low-value consignment that fixed fee is frequently the largest component. The commodity code decides the duty rate and it is your responsibility even when the supplier printed it on the invoice, which is the single most expensive detail on this route.
Questions people ask about shipping cost from china to uk per kg
What is the shipping cost from China to the UK per kg?
Below the parcel bands there is no per-kilogram rate: Parcel2Go publishes £10.99 for a parcel on its own China page. Above them, air freight is priced per kilogram of chargeable weight and sea freight by container or cubic metre.
What is the cheapest shipping from China to the UK?
For a single parcel, £10.99 on the one published figure in this record. For volume, sea freight, by a wide margin and at a cost in weeks rather than days.
Why do air freight rates change so often?
They track available capacity on the lane, which is why a quote is normally valid for days rather than months.
What is not included in a China shipping price?
UK duty and import VAT on goods plus shipping, and the carrier's handling fee for the customs entry, which is a fixed amount nobody publishes in advance.