Home Shipping from China to Iceland LCL sea freight from China to Iceland (Reykjavík) — 2026 reference rates

LCL sea freight from China to Iceland (Reykjavík) — 2026 reference rates

Iceland is one of our pricier European destinations because volumes are thin and the last leg is long. Reykjavík is the single port of entry; Shanghai sails direct, while Ningbo and Xiamen feed through Rotterdam.

Xiamen is by a wide margin the cheapest at USD 110 per CBM and also the fastest at 40 days. All three lanes carry a 2 CBM minimum, so Iceland is not economical for small parcels.

How to read these rates: figures are indicative reference levels for port-to-port LCL ocean freight, updated for October 2026. They exclude origin haulage, warehouse and customs charges, destination port charges and any surcharges. Space, cut-off times and rates must be re-confirmed at booking.

LCL rates from China to Iceland — Reykjavík

Shanghai to Reykjavík — USD 270 per CBM, volume range 0~15 CBM; minimum 2 CBM; direct consolidation; carrier ONE; cut-off/ETD Closed Thu / ETD Wed · Closed Tue / ETD Sun; transit time about 45 days.
Ningbo to Reykjavík — USD 198 per CBM, volume range 0~15 CBM; minimum 2 CBM; transhipment via Rotterdam; carrier OOCL / ONE; cut-off/ETD Closed Tue / ETD Thu · Closed Thu / ETD Fri; transit time about 45 days.
Xiamen to Reykjavík — USD 110 per CBM, volume range 0~15 CBM; minimum 2 CBM; transhipment via Rotterdam; carrier HMM / MSK / OOCL; cut-off/ETD Closed Mon / ETD Sun · Closed Tue / ETD Mon · Closed Wed / ETD Tue; transit time about 40 days.

Xiamen is the value lane. USD 110 per CBM against USD 270 from Shanghai — less than half the price — and 40 days against 45. Unless your cargo is already in the Yangtze delta, Xiamen is the origin to use.

2 CBM minimum on every lane. Icelandic consolidations are built on a 2 CBM floor, so small shipments are billed at 2 CBM regardless of actual volume.

Rotterdam transhipment. Ningbo and Xiamen both feed through Rotterdam, which adds a handling cycle and makes cut-off discipline important.

Why the Shanghai rate is so high

The Shanghai lane sails direct but on a single carrier with limited allocation, and Iceland is not a high-volume destination. The result is a rate 2.5 times the Xiamen figure for essentially the same transit. Direct is not automatically better when the volume is thin.

Special equipment

For out-of-gauge machinery, temperature-controlled food, or unusual dimensions, we can arrange flat-rack, open-top or reefer equipment. Iceland's cold chain is well developed but the allocation is limited, so give us more notice than usual and expect a longer booking window.

FAQ — LCL shipping from China to Iceland