China to Ireland freight rates and market updates — dated log 2026
Rate log compiled 23 September 2026. Ocean, rail, air, express and DDP figures are indicative and must be confirmed at the time of booking.
China to Ireland — freight rate and market updates (dated log, 2026)
Compiled 23 September 2026 from our booking-desk logs and from market quotations shared by carrier and consolidator desks. Ocean and rail rates are per container; air, express and DDP rates are per kilogram. Figures are indicative, are in USD unless stated otherwise, and must be re-confirmed when you book.
For air cargo we recorded 7 service updates to Ireland in 2026, mostly on China Eastern Airlines (MU).
LCL — less than container load (groupage)
| Date | Origin | Destination | Rate | Consolidation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-06 | Yantian / Shekou | Dublin | — | August priority ports include Dublin plus transit ports |
Air freight
| Date | Airline | Destination airport | Rate | Space status and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-14 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Dublin (DUB) | — | cargo shortfall; space open |
| 2026-07-17 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Dublin (DUB) | — | space open |
| 2026-07-20 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Dublin (DUB) | — | space open; promotional rate; lithium batteries accepted; onward road transfer available |
| 2026-07-22 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Dublin (DUB) | — | space open; promotional rate; loose cargo accepted; lithium batteries accepted |
| 2026-08-25 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Dublin (DUB) | — | space open; consolidated allocation; direct flight; priority for heavy cargo; lithium batteries accepted; onward road transfer available |
| 2026-08-26 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Dublin (DUB) | — | space open; consolidated allocation; direct flight; loose cargo accepted; palletised cargo; priority for heavy cargo |
| 2026-09-09 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Dublin (DUB) | — | space open; consolidated allocation; direct flight; loose cargo accepted; palletised cargo |
Airline promotions and capacity notices
Chronological record of the airline and consolidator promotion notices for China–Ireland air cargo that our quotation desk logged during 2026. Each line records what was being advertised on the day, not a confirmed rate; space, routings and prices move within hours, so treat every entry as market colour and ask us to re-check the flight before you commit cargo.
| Date | Airline | Departure airport in China | Promotion and capacity notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-22 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | China (not stated) | Flags a capacity shortfall to Dublin (DUB). |
| 2026-07-22 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | China (not stated) | Offers promotional air-freight rates to Dublin (DUB). |
| 2026-07-27 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | China (not stated) | Has open space to Dublin (DUB); space opening on Wednesday. |
| 2026-09-20 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | China (not stated) | Reports space opening to Dublin (DUB) on day 25 of the month. |
Frequently asked questions — shipping from China
The answers below are drawn from the same quotation log as the tables above. Figures are indicative and are reconfirmed at booking.
How long does shipping from China to Ireland take?
Typical port-to-port sailing time from South China is roughly 28 to 42 days; add three to seven days if the cargo loads in North China. Direct services beat transhipment routings by one to two weeks, and schedule reliability, blank sailings and port congestion all move the date. We confirm the actual ETD and ETA against your booking rather than quoting a standard transit time.
What is included in the freight rates shown on this page?
Ocean and rail figures are the port-to-port (or terminal-to-terminal) freight only. They exclude origin handling, export customs, THC and CFS, documentation, destination THC, import duty and final delivery, unless the row names a door-to-door or DDP service. Air figures are airport-to-airport per chargeable kilo and exclude pick-up and delivery. Every figure is indicative until it is confirmed against a specific vessel, flight or train and a cargo ready date.
Can I ship less than a container load (LCL) from China to Ireland?
Yes. LCL groupage is charged per revenue tonne (1 CBM or 1,000 kg, with volume weight taken if it is greater) plus fixed documentation and CFS charges, so it is usually the better option below roughly 15 CBM. Above that a 20GP starts to win on cost per cubic metre. Give us the volume, weight and cargo readiness and we will price both side by side for Ireland.
Do I have to pay import duty and VAT in Ireland?
Import duty, VAT/GST and any destination port charges are assessed by the customs authority in Ireland and are payable by the importer of record, not included in the freight rates on this page. Where we quote a DDP service the duty and tax are absorbed into the per-kilo or per-container price and shown separately on the invoice. We can arrange a landed-cost estimate before you ship if you tell us the HS code, the declared value and the delivery address.
How do I get an exact quote for shipping to Ireland?
Send the commodity, gross weight, volume, the pick-up city in China and the delivery address in Ireland to sales007@goodhopefreight.com. We reply with the applicable service, the named vessel, flight or train, the cut-off and an all-in cost, usually the same working day. If you are weighing up routes, tell us the ready date and we will price sea, rail and air side by side.
Rates, surcharges, cut-offs and equipment availability change daily. Send your commodity, gross weight, volume, the pickup city in China and the delivery address in Ireland and we will confirm the applicable service, sailing or flight and the all-in cost: sales007@goodhopefreight.com.