China to Saudi Arabia sea freight rates — September 2026

In our quotation log for January to September 2026 the 20GP rate to Jeddah ran from USD 2,500 – USD 8,400 per container across 95 quotations, loaded mainly at Shekou / Nansha. Other gateways priced in the same period: Riyadh at USD 4,950 – USD 8,200; Dammam at USD 4,600 – USD 7,800. Ocean freight is quoted port-to-port and the figure moves with the weekly GRI, peak-season surcharges and equipment availability, so treat it as a benchmark rather than a fixed tariff and confirm it against your cargo ready date.

The 40ft and 40HQ quotations we logged to Jeddah in January to September 2026 ranged from USD 3,500 – USD 10,800 per container across 141 quotations. Other gateways priced in the same period: Dammam at USD 6,200 – USD 9,850; Riyadh at USD 6,700 – USD 9,750. A 40ft high cube carries roughly twice the volume of a 20GP for well under twice the freight, so once your cargo passes about 28 CBM the 40HQ is normally the cheaper unit per cubic metre.

Air quotations in our January to September 2026 log ran from USD 13.50 per chargeable kilo to DMM. Air cargo is billed on chargeable weight — the greater of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight at the ratio the airline applies (commonly 1 CBM = 167 kg on general cargo, but 1:300 or 1:500 on several lanes). Rates normally include the fuel and security surcharges and exclude export customs, screening and delivery at destination unless a door-to-door service is named.

Yes. During 2026 we logged 59 offers to Saudi Arabia where equipment or space was available to the desk while the carrier kept the freight rate on request (mostly to Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh). That pattern usually means space is open but the tariff is being quoted case by case. Send your cargo ready date and we will come back with the vessel, the sailing and a named price.

Typical port-to-port sailing time from South China is 18 to 30 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.

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.

Send the commodity, gross weight, volume, the pick-up city in China and the delivery address in Saudi Arabia 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.