Your Best Freight Forwarder Agent For Air Freight Charges

Air Freight Charges | A Complete FAQ Guide

Introduction

If you are shipping cargo internationally by air freight, you know how important it is to learn the process to freight forward your shipment.

Air freight shipping is one of the most renowned shipping methods you will see in your day-to-day life.

But the main issue you can face is not knowing the proper way, which can cost you a lot of money.

This FAQ guide will help you to understand air freight, how the charges are made, and how to do easy air shipping with fewer hassles.

Table Of Contents

1. What Are The Air Freight Charges?
2. What Is The Air Freight Rates Per Kg?
3. How Much Does Air Freight Cost In Total On Average Internationally?
4. Is Air Freight Cost The Cheapest Of All?
5. Does The Air Freight Costs Vary For Different Countries?
6. How Are Air Freight Prices Determined?
7. What Are The Components Of Sea Freight And Air Shipping Cost?
8. Does A Freight Forwarder Also Include Door To Door Shipping Charges Within Air Freight Costs?
9. What Are The Advantages Of Air Freight?
10. Do I Or My Supplier Have To Include The Air Shipping Charges In Advance?
11. Why Does Cost Per Kg Take More Than Sea Freight Cost Per Kg?
12. What Are The Possible Ways To Do Cheap Air Freight Shipping?
13. How Many Methods Are There To Calculate Air Shipping Rates?
14. How Much Does The International Express Air Shipping Rates?
15. How Can I Calculate FedEx Express Air Cargo Costs?
16. What Are The Surcharges That You Have To Pay With Your Air Freight Costs?
17. How To Make An International Air Freight Quote?
18. How To Understand And Get The Best Air Freight Quote?
19. What Are The Customs Duties Depend On That Affects Your Air Shipping Charges?
20. Do I Have To Pay Customs Charges Along With The Air Freight Costs?
21. Can I Avoid Customs Charges When Shipping Via Air Freight?

1.  What Are The Air Freight Charges?

Air freight charges are those types of charges that you will get when you ship your cargo filled with products by air.

There are a lot of air freight charges that you will face when shipping.

They are like the freight weight charge, dimensional weight costs, freight forwarding charge, air cargo costs, customs charges, door to door service charges, etc.

You have to fill up the cost to ship an air cargo to the destination port.

For the air freight charges, the demand is limited.

The international air freight rates per kg can depend on how you handle your products.

Basically, air freight charges occur when you ship your products from the country of origin to the country of destination.

The charges can differ a lot considering different aspects.

2.  What Is The Air Freight Rates Per Kg?

Air freight costs can come up to $4-$6 per kg.

This freight rate depends on the freight weight and dimensional weight.

If you measure the weights properly, you can get the actual estimated freight weight and can save money from that.

Not the above-estimated air freight cost per kg can be different depending on which air freight shipping method you are using.

The differences between international air freight charges and express air freight rates per kg can differ a lot.

Express air freight rates per kg are estimated at around $5-$7.

On the other hand, the international air freight rates per kg can be around $3-$4 per kg.

So you can see, there are a lot of differences in the rates of air cargo costs.

If you are having trouble shipping for high air freight charges, you can always have a look at HART Worldwide Logistics Limited.

We can ship your goods at cheap air freight cost with on-time delivery.

So, knock us so that we can send you the air freight quote.

3.  How Much Does Air Freight Cost In Total On Average Internationally?

If you are shipping your air cargo internationally, the cost can differ a lot in different factors.

You have to understand the factors better in order to learn about the air freight prices.

The minimum air shipping cost is $110 per kg, which is fixed.

Now, the more weight you give when shipping your cargo, the more the air freight charges can be.

As we all know, air freight international is around $3-$4 per kg, for every kg, this value will be added.

Now, there are a lot of other things that you need to learn too when you are calculating the air freight cargo rates.

You have to calculate the surcharges, insurance money, customs, port to port air shipping rates, door to door shipping costs, etc.

Shipping your cargo from the country of origin to the country of destination can be a lot of work.

If you do not calculate the charges properly, you can be in a scam.

That means you can be charged more than what you should give them.

So, learning about the air freight charges should be a viable option for you.

4.  Is Air Freight Cost The Cheapest Of All?

Air freight cost is not the cheapest of all.

In fact, it is kind of opposite to this.

Air freight rates are the most expensive of all the other transportation methods like sea freight, rail freight.

There are some reasons why shipping via air freight is more expensive than ever!

There are restrictions on passenger transport because of limited space.

Air freight rates are considered around 12-15 times more expensive than sea freight as reported by the World Bank.

The benefit that you can get from air freight is it can ship your cargo faster than any other method.

So, air freight rates are sometimes cheaper than other shipping methods.

If you need to ship your products urgently, then you should ship them by air.

5.  Does The Air Freight Costs Vary For Different Countries?

As different countries have different distances, the air freight rates can differ a lot too.

You cannot ship from China to Romania with the same air freight rates as China to the USA.

Because it depends on several factors that you should know if you are shipping by air freight.

At first, it depends on the routes that the aircraft takes that decide the air freight rates for you.

Then it comes to the port.

There are many ports in a country and you can ship your products to any ports from the country of origin.

What makes a difference is different ports shipping can change the air freight rates too.

The nearest port shipping cost is the lowest of all.

Also, there is another factor that can influence your air freight rates.

That is which type of aircraft you are using to ship.

Your shipping cost can go higher the more your shipment weight is.

There are also sensitive goods that can vary your shipping cost.

These are some of the factors that vary the air freight rates for different countries.

6.  How Are Air Freight Prices Determined?

Air freight charges are determined by the chargeable weight.

Now this chargeable weight is determined by the comparison of two types of weight, gross weight, and dimensional weight (volumetric weight).

The gross weight can be determined easily by a weight calculating machine.

But to figure out your volumetric weight, you have to do some calculations.

At first, you need to figure out the dimensions of your products to determine their volume.

Volume = length (l) x weight (w) x height (h)

If the volume you get is in cubic centimeters, you have to figure it out in cubic meters.

To do that, you need to divide the whole volume by 1,000,000.

Volume (in cubic meter) = volume (in cubic centimeter) / 1,000,000

If the volume is in cubic meters, multiply it with the conversion factor, which is 167.

 Volumetric weight = Volume (in cubic meter) x 167 (Conversion factor)

So multiplying with the conversion factor is the key to get your volumetric weight.

Now the chargeable weight is determined by which weight is higher.

If the volumetric weight goes higher than the gross weight, then the chargeable weight is counted by the volumetric weight.

On a contrary, if the gross weight is higher than the volumetric weight, then the chargeable weight becomes the gross weight.

After the chargeable weight is determined, the total air freight rates are determined.

Here is a link for you to understand the chargeable weight concept of air freight-

7.  What Are The Components Of Air Shipping Costs?

There are many components that affect air freight charges.

The elements that do these types of changes are given below-

• The volume of the air freight
• The gross weight of the air freight
• The chargeable weight
• Air freight rates when shipping
• Pre-import costs
• Different air freight shipping methods
• Port to port shipping
• Door to door shipping, etc.

The components affect you greatly when you try to ship via air freight internationally.

So, you should consider these elements to subdue your air freight rates.

8.  Does A Freight Forwarder Also Include Door To Door Shipping Charges Within Air Freight Costs?

Yes, a freight forwarder includes door to door shipping charges within air freight rates.

You can request an air cargo quote from your reliable freight forwarder with the request of shipping door to door, and they can help you out with that.

But there is an extra charge for delivering to your suitable destination of course.

The door to door shipping cost is determined by how far your destination is from the port.

The far the destination, the more you can be charged for that.

It is the same for every freight forwarding company.

9.  What Are The Advantages Of Air Freight?

There are several advantages that you can have when you do air shipping excluding the air freight charges.

Here are some of the advantages if you ship via air freight given below-

• Air freight ships faster than other shipping methods.
• You can get proper security if you ship via air freight.
• The fresh ingredients do not rot because of the short transit time of air shipping.
• If you are shipping small packages, air freight rates can be favorable for you.
• If you urgently need a product, you can always rely on air freight.
• There is less damage risk if you ship via air freight.

These are some of the major advantages that you will find out when you ship via air freight.

Here is a link for you to get more information about air freight shipping advantages-

10.  Do I Or My Supplier Have To Include The Air Shipping Charges In Advance?

It is better if you do the transaction before you freight forward your shipment from the country of origin to the country of destination.

This method is also known as the cash in advance method, where the importer pre-pays the freight forwarder the air freight charges before shipping.

You should do these types of shipping if you have a good relationship with your freight forwarder.

It is not a must that you have to pay your freight forwarder in advance.

There are other methods too that you can use to provide them the air shipping cost.

You can use cash against goods, cash against documents, or letters of credit method to pay your freight forwarders.

If you want to rely on any freight forwarder to ship for you worldwide, you can always look up HART Worldwide Logistics Limited.

We can ship your cargo with the cheapest air freight rates possible with in-time of delivery.

Ask us for an air freight quote so that we can help you out.

11.  Why Does Cost Per Kg Take More Than Sea Freight Cost Per Kg?

Air freight charges per kg take more than sea freight costs per kg because of the shipment limit and the space limit.

When you ship via air freight, it can cost more to ship a lot of products.

On the other hand, if you ship via sea freight, you can take a whole container to ship your goods.

There is a limitation on how much an aircraft or sea freight can carry.

The limitations on air freight weight are more than sea freight weight.

You can ship a lot of products via air freight, but the cost can go higher the more your shipment weight.

You can do FCL shipping where you can add the limit of the maximum product to your container, and the cost remains the same for the container.

Also, there are surcharges like insurance cost that makes a difference between air freight and sea freight cost.

These are the reasons that differentiate the air freight charges, and the sea freight charges.

12.  What Are The Possible Ways To Do Cheap Air Freight Shipping?

Shipping your cargo via air freight is easy and faster.

But you can reduce it if you follow some of the procedures strictly and properly.

There are some possible ways to reduce your air freight charges from what you are giving now.

Here are some ways to reduce your freight charges lower than before-

• Try to make small packages your shipping to reduce the air freight charges.
• You can use a consolidation shipping service to lessen your air freight charges.
• Negotiate with your freight forwarder for a long-term agreement policy.
  This can help you out to get offers from them a lot.
• Try to keep your packages as small as possible.
  The more dimensions your packages take, the more chance is there for your air freight charges to go high.
• Ship in the off-peak seasons.
  Not every day the air freight charges are expensive.

These are some of the valuable ways that you can follow to reduce your air freight charges a lot.

13.  How Many Methods Are There To Calculate Air Shipping Rates?

There are two methods to calculate your air shipping rates when you ship internationally.

The chargeable weight depends on what shipping method you are using.

Also as there are two types of air shipping methods like express shipping method, and international air shipping method, the calculation process is also different.

When figuring out the dimensional weight of the express shipping, you have to divide the volume by 5,000.

Now depending on the gross weight and the volumetric weight, the chargeable weight is determined.

From the chargeable weight, you can figure out the air freight rates.

So, these are the methods you can use to figure out the air freight costs.

14.  How Much Does The International Express Air Shipping Rates?

As there are various express shipping companies that ship your packages worldwide, the air freight rates can be different too for them.

There are various express shipping companies that ships your products like DHL, UPS, USPS, FedEx, TNT, etc.

Here is a table where different express shipping companies air freight rates are given below-

Express	Shipping Cost(Avg)
DHL	25-30
FedEx	20-25
UPS	18-25
USPS	30-35

These are the air freight rates that you can get for shipping a small package by express shipping worldwide.

15.  How Can I Calculate FedEx Express Air Cargo Costs?

FedEx actually calculates the shipping rate as like as the way you calculate the international air freight cost per kg.

To calculate the air shipping cost, first, you need to figure out the chargeable weight of your products.

To calculate the chargeable weight, first, you need to figure out the gross weight and the dimensional weight.

You can get the gross weight easily by just measuring the weight.

On the other hand, to figure out the dimensional weight, you need to multiply your dimensions to get the volume first.

After figuring out the volume, divide it by 5,000 to get the dimensional weight.

Dimensional weight = Volume / 5,000

Now that you have gotten the dimensional weight, you can figure out the chargeable weight easily by comparing which weight is higher.

The higher weight between them is chosen to measure the chargeable weight.

After figuring out the chargeable weight, you can just multiply them with per kg cost for shipping by express.

That is how FedEx calculates the express air freight charges.

16.  What Are The Surcharges That You Have To Pay With Your Air Freight Costs?

There are different surcharges that you have to pay along with your air freight cost.

The shipping surcharges can be residential delivery fees, delivery fees for outside of the normal service areas, and so on.

You also might be asked for an extra charge for Saturday or weekend deliveries too.

17.  How To Make An International Air Freight Quote?

To get an air freight quote, at first, you need to provide some personal information along with shipping countries’ information.

You need to fill out the personal details like your name, email address, phone number, and company name.

For the country of origin information, you need to provide the supplier’s information like address, desired day to pick up, phone number, email, etc.

You also have to include the destination information like destination address, city/state, contact info, etc.

In the last part, you need to provide the shipment information like pieces of products, dimensions, total weight, commodity, etc.

After giving all this information, you can get an international air freight quote from a freight forwarder.

18.  How To Understand And Get The Best Air Freight Quote?

You can get the best air freight quote by approaching different freight forwarder quotations.

You can ask HART for an international air freight quote, you can get the best quotes possible.

HART can send you a proper air cargo quote for your shipment worldwide.

19.  What Are The Customs Duties Depend On That Affects Your Air Shipping Charges?

Import duties are essential to bringing your cargo shipment inside the port.

There are some aspects that make a difference in your taxes and tariffs on your customs.

Here are the factors that create differences between customs charges-

• Different country, different customs policy
• Responsibility of the supply chain
• Value of products
• Regulated products charges
• Sensitive items
• Tariff codes
• Total landed cost, etc.

These are the factors that make differences between customs charges.

20.  Do I Have To Pay Customs Charges Along With The Air Freight Costs?

Paying the customs duties and tariffs is a duty for an importer.

If you are shipping something from the port of origin to the port of destination, you are bound to pay your customs charges along with the air freight prices.

Without paying customs, you cannot ship your products inside the port.

Only if you pay the customs duties and fill up the documentation that is needed, then you can ship your products inside of the country.

21.  Can I Avoid Customs Charges When Shipping Via Air Freight?

There is no possible way to avoid your customs charges.

It is either you, your supplier, or your freight forwarder who are eligible to pay the customs charges, and tariffs.

Also, you can ask for your freight forwarder to clear the customs for you.
For that, you need to pay an extra charge to them.

Final Words

Hope this FAQ guide has given you all the information about the air freight charges, and how it works.

You still might have some confusion about air shipping costs or might have some doubts.

If you are facing problems like that, knock us for the information.

HART is here to help you any time when you need them.

Let us know when you are ready to do air shipping.