What actually drives China → India shipping cost
Your door-to-door number is not a single “rate per kg” screenshot. It is a stack of decisions:
Chargeable weight
Higher of actual and volumetric, then rounded to the card’s billing step (0.5 kg ≤20 kg, 1 kg above).
Origin & service
China Economy / Expedited / Express, Hong Kong direct, or Taiwan — each with its own slab table.
Battery routing
Powered goods ride battery tables (often via Hong Kong) with MSDS / UN38.3 requirements.
Delivery zone
Metro is base. Tier-2 and remote (NE, hill, island) add a fixed last-mile component.
Chargeable weight formula
Same math as js/rate-engine.js — VOL_DIVISOR = 5000. Billing rounds to 0.5 kg steps at or below 20 kg, 1 kg steps above.
Why heavier can be cheaper per kg
Published lanes use weight slabs. Crossing into the next band can drop ₹/kg enough that declaring a slightly higher chargeable weight saves money — the engine surfaces this as a slab tip when savings exceed ₹50.
Landed cost stack (what the engine adds)
Freight (all-in)
Carrier slab net + Cargozant margin (₹100/kg folded into the quoted rate — not a separate broker fee).
Handling & clearance
Clearance ₹1,000 under ₹1 lakh goods value, ₹3,000 at/above + ops by buyer type + zone add.
Service GST 18%
GST on handling/service lines — itemized for commercial buyers.
Customs chain (indicative)
CIF = goods + freight → BCD% → SWS 10% of BCD → IGST 18% on duty-paid value.
Illustrative cost composition
Relative share for a typical mid-weight personal shipment (not a quote — proportions vary by duty category and goods value):
Run your exact kg, category, and zone on the live calculator. Pills under the result update from the same rate engine used in production.
FAQ
Is the calculator the final invoice?
Why is volumetric weight used?
Do you price sea cargo on the calculator?
Run the live landed-cost engine for your weight, category, and zone — then hand the estimate to our team on WhatsApp with your product links.