How Freight Forwarders Count Transit Days vs Business Days

Freight transit time is one of those numbers that means very different things depending on what part of the supply chain you are looking at. A 14-day ocean transit can land at the consignee 21 days later. An "express" air shipment can sit in customs for a week. Here is how the counting actually works at each stage.

Port-to-port: calendar days, no weekends excluded

Ocean carriers quote sailing time in calendar days from origin port departure (ETD) to destination port arrival (ETA). Vessels sail continuously, so weekends and holidays do not pause transit time at sea.

Major lane reference points (these are typical, not guaranteed):

• Shanghai to Los Angeles: 12 to 16 calendar days
• Shanghai to Rotterdam: 28 to 32 calendar days via Suez, 35 to 42 via Cape (post-2024 Red Sea diversions)
• Yokohama to Long Beach: 11 to 14 calendar days
• Manila to Oakland: 18 to 22 calendar days
• Mumbai to New York: 25 to 30 calendar days
• Veracruz to Long Beach (intra-Americas): 8 to 11 calendar days

These quoted times are actual sailing durations. They do not include cutoff time at origin (gate close, vessel cutoff) or post-discharge time at destination (vessel discharge, terminal release, customs).

Pre-vessel: cutoffs and rolling

Containers must be at the terminal by gate-cutoff time, typically 2 to 5 calendar days before the published vessel sailing. Documentation cutoff (the deadline for submitting bill of lading instructions) is usually 1 to 2 calendar days before vessel cutoff. Customs filing for export requires the AES (Automated Export System) or equivalent submission to be accepted before vessel sailing.

If a container misses its booked vessel, it gets rolled to the next sailing. Rolling adds 5 to 14 calendar days for trans-Pacific routes, depending on sailing frequency. Some carriers charge a roll fee; others do not. Allocation tightness in peak season (typically late August through October for trans-Pacific eastbound) makes rolls more common.

Post-vessel discharge: the slow part

After vessel arrival at the destination port, several events happen sequentially:

1. Vessel discharge (1 to 3 calendar days): the container moves from the vessel to the terminal yard.
2. Terminal release (1 calendar day): the steamship line releases the container to the importer once freight charges are paid and bill of lading is surrendered.
3. Customs filing and release (1 to 7 calendar days): the broker files entry; CBP either releases or holds for examination.
4. Drayage pickup and delivery (1 to 5 calendar days): the trucker picks up at the terminal and delivers to the warehouse.

Total post-discharge time is typically 4 to 14 calendar days for a routine import. Customs holds, terminal congestion, chassis shortages, and trucker availability all add days.

Free time, demurrage, and detention

Terminals allow a window of "free time" after vessel discharge during which the container can sit on the terminal at no cost. Free time is typically 4 to 7 calendar days, depending on the terminal and the steamship line agreement.

After free time expires, the terminal charges demurrage, billed per calendar day. Demurrage rates escalate: a typical Long Beach schedule might charge $150 per day for the first 5 days, $300 per day for days 6 through 10, and $450 per day after. Demurrage stops only when the container leaves the terminal.

Detention is the parallel charge from the steamship line for an empty container that has been picked up but not returned. Detention is also per calendar day and also often escalates. A container picked up Monday for delivery Tuesday but returned empty the following Friday accumulates 3 days of detention if the allowed turnaround was 2 days.

The combined demurrage and detention exposure on a single delayed container can run into thousands of dollars per week. Importers track free-time expiration carefully and prioritize pickups to avoid the cliff.

Air freight transit

Air freight is faster than ocean but follows similar staging. A trans-Pacific air shipment from Shanghai to Los Angeles typically takes:

• 1 to 2 calendar days for export handling, screening (per TSA requirements for cargo on passenger aircraft), and aircraft loading.
• 12 to 18 hours for actual flight time, including any transhipment.
• 1 to 3 calendar days for arrival handling, customs filing, and release.
• 1 calendar day for trucking to the consignee.

Total door-to-door is typically 3 to 6 calendar days, compared to 21 to 35 for an equivalent ocean shipment. Per-kilo cost is 5 to 15 times higher. Express air services (DHL, FedEx, UPS) compress this further by integrating customs brokerage and final-mile delivery.

Incoterms 2020 and transit-day responsibility

Incoterms 2020 defines who bears the cost and risk of each transit day. A few key terms:

EXW (Ex Works): Buyer takes the goods at the seller's premises. All transit days are on the buyer.

FCA (Free Carrier): Seller delivers to a named carrier; buyer takes it from there. Vessel sailing time and post-discharge time are buyer's responsibility.

CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight): Seller pays to vessel destination port. Risk transfers at origin loading, but seller covers freight cost. Post-vessel days are buyer's risk.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): Seller delivers the goods to the buyer's address, cleared for import. All transit days, including customs delays, are seller's risk.

The Incoterm choice fundamentally changes who pays demurrage and detention if anything goes wrong. DDP shifts that risk to the seller; EXW puts it entirely on the buyer.

Calculating realistic delivery dates

For a port-to-port quote of 14 days plus typical post-vessel handling, working from a vessel ETD:

• ETD + 14 calendar days = ETA at destination port
• ETA + 1-3 days for discharge = container available
• • 1-5 days for customs and drayage = delivery to warehouse

So a vessel departing Shanghai April 1 with a 14-day port-to-port time arrives Los Angeles April 15, becomes available April 17, and might land at an Inland Empire warehouse April 21. Use the Calendar Days from Today tool for vessel ETDs and ETAs.

If your purchase order specifies delivery by a date measured in business days (for example, "delivery within 30 business days of order"), you need to convert that to a calendar-day target and work backward through the freight chain. Use the Add Business Days calculator with the destination country's holiday set, then add buffer for known choke points (Lunar New Year congestion at Asian origins, Golden Week closures in Japan, Diwali shutdowns in India). For procurement-side lead time math, see the procurement lead times guide.

FAQ

Does port-to-port transit time include weekends?

Yes. Vessel sailings count calendar days continuously because ships do not stop for weekends. A 14-day port-to-port quote from Shanghai to Long Beach is 14 calendar days from departure ETD to arrival ETA. Weekends only matter at the origin and destination terminals, where gate hours determine when containers can move on or off the vessel.

How are customs hold days counted in delivery time?

Customs holds are usually billed in calendar days against the importer's free time at the terminal. CBP can place a hold for examination (a CET hold, MET hold, or VACIS X-ray) that takes 1 to 7 calendar days to clear. The terminal typically allows 4 to 7 days of free time after vessel discharge before demurrage starts, and the customs hold runs concurrently with that free time, eating into it.

What are demurrage and detention?

Demurrage is what the terminal charges for a container that sits at the terminal past free time. Detention is what the carrier charges for a container that has been picked up but not returned to the terminal past the allowed turnaround time. Both are typically billed per day in calendar days. Demurrage rates escalate (for example, $150/day for the first 5 days, $300/day for days 6-10, $450/day after).

What does DDP transit time include under Incoterms 2020?

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means the seller delivers the goods, cleared for import, to the agreed destination. Transit time under DDP includes the full chain: pickup from origin, port transit, customs clearance at destination, and delivery to the buyer's address. The seller bears all transit-day risk, including delays from customs holds and terminal congestion. Incoterms 2020 spells out the seller obligations in DDP A2 through A8.