Importing From Nanhai to The UK

Cost-effective deliveries from Nanhai and across the Globe

Nanhai port in Foshan, China, is strategically located in the centre of the Pearl River Delta, adjacent to Guangzhou, Panyu and Shunde with well-established expressways connecting the port to Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Nansha.

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Importing From Nanhai to The UK

If you are a first-time importer, you may have done a bit of research on importing from China to get a rough idea on importing from Nanhai to the UK. We have created this guide to give you detailed, hard-to-find advice on shipping LCL and FCL, and how to ship through peak seasons.

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Shipping via FCL Sea Freight

If your cargo gets to about 15-20 m³ (cubic meters), FCL sea freight is the best option and will be cheaper than LCL. You will pay a flat rate for a full container, even if your goods don’t fill the container.

One of the advantages of shipping FCL is that once your goods are loaded into a container at the port or factory, the container won’t be opened during transit. When shipping LCL from Nanhai to the UK, you have a wider range of UK ports to choose from. Your goods can arrive at Greenock, Liverpool, Grangemouth, Immingham or Tees.

Once you receive a booking confirmation for FCL sea freight from Nanhai to Liverpool, for example, your goods will be packed into a container at the supplier’s factory and sent directly to Nanhai port. When they arrive in the UK, you can choose to have the whole FCL container delivered to a warehouse or delivered directly to your depot to unload.

REQUIREMENTS

Import Requirements

Shipping via LCL Sea Freight

When importing Less than container Load (LCL) shipments, you will be sharing a container with other importers. LCL sea freight is charged on a volume basis, so the more space your goods occupy, the higher your cost will be.

When you get a booking confirmation for LCL sea freight from Nanhai to the UK, your goods will be collected/received from your supplier’s factory then go to a warehouse near Nanhai port. Your items will be packed into a shipping container along with other shipments and loaded onto a container ship.

For LCL shipments, your goods can only arrive at Greenock, Liverpool, Grangemouth, Immingham or Tees. It takes around 30 days to ship from Nanhai to either of these UK ports, but your freight forwarder will be able to give you an accurate quote.

Upon arrival to the UK, the container will be unloaded from the ship and wait for customs inspection and approval. Once approved, the container will move to your freight forwarder’s warehouse to be unloaded, after which your shipment will be palletised ready for collection or delivery.

What do if you are shipping through peak season

Peak seasons like the Chinese new year and the Dragon Boat festival are a hectic time to import from Nanhai to the UK, as factories close for days, and prices spike. Transit times spike as well and it’s best to avoid shipping your goods over such festivals. However, if you need your items urgently and you have to import through peak season, here are a few tips on getting through the worst of it.

If you are shipping a large amount of cargo, it’s a good idea to break it up and ship what you can, when you can. You can do this by:

Using multiple bills of lading when shipping multiple FCL containers
Staggering your LCL shipments in different containers
Using different shipping methods with different transit times for example air freight and LCL

It’s also a good idea to avoid transshipments. These shipments stop in another country along the way, e.g. Singapore or Korea, before heading to the UK. Transshipments may be cheaper but they run the risk of being rolled twice, the first time from Nanhai port and a second time from the transit port.

Express Freight

If you have fragile or urgent cargo our European courier services for express delivery will transport your shipment fast, safe and secure.

Road Freight

With daily road freight services to and from Europe, we are your premier road freight carrier for full loads, part loads and economy groupage.

Sea Freight

Shipping to hundreds of ports worldwide, we are a leading freight forwarder for Asia, the Americas and other destinations closer to our headquarters.

Air Freight

We offer air freight services for time sensitive delivery of cargo worldwide, suitable for those with high value goods.

Next Day Delivery

If you need an urgent delivery to Europe, call us today and take advantage of our next day delivery service.

We are friendly, easy to work with, honest and we do not charge the earth.

Barrington is an international freight shipping company based in Essex in the UK, within easy reach of the M25. Our warehouse is located a short distance from Felixstowe, Southampton and London and well connected to local and international airports. Our haulage and courier service provides outstanding worldwide cargo and pallet shipping solutions for all kinds of businesses and individuals. You are welcome to try our detail-oriented, friendly, honest forwarding service from Nanhai to the UK at competitive prices. Contact us today for a quote!

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 224 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Lauren 
 25 September 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Have been using Barrington for over a year now. Exceptional service from the team (Joshua and Lee), always super quick to respond, secure bookings and collect from us. Never worry about a shipment when working with them. Thank you!
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Christina Hansen 
 23 September 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Barrington Freight handled our first import from China and made a complicated job feel simple. Simon Poole guided us through the customs paperwork, postponed VAT and commodity codes patiently, answering a great many questions from someone importing for the first time. Our delivery address is a narrow street with no forklift, and he arranged a smaller vehicle with a tail-lift so the crates could be offloaded by hand without difficulty. The shipment cleared ahead of schedule and, once we'd paid, delivery was arranged for the very next day with a time window confirmed in advance. Excellent communication throughout and genuinely helpful. Highly recommended.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Sam McGowan 
 17 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Fantastic Service. Lee organised a last minute pickup from Sweden back to England. The shipment was under Carnet. Very good professional service at a competitive rate! I will be using them again.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Louise Ponsford 
 13 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Excellent service from start to finish. Simon at Barrington Freight handled our crate of mechanical machine parts from the UK to Canada with exceptional care, keeping us informed throughout. His Canadian agent also arranged customs clearance, making the entire process straightforward and stress-free. Highly recommended.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Proydohi 
 6 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I would like to thank the entire Barrington Freight team for their professional work and assistance in organizing the shipment of my cargo to the UK. I will definitely use their services again. Highly recommended.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Mike Yeo 
 23 July 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The team at Barrington Freight were brilliant, leading us through the minefield that is exports to the EU.

Nothing was too much trouble and we received immediate answers to all our many questions.

We will definitely use them again and recomend them to anyone.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Courtney Freeman 
 22 June 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had a fantastic experience importing our goods from Florida and honestly couldn’t fault the service. The quote was quick and easy, booking was straightforward and everything was handled smoothly from start to finish.

As this was our first import we needed a bit of guidance along the way but Simon was brilliant. He took care of everything, kept us updated throughout and was always on hand to answer our questions. What seemed like a complicated process was made incredibly simple and stress free.

The customer service was excellent, communication was spot on and our shipment arrived without any issues. We wouldn’t hesitate to use them again and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable freight forwarder. Thanks again for making our first import such a positive experience!
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Katie r Smith 
 18 June 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Simon looked after our air freight import from China and provided an excellent service throughout. The shipment arrived safely and quicker than expected, with clear communication at every stage. We were very pleased with the experience and will definitely use Simon and his team at Barrington Freight again in the future.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Phil Holloway 
 18 June 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We needed to get a shipment out to the USA quickly and Simon made the whole process far easier than we expected. Communication was straightforward, we were kept updated throughout, and everything arrived on time without any issues. It's refreshing to deal with someone who knows exactly what they're doing and gets things done. We'd happily use Simon again for future air freight shipments.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   James Roberts 
 15 June 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Matt really looked after us and made our shipment completely stress free, I will be using the services of Barrington Freight for all my overseas shipments from now on. Thanks Matt, great service
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   General Enquiries 
 23 April 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We have had consistently excellent service from Barrington Freight. Our main contact, Joshua Armstrong, is always incredibly helpful and reliable. He goes above and beyond to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Communication is clear and prompt and any issues are handled quickly and efficiently. It's reassuring to know that everything is in safe hands from start to finish.

I would highly recommend Barrington Freight to anyone looking for dependable and professional logistics partner.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   George Dunster 
 10 April 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had a time-critical air freight shipment coming in from China to the UK and Simon was a huge help in getting it over the line.

Right before arrival, an issue came up due to a mistake from the airline, which could have turned into a real headache. Simon picked it up straight away, dealt with it quickly and managed to sort everything without any extra costs on our side.

Really solid support throughout and easy to deal with, especially given the urgency. Another great job by Barrington Freight - we’ll definitely be using them again!
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Euphoric Bedding 
 1 April 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Good service during a turbulent global shipping period. Special thanks goes to Lee for his efficiency and proactive updates and for rescheduling a delivery in less than 24hrs when the haulage company didn’t read their own paperwork and sent a lorry without the requested tail lift. Highly recommended.
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   The Greens 
 5 March 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great communication, competitive and efficient delivery
  
 
     Posted on Google  
   
   Shannon Sharp 
 4 March 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We’ve worked with Barringtons for the past two years, and the service has been excellent throughout. Every shipment has been handled with great care and real personal attention.

A special thanks to Simon, who has been outstanding—always professional, responsive, and a pleasure to work with. Highly recommended!