UN/LOCODE for Chinese sea ports and IATA codes for the major cargo airports, with sailing-frequency notes, the typical factory-province inland-trucking radius, and the winter-ice caveats on northern ports.
CNSHA
Largest container port in the world by throughput. Yangshan deep-water port handles the deepest-draft vessels. Sailings to USWC weekly; USEC weekly via Panama; Europe weekly. Inland trucking radius covers Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, parts of Shandong and Henan.
CNNGB
Second largest after Shanghai. Lower THC and inland-trucking cost than Shanghai for cargo originating in Zhejiang. Excellent connectivity to USWC and Europe. Container availability sometimes tight pre-CNY.
CNSZX
Yantian is the largest of the three Shenzhen terminals. Primary export gateway for the Pearl River Delta manufacturing belt. Heavy USWC and Europe sailings; closest origin port for Hong Kong-region cargo.
CNTAO
Major North China container port. Best origin for Shandong, Henan, and northern Anhui factories. Strong USEC and Europe coverage; sailings to Australia weekly. Less crowded than Shanghai for last-minute bookings.
CNTXG
North China gateway for Beijing region cargo and Hebei manufacturing. Winter ice management restricts access for the largest vessels in January-February. USEC and Europe coverage; less direct than Qingdao for non-Beijing cargo.
CNXMN
Fujian and Jiangxi manufacturing gateway. Smaller than Yantian but with shorter inland-trucking radius for Fujian factories. Strong Asia-Pacific intra-Asia sailings; USWC weekly.
CNNSA
Nansha is the deep-water terminal of Guangzhou Port; supplements Yantian for PRD cargo. Often cheaper for inland cargo from northern Guangdong than going through Shenzhen. UN/LOCODE for Nansha-specific terminal at unece.org/cefact/locode (older listings used CNGZG generically for Guangzhou Port group; verify the carrier-required code at booking).
CNDLC
Northeast China gateway for Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang cargo. Winter ice limits the largest vessels in January-February.
CNFOC
Smaller Fujian port, good for cargo originating in northern Fujian where Xiamen is too far for cost-effective inland trucking.
CNLYG
Jiangsu coastal port. Secondary to Shanghai but closer for north Jiangsu cargo and lower THC. Strong Asia-Mid East direct services.
PVG
Largest cargo airport in China. Direct freighter routes to Europe, US, Mid East, Australia. 24-hour customs clearance. Best origin for time-critical East China cargo.
PEK
Beijing region cargo gateway. Strong North America and Europe coverage. Some restrictions on dangerous goods classes; check with carrier.
CAN
Pearl River Delta cargo gateway. Strong Asia-Pacific freighter services and growing trans-Pacific. UPS regional hub.
HKG
Major Asia-Pacific cargo hub. Often used as a re-export gateway for cargo trucked from Shenzhen, taking advantage of HKG capacity and free-port status. Adds 2 to 4 days transit but often cheaper for time-critical air freight.
CTU
Older Chengdu international airport; still handles passenger + some cargo. Confirm freighter routings with carrier (verify current schedule at airline portal).
TFU
Opened June 2021 and now the primary Chengdu international cargo gateway; western China inland-bonded hub. Lufthansa + Qatar + Cathay freighter routes connect to Europe / Mid East / SE Asia.
TAO
Opened August 2021, replacing the older Liuting airport (closed simultaneously when Jiaodong opened); IATA code TAO transferred. Air gateway for North China cargo where time-critical and the sea port is inappropriate. Good Korea, Japan, SE Asia connectivity.
A common mistake on the buyer side is to optimise port choice on terminal handling charge, comparing 980 RMB at Shanghai against 880 RMB at Ningbo and picking Ningbo because it is 100 RMB cheaper. Inland trucking from a Shandong factory to Ningbo is 800 to 1,200 RMB more than to Qingdao; the THC saving is overwhelmed. Port choice is dominated by inland trucking distance, not by THC.
A second mistake is to ignore sailing frequency. Shanghai has 5 to 7 sailings per week to USWC; Qingdao has 2 to 3; Tianjin has 1 to 2. For a buyer with a tight schedule, the difference between sailing on Tuesday vs sailing on Saturday is 4 days the cargo sits in port. The 4 days are unbillable but they consume the buyer schedule buffer; if customs clearance at destination then takes 5 days, the cargo lands 9 days behind a tight commitment. Ask the forwarder for the next 4 sailing dates from each candidate port, not just the rate.
A third consideration is dangerous goods. Class 1 (explosives) and Class 7 (radioactive) require dedicated terminals; not every port handles these. Class 3, 4, 5.2, 6.1, 8 (most chemical cargo) are widely accepted but with port-specific restrictions on storage time and fumigation. Confirm DG handling at the port before booking, especially for first-time shipments.
A fourth: winter ice on Tianjin and Dalian. The largest container vessels (8,000+ TEU) face restrictions in January and February when the harbour ices over. Mid-size vessels run unrestricted. For large January-February sailings out of North China, route through Qingdao instead of Tianjin to avoid the schedule risk; for smaller vessels, the 100 to 200 USD trucking saving on the Tianjin route may justify the booking.
The booking. A buyer needs 1 x 40HC of fine chemical product from a factory in Zibo, Shandong, to LA. Forwarder offers two options: Shanghai 4,200 USD all-in (including 2,400 RMB inland trucking from Zibo to Shanghai port, plus 980 RMB THC, BL, seal); or Qingdao 4,000 USD all-in (1,800 RMB inland trucking, plus 850 RMB THC, BL, seal). Buyer is going to pick Qingdao because it is 200 USD cheaper. Looks fine on paper.
The failure. Buyer asks the forwarder for the sailing schedule. Shanghai has 6 sailings per week to LA; Qingdao has 2 (Wednesday and Saturday). Cargo is ready Monday. Shanghai cargo can sail Tuesday, ETA LA Day 21 from sailing, lands at LA Day 23 from cargo ready. Qingdao cargo cannot sail until Wednesday at earliest, ETA LA Day 22 from sailing, lands at LA Day 24 from cargo ready. If cargo arrives at the port Tuesday morning of a Wednesday sailing, the cargo sits in port 1 day at Qingdao versus 0 days at Shanghai. If cargo arrives Tuesday afternoon and misses the Wednesday cut-off, it sits 4 days waiting for Saturday sailing.
The fix. Buyer compares the worst case (cargo misses the Qingdao Wednesday cut-off, sits 4 days waiting Saturday): cargo lands LA Day 28, 5 days behind Shanghai. The 200 USD saving is wiped out by the 5-day delay value to the buyer customer. Buyer routes through Shanghai. The 200 USD freight premium pays back as a predictable 23-day landed schedule. Port choice is sailing schedule first, inland trucking second, THC third.
UN/LOCODE codes start with the two-letter country code (CN for China) followed by a three-letter location code, e.g. CNSHA (Shanghai), CNNGB (Ningbo), CNTAO (Qingdao). Air cargo airports use the IATA three-letter code (PVG, PEK, CAN, HKG). Both codes appear on bills of lading, customs declarations, and freight quotes.
They are three terminals operated within the Shenzhen Port port group. Yantian is the deepest and the largest. Shekou and Chiwan handle smaller vessels and shorter-haul services. Carriers price the three terminals at slightly different rates; ask the forwarder to quote each rather than assume "Shenzhen" means Yantian.
Tianjin (Xingang) is closer for Beijing region cargo (Hebei province manufacturing). Dalian is closer for Northeast cargo (Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang). Both have winter ice management that restricts access for the largest vessels in January and February. For non-time-sensitive cargo from those provinces, the inland-trucking saving usually beats the slightly higher port handling.
Operationally, Hong Kong is a separate customs territory under the One Country Two Systems framework, with its own free-port status and its own carrier contracts. Cargo trucked from Shenzhen to HKG goes through Hong Kong customs, gets re-exported as HKG cargo. The added handling step costs 1 to 2 days and 200 to 500 USD per container, but HKG offers air-freight capacity that is often cheaper than direct from PVG or CAN for trans-Pacific.
GACC sets the CIQ inspection rules nationally, but local inspection capacity and discretion vary. Shanghai and Shenzhen tend to have the deepest CIQ staffing, which can mean both faster routine clearance and tighter scrutiny on flagged HS codes. Smaller ports (Lianyungang, Fuzhou) sometimes process declarations faster simply because the queue is shorter.
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