If your business involves exporting goods to Poland from the US, you need to weigh all the variables to make the best transportation decision. So what is the cost of shipping to Poland from the US? It depends on your priorities, budget, and the kinds of goods being shipped.
Because import volume to the US is much greater than export traffic to Europe, outbound container shippers will generally pay about 60% less than the cost to import the same container. Steamship lines, eager to get empty containers back to Europe to handle the next load of US-bound freight, offer attractive prices to US exporters.
The vast majority of commercial freight travels via ocean, simply because it is much cheaper than shipping via air. The tradeoff, of course, is a much longer time in transit. For shipping to Poland from the US East Coast, it would take 21–25 days, port to port. But if it’s not a high priority shipment that has to be expedited, and you can afford to bake in the extra time, ocean freight is the most economical way to go.
Let’s break down the cost of shipping to Poland from the US for commercial exporters.
Relative Cost of Ocean Vs. Air Freight
As there are so many variables involved, it’s hard to land on an exact average ratio of ocean freight to air freight costs. Freightos gives an example of a $195 ocean freight shipment that costs $1,000 by air, but the delta can be considerably greater, up to 10x or more. It would depend on market conditions at the time.
The chargeable weight for air freight will be based on either a volumetric or dimensional weight (DIM) formula, or the actual gross weight, whichever is greater. This is because of the much more limited space and weight limitations of air freight.
As a general rule, air freight is more suitable when shipping smaller-volume, higher-value goods, while ocean freight is the better choice for bulk shipments. Ocean freight is charged at a flat full container load (FCL) rate, or by volumetric pricing for less-than-container loads (LCL). This article has a helpful chart detailing the pluses and minuses of air and ocean shipping.
Freight Forwarder or Carrier Direct?
One of the first decisions you’ll need to make for your US to Poland container shipping is whether to work directly with a shipping line or work with a freight forwarder. For small to medium-sized businesses, a freight forwarder is likely the best option since they will coordinate and manage every stage of your shipment – including ground transportation at the origin and destination, ocean transport and customs clearance. If the forwarder is also an NVOCC, it can issue you a door-to-door Bill of Lading, which a pure freight forwarder cannot do.
Sure, some ocean carriers will also manage door-to-door shipping, but for this more comprehensive service they tend to favor top-tier shippers like Walmart or Home Depot. SMBs tend to struggle to get the attention they deserve. For instance, it can be hard to get a live person on the phone if dealing directly with a carrier. Or, if you do, it’s a lower-level clerk with little knowledge of your business.
With freight forwarders, shipment coordination is their business, so they tend to have strong customer service. A forwarder can also prove more economical based on their volume-based rates with ocean carriers. They negotiate container rates based on their aggregate shipping volume in a lane for all their customers, and then pass on a portion of these savings to you.
Options for Ocean Freight to Poland
The cost of shipping to Poland from the US includes both the steamship line cost and the cost to move freight from the port to the final destination in Poland. Let’s look at both.
Lane-by-lane container shipping costs will vary based on market conditions at the time. But can your choice of carrier save you money?
Yes, carriers set their own rates and there may be a delta among carriers for the same lane. Freight forwarders who know the lane and the carriers that serve it can direct you to the best deals. But keep in mind that the cheapest rate isn’t always the lowest cost. Carriers with sub-par service can cause delays or damages which raise overall costs and undermine customer relationships. As with many things, you’ll need to decide whether to prioritize service or cost. Again, your freight forwarder can recommend carrier options based on your goals.
Now let’s look at the landside cost to move freight from the port to the consignee in Poland.
There is no direct ocean freight service to Poland. Transatlantic shipments go to major ports like Hamburg, Bremerhaven or Rotterdam and are transloaded onto “feeder” vessels for the trip across the Baltic Sea to Polish ports in Gdansk or Gdynia. Delays are always possible as the arrival and departure times of feeder vessels can fall out of sync. This shipping option will be your cheapest, with the longest transit time.
The fastest, and most expensive, option for getting your container to its final destination in Poland is sending it by truck from the initial port of call in Western Europe. Another option – cheaper than trucking but still more expensive than using the feeder vessel – is to transport the container by rail to a yard nearest the consignee and then via truck for the final mile.
Air Freight Services to Poland
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, air freight represents .05% of the volume of shipped goods but 35% of the value of shipped goods, globally. Chances are your US to Poland cargo will ship in ocean containers, but it’s good to know what your air freight options are to Poland if you have a vital, time-critical shipment.
There are five major air hubs in Poland:
- Warsaw, the primary hub
- Kraków, a southern gateway to the country’s industrial regions
- Katowice, a smaller southern gateway
- Gdańsk, serving northern and coastal regions
- Wrocław in western Poland, a growing hub for cargo
The two primary ways to ship via air to Poland are as belly cargo on a passenger airliner, or using a dedicated air cargo service. Shipping freight via passenger airliner is generally cheaper than air cargo, but the latter has greater capacity and thus is a better choice for bulkier, heavier goods on a cost-per-pound basis.
Transit times from the US to these Polish air hubs via passenger flights, including handling and customs clearance, can take 7–9 days for an economy service, 5-6 days for standard service and 3–5 days for expedited – the most expensive. Air freighter services connect air cargo hubs in the US (e.g., O'Hare, JFK, Los Angeles and Miami Airports) to European cargo hubs (e.g., Frankfurt, Amsterdam), with onward connections from there to Poland. There is also a small number of direct flights from the US to Warsaw.
Capacity on passenger airliners depends on the type of aircraft, the number of passengers and the amount of luggage. During peak travel seasons (summer and end-of-year holidays, etc.), space is more restricted since there’s more luggage aboard, and so costs are higher.
Passenger flights are ideal for smaller, lighter shipments due to the shared costs with passenger services. Airlines often offer competitive rates for belly cargo to maximize space utilization. Passenger airlines also service more destinations and have more frequent flights than cargo planes, giving you more booking options. A cargo service, for instance, may only offer 1-2 flights per week to a certain destination in Poland.
However, there are restrictions on air freight via passenger flights. For instance, the cargo can’t exceed 1.6 meters in height because it won’t fit through the door. Also, hazardous cargo is prohibited on passenger planes.
To ship on passenger flights, you need to be enrolled in the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA’s) Known Shipper Program. Here are some of the advantages of enrolling in this program:
- It’s cheaper. Shipping on cargo-only aircraft tends to be more expensive. So, becoming a TSA Known Shipper gives you access to more choices and lower rates.
- It’s faster. Cargo-only flights travel on fewer routes and less frequently than passenger planes, so transit times are longer and can require multiple trans-shipments. The frequency of passenger flights can allow you to get your shipments there faster.
- More flexibility. If customer needs require you to change your shipment schedule, you’ll have many more choices to hit required deadlines.
- Less hassle at Customs. Unknown shipper cargo is subject to more rigorous screening processes, whereas Known Shipper cargo would typically only be X-rayed, like passenger luggage.
Working with an Experienced Forwarder to Optimize the Cost of Shipping to Poland from the US
When using a freight forwarder with experience shipping from the US to Poland, such as I.C.E. Transport, there are benefits in terms of cost, as well as logistical efficiency.
Through working relationships with personnel at Polish ports, plus knowledge of European Customs processes, I.C.E. Transport can ensure capacity and expedited movement of your containers. On the land side, given the large volume of shipping that I.C.E. manages to Poland, we can often offer backhaul rates from trucking partners already going to or from the Ports of Gdansk and Gdynia for other I.C.E. customers.
With an office in the port city of Gdynia, plus a bilingual staff, I.C.E. Transport has both knowledge of and relationships with trucking firms and rail lines and can get you favorable rates.
If you’re keeping an eye on the cost of shipping to Poland from the US, a forwarder like I.C.E. Transport that has handled tens of thousands of shipments into and out of the country can prove to be an invaluable partner. As the first American NVOCC to offer a freight collect bill of lading in Poland, I.C.E. was a pioneer in the US–Poland shipping lane. To find out how I.C.E. can seamlessly manage your exports to Poland, let’s start a conversation.
