Recently, the General Administration of Customs of China announced the import and export data of China's goods trade for the first five months of 2024, among which, the total value of goods exports reached 9.95 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%.

 

In various categories, furniture exports have shown a strong growth momentum. From January to May, the export value of Chinese furniture and its parts reached 212.55 billion yuan, a significant increase of 20.5% compared to the same period last year, far exceeding the national average increase in goods trade exports.

 

Over the past 30 years, the home furnishing industry has enjoyed market opportunities brought by the development of China's real estate market. With the real estate market's downturn in recent years, home furnishing companies have gradually expanded overseas, becoming a common practice in the industry. In addition to leading enterprises and listed companies, a large number of small and medium-sized home furnishing companies are also seeking cross-border development.

 

 

According to statistics from the Hangzhou Customs of China, this year's furniture exports to emerging markets such as Latin America, ASEAN, and Africa have increased significantly. When furniture companies engage in international trade, choosing the right export transportation method is crucial.

 

Different goods and destinations may require different transportation methods, including ocean transport, railway transport, air transport, road transport, pipeline transport, land bridge transport, and international multimodal transport composed of various transportation methods. Different transportation methods ensure the safety and speed of goods arrival at the destination while controlling costs. Here are some common transportation methods that furniture export companies need to carefully evaluate and compare to choose the most economical and affordable plan.

 

1. Export Sea Freight

Sea freight is one of the most commonly used transportation methods in international trade, accounting for more than 80% of the total volume of international cargo transportation. It is particularly suitable for long-distance transportation of bulk goods. Its advantages lie in low cost, large transportation volume, and global shipping routes coverage.

 

However, sea freight is relatively slow, usually taking several weeks to reach the destination. In addition, sea freight is affected by weather and ocean conditions. Therefore, when choosing sea freight, consider the delivery time and transportation requirements of the goods.

 

 

Advantages:

- Low cost: Sea freight has lower transportation costs compared to other transportation methods.

- Wide application range: It can transport bulk goods and large items. For example, sofa legs, beds, dining table legs, door and window profiles, etc.

 

Disadvantages:

- Long transportation time: Sea freight usually takes a long time and is not suitable for urgent goods.

- Not suitable for short-distance transportation: The cost of sea freight is high for goods transportation over short distances.

 

2. Rail Transport

Rail transport is a method of transporting goods using the railway system, including whole vehicle transport, consolidated whole vehicle transport, less-than-truckload transport, multi-stop distribution, container special train transport, general container transport, and the "land bridge" transport of railways. Rail transport has fixed routes and regular schedules, providing reliable transportation services. Rail transport is usually suitable for medium to long-distance cargo transportation, especially for bulk goods and long-distance transportation.

 

Compared with sea transport, rail transport is usually faster and more reliable, with lower costs, providing an economical and efficient choice for international cargo transportation.

 

 

Advantages: Compared to sea transport, rail transport is faster and suitable for medium-distance cargo transportation. The transportation cost is lower than sea transport but higher than air transport. It is not affected by climate, has simple transportation procedures, ensures continuity, safety, and punctuality.

 

Disadvantages: Higher cargo damage rate, high investment, and maintenance costs, and differences in track gauges. It is usually suitable for land transportation within a certain range and cannot cover ocean and intercontinental transportation needs. Even if furniture is crated, it may be damaged, and furniture hardware accessories like sofa legs may be deformed due to compression during transportation.

 

3. Air Transport

Compared with sea transport, air transport has the advantages of fast speed and high efficiency, especially suitable for goods with small quantities, light weight, and high value. Although the cost of air transport is high, in some cases, to ensure the timely arrival of goods, air transport is the best choice. Moreover, air transport can respond to emergencies and temporary needs, thus holding an important position in international trade.

 

Advantages:

- Fast speed: It can deliver goods to the destination in a short time, very suitable for urgent or time-sensitive cargo transportation.

- Good safety: The operation process of air transport is strict, with a low probability of aircraft accidents and low cargo damage rate. It is very suitable for expensive furniture.

 

Disadvantages:

- High cost: Compared to other transportation methods, the cost of air transport is high. Due to the limited cabin volume and payload of aircraft, the transportation volume is relatively small.

- Susceptible to weather influence: Severe weather may cause flight delays or cancellations.

 

4. Road Transport

Road transport, also known as truck transport, has the advantages of flexibility and speed. Compared to other transportation methods, road transport can more conveniently reach remote areas or busy urban areas, and the transportation speed is also fast. It can not only directly undertake cross-border cargo transportation but also serves as an important means of collecting and distributing import and export goods at stations, ports, and airports.

 

Advantages: Fast timeliness, flexible mobility, and strong adaptability; suitable for cargo transportation with many points, wide areas, sporadic, and strong seasonal characteristics.

Disadvantages: High cargo damage rate and freight costs are usually higher than sea and rail transport.

 

5. Multimodal Transport

Multimodal transport integrates various transportation methods, fully leveraging the advantages of each mode of transport, compensating for their shortcomings, to achieve fast, safe, and economical transportation of goods. This mode of transportation usually includes land transport, sea transport, railway transport, and air transport. By flexible combination and optimization plans, the transportation task of goods is completed in the most optimized route and manner.

 

Advantages: High efficiency, high efficiency, unified responsibility, and simple procedures.

Disadvantages: Chaotic management mode and high requirements for carrying agents; it has certain efficiency, but the risk of cargo damage increases with the change in transportation.