Freight & customs glossary
Key terms used across the China–GCC freight corridor.
TL;DR: This glossary defines 37 freight and customs terms for the China–GCC corridor. The terms that change cost most are chargeable weight (÷6000 vs ÷5000), demurrage/detention, and landed-cost multipliers like Saudi Arabia at ×1.2075 versus Qatar at ×1.05. The reason each term matters is the number it changes — not the acronym.
FCL
Full Container Load — a shipping mode where a single shipper uses an entire container, priced per container rather than per unit.
Learn more →LCL
Less than Container Load — cargo from multiple shippers consolidated into one container, priced by volume (CBM).
Learn more →DDP
Delivered Duty Paid — the seller delivers goods cleared for import and pays all duties and taxes up to the destination.
Learn more →DAP
Delivered At Place — the seller delivers goods ready for unloading at the destination, but the buyer handles import clearance.
Learn more →Incoterms
International Commercial Terms — a standardized set of trade terms defining buyer and seller responsibilities, published by the ICC.
Learn more →CBM
Cubic Meter — the unit of volume used to calculate cargo space, calculated as length × width × height in meters.
Learn more →TEU
Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit — the standard measure of container capacity, based on a 20ft container.
Learn more →Demurrage
A fee charged when a container is held at a terminal beyond the allotted free time after discharge.
Learn more →Detention
A fee charged when a container is held outside the terminal beyond the allotted free time before return to the carrier.
Learn more →B/L
Bill of Lading — a document issued by a carrier acknowledging receipt of cargo and serving as a contract and title document.
Learn more →HS Code
Harmonized System Code — an internationally standardized numeric code used to classify traded products for customs and duties.
Learn more →SASO
Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization — the body setting product standards and conformity requirements for imports into Saudi Arabia.
Learn more →SABER
An online platform used to register products and obtain conformity certificates for imports into Saudi Arabia.
Learn more →Customs Broker
A licensed intermediary that prepares documentation and clears goods through customs on behalf of importers and exporters.
Learn more →Volumetric Weight
A weight derived from a shipment’s volume, used by air carriers to charge for low-density cargo.
Learn more →Chargeable Weight
The greater of actual weight and volumetric weight, used as the basis for air freight billing.
Learn more →FOB
Free on Board — the seller delivers goods on board the vessel at the named origin port; the buyer pays freight and insurance from there.
Learn more →CIF
Cost, Insurance and Freight — the seller pays freight and insurance to the named destination port; risk transfers to the buyer once loaded at origin.
Learn more →EXW
Ex Works — the seller makes goods available at their premises; the buyer bears all transport, export clearance and risk from the factory gate.
Learn more →Free Zone
A designated area where goods can be stored, processed or re-exported with import duty deferred or waived until they enter the mainland.
Learn more →Certificate of Origin
A document certifying the country where goods were manufactured, used to claim preferential duty rates and satisfy import requirements.
Learn more →AMS
Automated Manifest System — the US Customs electronic cargo manifest filed before a shipment sails to the United States.
Learn more →Telex Release
An electronic release of cargo that lets the consignee collect goods without presenting the original bill of lading.
Learn more →Sea Waybill
A non-negotiable transport document that evidences the contract of carriage but is not a document of title.
Learn more →Air Waybill (AWB)
The non-negotiable transport document for air freight, issued by the carrier and acting as receipt and contract.
Learn more →Commercial Invoice
The seller’s bill describing the goods, their value and the parties — the core document customs uses to assess duty and VAT.
Learn more →Packing List
A document detailing how the goods are packed — cartons, weights, dimensions and volumes — used for handling and verification.
Learn more →Fumigation
Chemical treatment of wooden packaging to kill pests, required under the ISPM 15 standard for international shipments.
Learn more →EORI
Economic Operators Registration and Identification — the free EU or UK identifier required to clear imports and exports, using an ISO country code plus up to 15 alphanumeric characters.
Learn more →TARIC
Integrated Tariff of the EU — the 10-digit code formed by the 8-digit Combined Nomenclature plus 2 TARIC digits, updated daily with EU measures such as duties, quotas and suspensions.
Learn more →CE Marking
A conformity mark that is mandatory for products covered by around 30 EU harmonised directives or regulations before they can be placed on the EU single market.
Learn more →REACH
EU Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 that requires registration of chemical substances manufactured or imported at 1 tonne or more per year per legal entity, with a Chemical Safety Report added above 10 tonnes per year.
Learn more →UKCA
UK Conformity Assessed — the UK product marking introduced on 1 January 2021 to replace CE, now indefinitely recognising CE marking for most product areas after repeated delays.
Learn more →VAT Deferral
A customs mechanism, including UK Postponed VAT Accounting since 1 January 2021, that lets VAT-registered importers account for import VAT on their next VAT return instead of paying at the border.
Learn more →Station-to-station
Rail freight priced for the terminal-to-terminal haul only — the middle leg of a three-leg move — which excludes pre-carriage and last-mile trucking that can add roughly 10–20% to total freight cost and 1–2 days each.
Learn more →IOSS
EU Import One-Stop Shop, in force since 1 July 2021, allowing sellers and marketplaces to charge and remit EU VAT at the point of sale for B2C distance sales of goods with an intrinsic value up to €150.
Learn more →Union Customs Code (UCC)
Regulation (EU) No 952/2013, in force since 1 May 2016, setting EU customs rules for valuation, origin and procedures, with duty levied on the transaction value adjusted to a CIF basis at the EU border.
Learn more →