There is an awkward middle ground on international moves. Too much for boxes, not enough for a container. Somewhere between three and fifteen cubic metres, and it is the size where the arithmetic changes and where most bad decisions get made.
One vetted mover from our network prices it, and international movers approach a relocation this size differently from each other. Some have a minimum that makes a small load expensive, others consolidate frequently enough that it is not.
The thing to understand is that cost per cubic metre rises as volume falls. Fixed costs, collection, documentation and handling do not shrink with your load, so a small shipment carries proportionally more of them.
A shipment is not simply cheaper because it is smaller. Understanding why helps you decide where your load should sit.
Fixed costs do not scale. A collection is a crew and a vehicle whether they load four cubic metres or fourteen. Documentation, customs entries and handling at both ends cost much the same either way. On a small load those fixed elements are a large share of the total.
Minimums exist. Most movers set a minimum chargeable volume for a part load. Below it you pay the minimum regardless. That means the difference between shipping three cubic metres and five may be nil, which changes what you should leave behind.
Cost per cubic metre falls as you go up. A ten cubic metre load usually costs less per unit than a five. This is the opposite of most people's intuition, which is that shipping less always saves proportionally.
The crossovers. Below about three cubic metres, per box services are generally better value because they avoid the part load minimum entirely. Above about fifteen, a twenty foot container starts to compete, and it brings a fixed sailing date and fewer handling stages with it.
Consolidation waiting applies. A part load travels in shared container space, so it waits until the box is full enough to sail. That is the trade you are making for the lower price, and it is why a fixed delivery date pushes you towards a container.
Ask for both. At the edges of this range, get the alternative priced too. Movers rarely offer it unprompted and the answer is sometimes surprising.
These bands are for a coastal Chinese destination. Note how the cost per cubic metre falls as the volume rises, which is the single most useful thing to understand at this size.
£900 to £2,000
Watch the minimum charge. Compare against a box service.
£1,300 to £3,000
The sweet spot for part load pricing.
£2,400 to £4,200
Above this, price a twenty foot container alongside.
Tell us roughly what you are thinking of shipping. At this size the useful advice is often about what to leave.
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At this size, half the decision is what to ship at all, and it is worth being mechanical about it.
Work out the rate per cubic metre from your quote. Divide the price by the volume. Now you have a number you can apply to individual items.
Measure the bulky things. A three seat sofa is roughly two cubic metres. A double wardrobe is about one and a half. A washing machine is around half. Multiply each by your rate.
Compare against Chinese prices. Furniture and white goods are competitively priced in China and the range is enormous. A sofa that costs several hundred pounds to ship may cost less than that to replace, and the replacement will fit a Chinese flat properly, which the British one may not.
Then apply the exceptions. Things you should ship regardless of the arithmetic: anything with sentimental value, anything genuinely well made, anything you would struggle to find again, children's familiar belongings. The calculation tells you what is worth shipping. It does not tell you what matters.
Chinese flats are smaller. Measure the destination if you can. British three seat sofas and king size beds frequently do not fit, and the constraint is usually the stairwell or the lift rather than the room.
On white goods specifically. China runs 220 volts at 50 hertz against the UK's 230 at 50, so British appliances generally work with a plug change. The question is therefore cost and size rather than compatibility.
At the edges of this range it is worth pricing the service above and the one below as well.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Chinese flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
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Roughly three to fifteen cubic metres, travelling as shared container space. Below three, per box services are usually better value. Above fifteen, a twenty foot container starts to compete and brings a fixed sailing date with it.
Because fixed costs do not scale. A collection is a crew and a vehicle whether they load four cubic metres or fourteen, and documentation and handling cost much the same either way. On a small load those fixed elements are a large share of the total.
A minimum chargeable volume below which you pay the same regardless. It matters at this size, because the difference between shipping three cubic metres and five may be nil. Ask what the minimum is before you decide what to leave behind.
Work out your rate per cubic metre and multiply by the item. A three seat sofa is roughly two cubic metres. Chinese furniture is competitively priced and will fit a Chinese flat properly, which a British sofa often will not.
Generally yes. China runs 220 volts at 50 hertz against the UK's 230 at 50, so British appliances work with a plug change rather than a transformer. The question is whether they are worth the shipping cost and whether they will fit.
Six to eight weeks door to door for a coastal city, longer inland. Part of that is waiting for the container to consolidate, which is the trade you are making for the lower price and why dates need to be flexible.
Not really, on a part load. The container sails when it is full enough, so any date given is an estimate. If your timing is fixed by a tenancy or a job start, a sole use container is the service that buys certainty.
Ask for both to be priced. Movers rarely offer the alternative unprompted, and at the edges the answer surprises people. A twenty foot container at fifteen cubic metres is sometimes closer than expected once the handling stages are counted.
Anything with sentimental value, anything genuinely well made, anything you would struggle to replace, and children's familiar belongings. The calculation tells you what is economic. It does not tell you what matters to live with.
Send your collection address, your Chinese destination, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the paperwork and the access, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.