Almost every argument about a late shipment comes from one confusion: port to port and door to door are different measurements, and the shorter one is the one usually quoted.
We connect your enquiry with a vetted international moving company from our network that runs your route, and the timeline they give you should cover the whole journey rather than the sailing.
Published 2026 schedules put the ocean leg from the UK at around eight to seventeen days to New York, fourteen to sixteen to Baltimore, sixteen to Charleston, nineteen to Houston, Norfolk and Savannah, up to twenty four to New Orleans, and twenty six to thirty three to the Pacific ports.
the ocean leg to the east coast runs roughly two weeks and to the west coast roughly a month, but door to door most moves take four to eight weeks once collection, clearance and delivery are counted.
Ask which of the two numbers you are being quoted. A four week promise that turns out to have meant port to port is the single most common source of complaint on this route.
| East coast ocean leg | Roughly two weeks port to port |
|---|---|
| West coast ocean leg | Roughly a month port to port |
| East coast door to door | Usually four to six weeks |
| West coast door to door | Usually six to eight weeks |
| Air freight | Days rather than weeks, plus clearance |
| Currency | Exchange help included with your move |
Before the ship, there is collection, export packing and the wait for the sailing your shipment is booked on. On a shared container there is also the wait for the container to fill.
After the ship, there is customs clearance, which can add days and considerably more if the shipment is examined, then the inland leg for anything not on the coast, then delivery scheduling at the far end.
Those stages are where the weeks are. The crossing itself is the most predictable part of the whole journey, which is why quoting it alone makes a timeline look better than it is.
| What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Ask for the whole journey | Collection, export packing, sailing, clearance, inland leg and delivery. A number covering only the middle of that is not a timeline. |
| Ask about frequency, not just speed | How often a service sails to your destination affects your date more than the crossing time does, especially on shared containers. |
| Plan for a window, not a day | Inland destinations run on scheduled services after clearance, so the last stage arrives as a window rather than an appointment. |
Port to port, roughly two weeks to the east coast and about a month to the west. Door to door, most moves run four to six weeks to the east coast and six to eight to the west.
Because port to port measures only the sailing. Collection, packing, clearance, the inland leg and delivery scheduling all sit outside it, and that is where most of the time goes.
The Atlantic ports. Published 2026 schedules put New York at roughly eight to seventeen days and Baltimore at fourteen to sixteen, against twenty six to thirty three for the Pacific coast.
Yes, on two counts. The container waits to fill before it sails, and the shipments are separated and handled again at the far end.
Days rather than weeks for the flight, plus customs clearance at the far end. It suits the things you need in your first fortnight rather than furniture.
For coastal destinations with a short chain, sometimes. For inland destinations the final stage runs on a scheduled service, so you get a window rather than a date.
Waiting for shared container space, and customs examinations. Both are avoidable in part: the first by choosing the service knowingly, the second by declaring accurately.
If your dates are fixed, yes, and consider sending essentials by air so you are not waiting on the container to start living normally.
Because the chain has several stages and only some of them are within one company's control. A reliable mover gives a window and explains what could move it.
Send your collection address, your US destination and the date you need to be settled. A moving company from our network works the sailing back from that and gives you the whole timeline.
Send your move detailsA Working Member of AGM Group. Enquiries are connected with vetted FIDI FAIM certified and BAR Overseas accredited international moving companies from the network.
We are not a removal company. Schedules and delivery dates are set by the moving company and the carriers it uses, not by us.
Written by Darren Benjamin, Founder.