There are three ways to bring cargo from China to Uzbekistan: air (roughly 5–10 days, from $9/kg), truck — consolidated freight (15–25 days, from $110 per m³, with the rate set by the cargo’s density) and rail (20–35 days, a 20 ft container at $2,800–5,500). The rule of thumb is simple: light, valuable and urgent goes by air; heavy, bulky and ordinary goes by truck; a uniform lot above 25 m³ goes in a container. Prices are estimates as of September 8, 2026.
The three modes in one table
| Criterion | Air cargo | Truck cargo (consolidated) | Rail (container) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $9/kg standard · $12/kg brand · $11.50/kg commercial | from $110/m³ · $110 → $320/m³ depending on density · denser than 1,000 kg/m³ $0.55/kg | 20 ft $2,800–5,500 · 40 ft $5,200–6,800 |
| Transit (from warehouse departure) | 5–10 days | 15–25 days (express 13–18) | 20–35 days |
| Best for | Electronics accessories, samples, branded clothing, spare parts, urgent lots | Clothing, footwear, toys, household goods, equipment, building materials | One client’s large lot: furniture, raw materials, machinery |
| Restrictions | Lithium batteries, liquids, perfume, magnets, medicines, drones — not accepted | General list: explosives and flammables, perishables, cash and precious metals, documents | Same as truck; dangerous goods by separate agreement |
| Minimum | 0.5 kg | 0.1 m³ | One container (20 or 40 ft) |
| How the price is measured | Volumetric weight: length × width × height (cm) ÷ 5 000 | Density: kg ÷ m³ → the rate for one m³ | Capacity: ≈ 33 m³ (20 ft) / ≈ 76 m³ (40 ft HC) |
| Border | Tashkent airport | Khorgos (Kazakhstan) → Shymkent → Tashkent | Dostyk or Altynkol → Saryagash → Tashkent |
Estimate · Updated September 8, 2026. The final price is set after the cargo is weighed and measured at the Yiwu warehouse. All rates are on the Pricing page; for a quick figure use the Calculator.
When is truck cargo the right choice?
Truck cargo means carrying your goods by lorry from China through Kazakhstan to Tashkent. GSR Logistics receives the cargo at the Yiwu (义乌) warehouse, loads it into one truck together with other clients’ goods — hence “consolidated” — and delivers it via Urumqi, Khorgos, Almaty and Shymkent to Tashkent. You pay for your space only, not for the whole truck.
Truck suits you if:
- the cargo is larger than 0.1 m³ or heavier than 30 kg — for the same box truck works out several times cheaper than air;
- the goods are ordinary: clothing, footwear, toys, tableware, appliances, building materials;
- there is a battery, liquid or magnet inside — air will not take it anyway;
- a 15–25-day wait does not hurt the business.
The pricing rule: truck cargo is billed by volume, and the rate for one cubic metre comes from the density of the cargo (kg ÷ m³). The denser the load, the more a cubic metre costs — there is no separate per-kilogram rate:
| Density (kg/m³) | Price per m³ |
|---|---|
| up to 100 | $110 |
| 101–150 | $130 |
| 151–200 | $160 |
| 201–250 | $180 |
| 251–300 | $200 |
| 301–350 | $230 |
| 351–400 | $260 |
| 401–450 | $280 |
| 451–500 | $290 |
| 501–700 | $300 |
| 701–1,000 | $320 |
| 1,000 and above | $0.55 per kg |
For example, 48 kg in 0.2 m³ is 240 kg/m³, so 0.2 × $180 = $36; 180 kg of toys in 2 m³ is 90 kg/m³, so 2 × $110 = $220; 1,200 kg of tiles in 1 m³ is 1,200 kg/m³ and is billed by weight: 1,200 × $0.55 = $660. The minimum billable volume is 0.1 m³. Details on the Truck cargo (consolidated freight) service page.
When does air cargo pay off?
Air cargo is delivery by plane, roughly 5–10 days. The goods are received at the China warehouse, grouped into an air lot, cleared at Tashkent airport and released from the warehouse. The price starts at $9/kg (branded goods $12, commercial lots $11.50), minimum 0.5 kg. Volumetric weight is calculated with a divisor of 5000, so a light but large box “weighs” more by air than it actually does on the scales; by truck the weight on its own sets nothing — it only fixes the density, and you pay for the volume.
Air suits you if:
- the value per kilogram is high — phone accessories, small electronics, branded clothing, spare parts;
- time is money: a seasonal collection, a marketplace listing that has sold out, a part for an idle machine;
- the cargo is small and dense — up to 20–30 kg: on a lot that size air costs roughly $150–250 more than truck — a premium worth paying for expensive goods or a fixed deadline.
Air does not suit goods with lithium batteries (power banks, e-scooters, SIM smartwatches), liquids and cosmetics, perfume, magnets, medicines or drones. Such cargo goes only by truck or rail. Details on the Air cargo page.
Who needs rail and containers?
Rail means moving a whole container (FCL) or part of one (LCL) by train. The container travels on the Chinese railway to the Dostyk or Altynkol border, is transferred to the wider CIS gauge, then continues through Kazakhstan and Saryagash to Tashkent. Transit is roughly 20–35 days; the price is per container: 20 ft $2,800–5,500, 40 ft $5,200–6,800.
Rail suits you if:
- the lot is above 25 m³ and belongs to one client — the container is sealed and not opened en route;
- the cargo is heavy: machinery, raw materials, furniture, building materials — the cost per cubic metre drops to $100–200;
- a lead time of about a month is acceptable.
Note: the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway is still under construction; today all rail cargo comes through Kazakhstan. Details on the Rail and container shipping page.
Price comparison: four worked examples
| Cargo | Air | Truck (consolidated) | Rail | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 kg of phone accessories, 0.1 m³ (200 kg/m³) | 20 × 9 = $180 | 0.1 × 160 = $16 | — | $164 apart; not urgent → truck, if the 10–15 days matter → air |
| 300 kg of clothing, 1.5 m³ (200 kg/m³) | 300 × 9 = $2,700 | 1.5 × 160 = $240 | — | Saves $2,460 → truck |
| 240 kg of toys, 3 m³ (80 kg/m³) | volumetric 600 kg × 9 = $5,400 | 3 × 110 = $330 | — | Light cargo goes by truck only, per m³ |
| 4 t of furniture, 28 m³ (143 kg/m³) | — | 28 × 130 = $3,640 | 20 ft $2,800–5,500 | Prices are close, a sealed container → rail or truck |
All figures come from the rate table and are estimates; insurance (1% of declared value), customs payments and regional delivery are charged separately. How volumetric weight and density are calculated is explained in the guide How cargo prices are calculated.
What makes up the transit time?
“15–25 days” is the time from departure from the Yiwu warehouse to arrival at the Tashkent warehouse. The full chain looks like this:
| Stage | Air | Truck | Rail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier to the Yiwu warehouse (inside China) | 2–5 days | 2–5 days | 2–7 days |
| Receiving, inspection, photo report, consolidation | 1–3 days | 1–3 days | 2–5 days |
| Road and border | 5–10 days | 15–25 days | 20–35 days |
| Customs clearance in Tashkent | 1–2 working days | 1–2 working days | 1–3 working days |
| Total (roughly) | 9–20 days | 19–35 days | 25–50 days |
By truck, most of the waiting happens at the Khorgos border: a 1–3-day queue, up to 5 days before holidays. By rail it is the gauge transfer at the Dostyk/Altynkol terminal; the Altynkol–Khorgos hub is being modernised in 2026 and capacity will rise. By air, the time mostly depends on the schedule: lots fly 1–2 times a week.
Which goods cannot travel by which mode?
By no mode: explosives and flammables; plants, animals and perishables; cash, precious metals and stones, jewellery, antiques; means of payment, securities, documents; anything prohibited by law; brand copies (counterfeits).
Not by air: lithium batteries and accumulators (power banks, e-scooters, wireless earbuds), liquids and cosmetics, perfume, magnets and magnetic toys, medicines and medical devices, drones and GPS trackers, SIM smartwatches, aerosols.
With a permit: radio and Wi-Fi devices (certificate), food and tableware (sanitary conclusion), medicines (Ministry of Health permit). The full list is in the guide Prohibited goods.
Five steps to choose
- Find out the weight and volume. Ask the supplier for the number of boxes, their dimensions (cm) and weight. Density = kg ÷ m³ — that number sets the truck rate.
- Check the restrictions. Any battery, liquid or magnet? If yes, rule out air straight away.
- Work out the value per kilogram. Divide the goods’ price by their weight. Above $100/kg the air premium is under 10% of the value of the goods; below $5/kg only truck or rail makes sense.
- Turn the lead time into money. What does a 10-day delay cost you (lost sales, an idle workshop)? If it is more than the air–truck difference, choose air.
- Compare both options in the calculator and message your manager — they will give an exact price and departure date based on the cargo’s density and category.
Seasons: when does each mode slow down?
- Chinese New Year (late January — February). Factories stop for 2–3 weeks. Warehouses usually ship the last truck lot around January 23 and the last air lot around January 31; the first departure comes after mid-February. Uzum and Instagram sellers are advised to hold a two-month stock.
- Golden Week (October 1–7). Factories and logistics pause for a week, then queues stretch by 1–2 weeks.
- 11.11 and December. Couriers inside China and border terminals are overloaded; truck transit moves towards the upper limit of 25 days. Cargo companies usually announce discounts in this period.
- Winter. Snow on the Khorgos road can add 1–3 days; rail does not depend on the weather.
Manager’s tip. Splitting one lot in two is often the best answer: the first 20–30 kg of samples and urgent items go by air, the main volume by truck. You start selling in 7 days, and the main lot arrives at the low rate.
Not sure which mode fits? Send the product name, approximate weight and the date you need it by — your manager will compare the three options in numbers.