Shipping Information
What is included at each Incoterm, how containers are loaded, what documentation is issued, and indicative transit times to our main markets.
We ship containerised natural stone worldwide on FOB, CFR and CIF terms. This page sets out what is included at each term, how containers are loaded, what documentation is issued, and the indicative transit times to our main markets.
What each term includes
| Term | Includes | Does not include |
|---|---|---|
| FOB Free On Board | Production, export packing, inland transport to the port of loading, export customs clearance and loading on board the vessel. | Sea freight, marine insurance, destination port charges, import duty and taxes, inland delivery at destination. |
| CFR Cost and Freight | Everything under FOB, plus sea freight to your named destination port. | Marine insurance, destination port charges, import duty and taxes, inland delivery at destination. |
| CIF Cost, Insurance and Freight | Everything under CFR, plus marine insurance to the named destination port. | Destination port charges, import duty and taxes, customs clearance, inland delivery at destination. |
None of these terms include destination customs duty, import taxes, port charges, customs clearance or inland delivery at destination. Budget those separately with your customs broker before setting your selling price.
Indicative sea transit times
From Java to the destination port, excluding port congestion and inland transit at destination.
| Region | Markets | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| North America | United States, Canada | 32 – 42 days |
| Europe | United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Germany | 28 – 38 days |
| Middle East | UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait | 18 – 25 days |
| Asia Pacific | Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines | 7 – 16 days |
| Indian Ocean | Maldives, India | 10 – 18 days |
| Australia | Australia, New Zealand | 14 – 20 days |
Issued with every shipment
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list, itemised crate by crate with dimensions and gross weights
- Bill of lading
- Certificate of origin — Form D, Form E or the preferential form applicable to your market
- Fumigation / ISPM 15 certificate for all wooden packing
- Marine insurance certificate (CIF shipments)
Tell us your market and we will confirm which certificate of origin applies. In several ASEAN and partner markets the correct form materially reduces or eliminates import duty, and obtaining it after shipment is difficult.
What to plan for
Container capacity
A 20ft container typically carries 25–27 tonnes of stone and a 40ft container is rarely useful for stone because the weight limit is reached long before the volume is. We load to the road-legal weight limit at your destination port, which we confirm before loading.
ISPM 15 compliance
All wooden packing is heat-treated or fumigated and stamped with the ISPM 15 mark. This is mandatory for most destinations and is the most common avoidable cause of port delay in this trade.
Consolidated LCL
For samples, trial orders and small quantities we can arrange less-than-container-load consolidation. Freight cost per unit is higher; it is intended for evaluation rather than for commercial volume.
Phased delivery
For multi-phase projects we can reserve material and schedule containers against your construction programme rather than shipping everything at once into a site with nowhere to store it.
Breakage
Correctly packed stone travels well. Budget 1–2% breakage allowance on a first order. Report any damage with photographs of the crate as opened, before unpacking, so the cause can be identified.
Need a CIF price to your port?
Send material, quantity and destination port and we will quote CIF including sea freight and marine insurance.