Quick Answer: With AB Group Shipping, a 20 ft container from Savannah to Panama costs $821 and a 40 ft HC $972 port to port (October 2026 quote), with 14 days transit. Lanes to Cartagena, Callao, Santos and San Antonio cost more and change monthly. The calculator on this page prices your exact origin and destination in seconds.
- Savannah is the usual export gateway for Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama — by truck from the Southeast, by rail from inland states.
- Port-to-port FCL pricing from Savannah starts in the Panama lane (14 days) and climbs through Cartagena, Brazil, Callao, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala and Costa Rica — see the live price table under the opening answer.
- An honest quote has eight line items: ocean freight, BAF/CAF, origin THC, ISPS, documentation, drayage, chassis and destination charges. Duty, VAT and demurrage sit outside the freight rate.
- Below roughly 10-12 CBM, LCL usually beats a 20 ft box; above it, FCL wins on cost per cubic meter and on free time.
Rates on every lane reset monthly as carriers file new bunker and peak-season surcharges. The price table on this page updates itself, so treat the figures in this article as an October 2026 snapshot and the calculator as the live number.
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Go to the calculator →Reference prices: container shipping from Savannah
| Destination | 20 ft container | 40 ft HC container | Transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| PanamaColon Container Terminal | $821 | $972 | 14 days |
| ColombiaCartagena | $1,490 | $1,706 | 32 days |
| BrazilNavegantes Imbituba/Paranagua/Rio de Janeiro/Salvador | $1,566 | $1,922 | 14 days |
| PeruCallao | $1,598 | $1,944 | 25 days |
| ChileSan Antonio | $1,847 | $2,171 | 33 days |
| EcuadorPosorja | $1,847 | $2,171 | 25 days |
| GuatemalaSanto Tomas de Castilla | $1,847 | $2,203 | 23 days |
| Costa RicaMoin | $1,890 | $2,257 | 20 days |
Port-to-port rates in USD from Savannah, calculated with our quoting system (current since October 1, 2026). 20 ft container: general cargo. 40 ft HC container: general cargo. They include freight and US export charges; they do not include import taxes or local charges at destination. The calculator on this page gives your exact price, with pickup and delivery.
Container Shipping Calculator Savannah: How Does It Work, Line by Line?
Quick Answer: A container shipping calculator is a tool that prices an ocean freight move from live carrier contracts instead of a sales email. Our Savannah calculator asks for container size, destination port, cargo type and pickup ZIP, then returns a port-to-port rate, transit time and the surcharges attached to that lane.
The container shipping calculator savannah shippers use here converts your lane, equipment and commodity into a priced rate sheet. Those rates come from NVOCC contracts with Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd. They are not guesses, and they are not averages scraped from an index.
The four inputs the calculator needs
- Pick your equipment: 20 ft dry or 40 ft high cube. Those two cover most general-cargo moves out of Savannah.
- Choose your destination port: Colon, Cartagena, Callao, San Antonio, Posorja, Santo Tomas de Castilla, Moin, or a Brazil base port (Navegantes, Imbituba, Paranagua, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador).
- Declare your commodity. General cargo, vehicles, hazardous goods and reefer cargo price on completely different lines.
- Add your pickup ZIP if you need collection in Georgia or anywhere in the Southeast. Port-to-port rates do not include pickup — the calculator adds it.
How accurate is the number?
Port-to-port ocean freight is firm for the quote validity window. Destination terminal charges, import duty and inland delivery at the far end are quoted separately. We do not set those — the destination terminal and the customs authority do, whether that is DIAN in Colombia, SUNAT in Peru or SAT in Mexico.
Pro Tip
General-cargo container rates never price a vehicle. A car moving alone uses the vehicle line. Cars sharing a 40 ft use the shared-container approximation per car. If you enter a car as "general cargo," the quote will be wrong and the booking will be rejected at loading.
Two outputs come back. Standard dry containers get an instant price. Flat rack, breakbulk, oversized RoRo and dangerous goods get a request custom quote form at the same anchor, because a specialist has to review stowage before pricing them.
Shipping to the Pacific coast of South America instead? Our Container Calculator Ecuador: FCL Rates 2026 guide walks the same logic for the Posorja and Guayaquil lanes.
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Go to the calculator →How Much Does It Cost to Ship a 40ft Container From Savannah?
Quick Answer: A 40 ft high cube from Savannah to Panama costs $972 port to port and a 20 ft costs $821 (October 2026 quote, AB Group Shipping), moving in 14 days. Longer Pacific and Southern Cone lanes cost more. Rates reset monthly, so the price table on this page is the live reference.
Panama is the cheapest and fastest lane we publish from Savannah. Every other destination costs more and takes longer. Rather than repeat eight numbers that expire in four weeks, check the self-updating price table under the opening answer for your exact port.
FCL rates from Savannah by destination — 40 ft HC, October 2026
See the data
| Destination port | 20 ft | 40 ft HC | Transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panama — Colon (CCT) | $821 | $972 | 14 days |
| Brazil — base ports | $1,566 | $1,922 | 14 days |
| Colombia — Cartagena | $1,490 | $1,706 | 32 days |
| Peru — Callao | $1,598 | $1,944 | 25 days |
| Chile — San Antonio | $1,847 | $2,171 | 33 days |
| Ecuador — Posorja | $1,847 | $2,171 | 25 days |
| Guatemala — Santo Tomas | $1,847 | $2,203 | 23 days |
| Costa Rica — Moin | $1,890 | $2,257 | 20 days |
Source: AB Group Shipping quoting system, port to port from Savannah, general cargo · October 2026
Read the number correctly. It is port to port from Savannah, general cargo, pickup not included. The calculator adds pickup for your ZIP code, whether that is a plant in Macon, a warehouse in Greenville or a distributor in Chattanooga.
Panama and the Brazil base ports both run about 14 days port to port from Savannah. Chile is more than double that at 33 days, because the service routes through the Panama Canal and calls intermediate ports before San Antonio.
Why does the 40 ft HC rate move every month?
Three variables drive it. Vessel space on the lane tightens when exporters rush before a holiday. Bunker cost flows into the BAF, which carriers refile on a schedule. Peak-season surcharges and GRIs get filed by Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd with as little as 15 to 30 days' notice.
You can cross-check any lane against carrier tools such as Quick Quotes - Container Shipping Rates instantly or an index-based tool like the Free Container Shipping Cost Calculator. Compare the same equipment and the same sailing week, or the numbers will not line up.
SavannahUSSAV
ColonPACTB
SavannahUSSAV
CartagenaCOCTG
SavannahUSSAV
CallaoPECLL
Loading somewhere other than Savannah? The calculator uses the nearest listed origin's price, shown as "approx." with the port it actually sails from. A shipper in Jacksonville, for example, sees an approx. figure based on the Miami gateway.
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Go to the calculator →What Fees Are Included in a Savannah Container Shipping Quote?
Quick Answer: A Savannah container quote covers ocean freight plus BAF, CAF, origin terminal handling, ISPS and documentation. Outside the freight rate sit drayage, chassis, destination terminal charges, customs clearance, duty and VAT, and any demurrage or detention you trigger. An honest forwarder itemizes all of it before you book.
Here is the export formula, in order:
- Ocean base rate for the lane and equipment
- BAF (bunker adjustment) and CAF (currency adjustment)
- Origin THC at the Savannah terminal
- ISPS security fee
- Bill of Lading documentation fee
- AES/EEI filing in the Automated Export System where the shipment requires it
- Drayage from your dock to the terminal
- Chassis rental per day
Add those eight and you have the landed-on-vessel cost. Anything the seller pays past the ship's rail depends on the Incoterm.
The import-side formula for Savannah arrivals
Importers bringing cargo into Savannah carry a different stack. According to CBP regulations, the ISF (10+2) must be filed 24 hours before vessel loading at origin. Miss it and you risk a penalty plus an AMS hold.
- Ocean freight to Savannah
- Destination THC at Garden City Terminal
- ISF filing fee
- Customs bond — Single-Entry or Continuous
- Duty by HTS classification
- MPF (Merchandise Processing Fee) and HMF (Harbor Maintenance Fee)
- Customs broker entry fee
- Drayage and chassis to your warehouse
Worked example: Savannah to Cartagena, 40 ft HC
Start with the October 2026 table rate of $1,706 for a 40 ft HC to Cartagena, port to port. Add pickup from your ZIP — the calculator prices that from your actual address, not a flat fee. That is your controlled cost.
Then the Colombian side. The destination terminal publishes its own handling tariff, and DIAN clearance is billed by your Colombian broker. Both are ranges set at destination, not by us, so ask your consignee for a written estimate before you quote CIF or DDP. Colombian import VAT and duty apply on top, at the published rates for your HS code.
Single-Entry or Continuous customs bond?
The rule of thumb for US importers: a Continuous bond usually wins past roughly $50,000 in annual duty, or past three to four entries a year. A Continuous bond is typically filed at 10% of annual duties, taxes and fees. Below that volume, a Single-Entry bond per shipment costs less.
The "all-in" quote trap
A rate that omits origin THC, chassis and destination handling always looks cheapest on the email. The invoice arrives three weeks later with four line items nobody mentioned. Ask any forwarder for an itemized quote and compare line against line — never headline against headline.
Import duties and taxes are published percentages set by each country, not AB Group prices. We can show you the math; we cannot rule on classification. For binding duty, HTS or valuation questions, use a licensed customs broker or an international trade attorney.
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Go to the calculator →FOB, EXW, CIF or DDP — Which Incoterm Should You Quote From Savannah?
Quick Answer: Incoterms 2020 decide which charges belong in your calculator estimate. FOB Savannah means you pay inland trucking and terminal handling; EXW pushes everything to the buyer; CIF adds ocean freight and insurance; DDP makes you responsible for import duty and clearance in the destination country.
Map each term to a real Savannah export:
- EXW your warehouse in Atlanta or Greenville — the buyer collects and pays everything after that
- FCA our partner warehouse in Savannah — you deliver, the buyer owns the ocean leg
- FOB Savannah — you pay drayage, origin THC and loading; risk passes on board
- CIF Cartagena — you add ocean freight and marine cargo insurance
- DAP buyer's door — you deliver, the buyer clears and pays duty
- DDP — you deliver with duty and taxes already paid
DAP: safer for the seller
DAP delivers to the buyer's door with import duties and clearance on the buyer. You control the freight and nothing else. If DIAN or SUNAT reclassifies the goods, the cost falls on your customer, not on you. For most first-time LatAm transactions, DAP is the sensible ceiling.
DDP: attractive, exposed
DDP delivers with duties pre-paid by you. It wins deals because the buyer sees one number. It also exposes you to tax registration requirements, reassessments and penalties in a country where you have no legal presence. Several LatAm customs regimes require a local importer of record, which you do not have.
The calculator needs your term because the quote boundary moves with it. An FOB Savannah quote stops at the ship's rail. A CIF quote carries ocean freight and insurance all the way to the discharge port. Comparing one against the other is comparing two different products.
Documents by term
- Commercial Invoice — Factura Comercial
- Packing List — Lista de Empaque
- Bill of Lading (B/L) or Sea Waybill
- Certificate of Origin — Certificado de Origen, needed for preferential duty under trade agreements
- Buyer's RUT (Colombia) or RUC (Peru) for the import entry
20ft, 40ft, 40ft High Cube or LCL: When Should You Ship Less Than a Container?
Quick Answer: Ship LCL below roughly 10-12 cubic meters and FCL above it. A 20 ft dry holds about 28-33 CBM of usable space, a 40 ft about 58-65, and a 40 ft high cube adds roughly a meter of stacking height. Past the break-even, a full container costs less per cubic meter.
| Equipment | Usable CBM | Max payload | Best Savannah use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 ft dry | 28-33 CBM | ~28,000 kg | Dense cargo: tiles, machinery parts, canned goods |
| 40 ft dry | 58-65 CBM | ~26,700 kg | Volume cargo under weight limits |
| 40 ft high cube | 65-72 CBM | ~26,500 kg | Light, bulky freight: furniture, packaging, textiles |
| LCL | 1-10 CBM | Per CBM / revenue ton | Samples, single pallets, first orders |
LCL is priced per cubic meter or revenue ton with a minimum charge. One pallet is cheap; eight pallets are not. The curve crosses a 20 ft FCL somewhere near 10-12 CBM on most LatAm lanes. Run both modes in the calculator before you commit.
What LCL costs you in time
LCL cargo moves through a CFS for deconsolidation at destination. That adds handling days and local CFS charges that an FCL box skips entirely. Your container-mates' documentation problems can also delay your pallets, because the whole consolidation clears as one unit.
What FCL buys you
FCL gives you the seal, the free time and a direct gate-out. Nobody else touches your cargo between stuffing and delivery. On lanes like Savannah to Callao at 25 days, that control usually matters more than the per-CBM math.
Overweight and specialty equipment
Georgia road limits bite before the container does. A 40 ft HC loaded near its payload ceiling often needs a tri-axle chassis or an overweight permit to reach the terminal legally. The calculator flags the weight threshold before you load, not after the driver is turned away.
What never fits in a container
RVs and motorhomes, semi-trucks, heavy machinery and aircraft do not ship in a dry container. They move on a flat rack or a RoRo vessel, and a specialist quotes them after the calculator takes the request. Any website that prices them as containers is pricing something it cannot actually book.
Shipping cartons rather than pallets? Our Boxes to Haiti Shipping Calculator: 2026 Instant Quotes guide covers box-level pricing. Loading vehicles instead of general cargo? Start with the Classic Car Shipping Calculator: 2026 Instant Quotes, or the Copart Vehicle Shipping Calculator 2026: Instant Quotes if you buy at auction.
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Go to the calculator →How Long Does a Container Take From Savannah — and From China to Savannah?
Quick Answer: From Savannah, Panama and Brazil base ports run about 14 days, Costa Rica 20, Guatemala 23, Peru and Ecuador 25, Colombia 32 and Chile 33. Inbound, Shanghai to Savannah typically runs 30-38 days depending on Panama Canal or Suez routing and transshipment calls.
Outbound transits come straight from our sailing schedule and sit in the rate table earlier on this page. Inbound is where most Southeast importers get surprised.
| Origin port | Typical transit to Savannah | Routing note |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai (CNSHA) | 30-38 days | Panama Canal or Suez; direct calls are faster |
| Ningbo (CNNGB) | 30-38 days | Usually same service string as Shanghai |
| Busan (KRPUS) | 28-35 days | Often first load port, shorter transit |
| Rotterdam (NLRTM) | 14-20 days | Direct transatlantic, no canal |
| Antwerp (BEANR) | 15-21 days | Frequently paired with Rotterdam rotation |
| Callao (PECLL) | 16-24 days | Panama Canal transit required |
| Santos (BRSSZ) | 16-22 days | East coast South America direct services |
Routing moves these numbers by a week or more. Panama Canal transit slots tighten in drought years. Red Sea disruption pushes Asia-Europe-US strings around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 7 to 14 days. Ask your forwarder which routing your booking actually uses.
Port cut-off is not vessel ETD
VGM, documentation and gate cut-offs usually fall 2 to 4 days before sailing. Shippers who plan to the ETD miss the gate and roll to the next vessel — which on a weekly service costs seven days and often a new rate. Build your loading schedule backward from the cut-off, never from the departure date.
Transshipment adds days and adds risk. A box that changes vessels at Cartagena, Caucedo or Algeciras can sit for a week waiting for connecting space. On tight deadlines, a direct call beats a two-leg routing even at a higher rate. Quoting transatlantic lanes? Our Shipping to Nigeria Calculator: Instant 2026 Rates guide covers that side of the Atlantic.
What Is Savannah Export Container Drayage, and What Does It Add?
Quick Answer: Drayage is the short truck move between your warehouse, the container yard and the terminal gate, billed per move plus accessorials. From Savannah it is priced by mileage band, chassis rental per day, fuel surcharge, and extras like pre-pull, overweight permits and driver wait time beyond free hours.
Savannah export container drayage is not the same as linehaul trucking. Linehaul moves freight city to city on a trailer. Drayage moves an ocean container a short distance under port rules, with a chassis and a terminal appointment attached. Intermodal rail is a third animal again.
The accessorials that actually show up
- Chassis per diem — billed daily from pickup to return
- Chassis split — when the box and the chassis sit at different locations, forcing a second move
- Pre-pull — pulling the container out early to beat free time expiry
- Yard storage — per day once the pre-pull is parked
- Overweight / tri-axle — required for heavy loads on Georgia highways
- Hazmat surcharge — for any regulated commodity
- Driver detention — once your dock holds the truck past the free hours
When does rail beat trucking?
Rail intermodal from Savannah's on-dock ramps reaches Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, Nashville and Dallas. The general pattern: beyond roughly 400 miles, rail usually wins on cost and loses on days. Atlanta is close enough that drayage by truck is normally faster and competitive. Memphis, Nashville and Dallas tilt toward rail.
Verify port operating details before you plan
Terminal gate hours, appointment systems, free-time days and ramp schedules at Garden City Terminal change. Confirm current figures with the Georgia Ports Authority and your carrier contract before you build a loading plan around them. Do not rely on a number you read in a blog post — including this one.
Demurrage, Detention and Free Time: How Do You Avoid the Charges?
Quick Answer: Demurrage is charged when your container sits inside the terminal past free time; detention is charged when the container sits outside the terminal, at your yard, past its allowance. Both bill per container per day and escalate in tiers. Clean documents and an appointment booked early prevent almost all of them.
Four clocks run at once on an import box: demurrage inside the gate, detention outside it, carrier per-diem on the equipment, and chassis free time from the pool provider. They do not start or stop together, which is why invoices surprise people.
The five real causes of demurrage
- Late customs release — entry filed after arrival instead of before
- Missing original B/L — the carrier will not release without it
- Unpaid freight hold — a wire that cleared on Friday afternoon
- No chassis available — pool shortage during peak weeks
- No trucking appointment — slots gone before you booked
Peak season makes all five worse. Book two to three weeks ahead before Lunar New Year, Golden Week and the Q4 push. Ask one question in writing: is my rate filed through the sailing date, or only through booking?
Two cheap insurance policies
Pre-clear the entry before the vessel arrives, and pre-pull the container before free time expires. A pre-pull plus a few days of yard storage almost always costs less than tier-two demurrage, which escalates steeply after the first bracket. Confirm current free-time days with the terminal and your carrier contract — never assume an industry standard applies to your booking.
Who Ships Through Savannah, and Where Does Your Cargo Load?
Quick Answer: Savannah is the usual export gateway for Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. Cargo from the Southeast arrives by truck; cargo from inland states moves by rail to the port. AB Group Shipping works through a partner warehouse in Savannah that receives, stores and consolidates shipments.
How cargo reaches the port by state:
- Georgia — short-haul truck from Atlanta, Macon, Augusta, Columbus
- South Carolina — truck from Greenville, Columbia and the Lowcountry
- North Carolina — truck from Charlotte and the Piedmont, or rail intermodal
- Alabama — truck from Birmingham, Huntsville and Montgomery
- Tennessee — rail or linehaul truck from Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga
- Kentucky — rail from Louisville and Lexington, or linehaul truck
Our Savannah partner warehouse receives, stores and consolidates cargo before loading. That matters for exporters shipping in several truckloads over two weeks, and for anyone building an LCL consolidation instead of filling a box in one go.
Shipping from outside the Southeast?
A different gateway will price your lane. Florida ships through Miami. Texas and the central states through Houston. California and the Southwest through Los Angeles/Long Beach. The Northeast through New York/New Jersey. The Midwest by rail via Chicago. The Pacific Northwest through Seattle. In Canada: Ontario through Toronto, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces through Montreal, Western Canada through Vancouver.
| Port | Drayage to Atlanta | Rail connectivity | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah | ~250 mi | On-dock rail to Midwest and Southeast | Atlanta and Southeast distribution |
| Charleston | ~300 mi | Near-dock rail | Upstate SC, parts of NC |
| Norfolk | ~550 mi | Strong Ohio Valley rail | Mid-Atlantic, Ohio, Pennsylvania |
| Jacksonville | ~350 mi | Regional rail | Florida and Caribbean lanes |
Ocean rates between these ports are often similar on the same service string. Your inland destination decides the winner, not the freight line.
How to validate a calculator estimate
Compare like with like. Same Incoterm. Same equipment. Same sailing week. Then check that surcharges and validity dates line up. A rate that expires before your cut-off is not a rate — it is a conversation starter.
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Go to the calculator →With thousands of shipments processed across the USA–Latin America corridor, we price Savannah lanes from contract rates, not estimates. Enter your container size, destination port and pickup ZIP in the calculator on this page and see a real number in seconds — including the eight line items most quotes hide. For flat rack, breakbulk, oversized RoRo or dangerous goods, the same form sends your request straight to a specialist.
The cost depends on the origin port, the sailing week and the surcharges filed by the carrier, which reset monthly. Inbound rates from Asia and Europe move with vessel space, bunker cost and peak-season GRIs, while outbound rates from Savannah are set by lane and equipment. Check the live price table on this page and run the calculator for a current figure on your exact lane.
Shanghai to Savannah typically runs about 30 to 38 days port to port. The spread comes from routing — Panama Canal versus Suez or a Cape of Good Hope diversion — and from whether the service calls Savannah directly or transships. Add two to four days before sailing for documentation and gate cut-offs.
A complete quote includes ocean freight, BAF and CAF, origin terminal handling, ISPS, documentation and the Bill of Lading fee. Drayage, chassis, destination terminal charges, customs clearance, duty, VAT and any demurrage or detention are billed separately because the terminal and the destination customs authority set them. Ask for an itemized quote, not a vague all-in number.
It depends on your inland destination more than on the ocean rate, which is usually similar between the two ports on the same service. Savannah generally wins for Atlanta and Southeast distribution thanks to shorter drayage and on-dock rail; Charleston can win for upstate South Carolina and parts of North Carolina. Compare total landed cost, including drayage and free time, not just the freight line.
Ship LCL when your cargo is under roughly 10 to 12 cubic meters. Below that threshold, paying per cubic meter costs less than a 20 ft container; above it, FCL wins on cost per cubic meter and avoids CFS deconsolidation delays and handling charges at destination. Run both modes in the calculator on this page before you decide.