Spot rates from China to the US East Coast have reached extremely high levels again. Xeneta reported a value of USD 10,948 per 40-foot container on September 17, 2026.
This puts the route just below the previous all-time high in the Xeneta series of approximately USD 11,900 from January 2022. The Drewry series for Shanghai–New York, by contrast, reached around USD 16,000 at the beginning of the pandemic – depending on the index, the gap to the record therefore varies. Drewry reported a weekly increase of 7 percent to USD 10,394 per 40-foot container for the same week.
Important: These are spot rates or off-contract rates. Large customers with long-term contracts may have different prices. Individual carrier offers can also deviate significantly.
Drivers include, among other things, higher fuel costs, tight capacity, and geopolitical detours. This is compounded by demand ahead of China's Golden Week.