Iran FCL is not ocean FCL on a different routing. Space here is a scheduling problem, not a price problem: block trains are assembled ad hoc and announced at short notice, and the rate moves from one departure to the next. This section answers the six questions clients ask first.
Ocean freight runs on published schedules: a vessel date, a cut-off, a release window. Iran block trains do not work that way. Many are assembled ad hoc and announced at short notice — dense one month, thin the next. So the useful questions are different ones, and the answers below are the ones we can actually stand behind.
| The question | The answer you can act on |
|---|---|
| How much can one container carry? | 25.5 tonnes of cargo net weight, the same for 20ft and 40ft, excluding tare. There is no exception lane. |
| 20GP or 40ft? | Decided by density, not by total weight. Above 0.88 t/CBM a 20GP is the cheaper box; below 0.38 you want a 40HQ. |
| Is the schedule reliable? | No, and there is no timetable to check. Which is why we work the other way round: cargo is finished and standing by, and it loads the moment space is released. |
| When do I pay? | Freight is prepaid in full, cleared before departure once booking is confirmed. No collect. |
| Who handles the Iranian end? | The terminal and agent are appointed by the train operator, and they differ per departure. We name your contact in writing after booking — one window from then on. |
| Can you quote now? | Yes, for the current departure only, valid to that train's cut-off. Rates on this lane move too much for ranges to be useful to you. |
This is the single most counter-intuitive fact on the Iran lane, and the one most often discovered after booking. The rail weight limit is 25.5 tonnes of cargo per container regardless of size. A 40ft has more than twice the volume of a 20GP and exactly the same weight ceiling.
So with steel, tiles, fertiliser or castings, a 40ft hits 25 tonnes with half its cubic capacity empty. You are paying freight on air. A 20GP is the correct box.
| Density (t/CBM) | Typical cargo | Box |
|---|---|---|
| Under 0.38 | Furniture, textiles, plastics, packaging, toys | 40HQ — buy the volume |
| 0.38 – 0.88 | Small appliances, hardware, general merchandise, parts | Usually 40HQ; loading plan decides |
| Above 0.88 | Tiles, steel coils, fertiliser, ore, castings | 20GP — the weight binds first |
Send us cubic metres and gross weight and we will name the box in the same reply. It is arithmetic, not judgement.
Choosing a border does not buy you time. Once the train leaves China, the three routings land within days of each other — the spread comes from departure scheduling, not from the corridor. What you are really choosing is which one has space.
| Corridor | Exit and transit | Iran entry | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarakhs | Khorgos / Alashankou → Kazakhstan → Turkmenistan | Sarakhs | The established main line; most departures; good for Tehran and the east |
| Incheh Borun | Khorgos / Alashankou → Kazakhstan → Turkmenistan | Incheh Borun | Northern gateway, natural for northwest Tehran and the Caspian side |
| Trans-Caspian | Khorgos → Aktau port → Caspian ferry | Anzali / Amirabad | Avoids Turkmen transit; adds a ferry wait that no one controls |
We do not push one routing. Whichever has space and a workable rate this week is what we quote — and we show you the other two at the same time so the comparison is yours, not ours.
| Origin | What it is good at | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Xi'an | Deepest pool of departures; our own 6,000 m² consolidation warehouse, so stuffing and securing are under our control | Nationwide cargo consolidated in one place, and anything needing eyes on the loading |
| Zhengzhou | Dense Central Plains industrial base — cargo forms full blocks locally | Machinery, aluminium, refractory materials from Henan and neighbours |
| Chengdu | Long operating record on southwest exports; mature electronics packing routines | Electronics, equipment manufacturing, Sichuan-region cargo |
| Wuhan | Barge plus rail consolidation; natural for Yangtze corridor cargo | Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and anything transiting the Yangtze |
The four are not separate businesses. We route cargo to whichever terminal has workable space this cycle — unless your factory sits next to one of them, in which case fixing that origin saves you a domestic truck leg.
Space on this lane is tight right now. Translated into operations, that means three things:
Blunt version: space here is a scheduling problem, not a price problem. Paying more does not buy a slot. Being ready and deciding fast does.
Rail DG rules are stricter than ocean, and Iran-bound trains are stricter still. Three buckets:
Insurance is placed on cargo value; the rate depends on commodity and whether all-risks is required. Securing is handled at stuffing: crates, pallets, strapping, air bags, matched to the cargo. Rail ride quality into Iran is rougher than domestic Chinese rail — cargo that shifts is discovered in Tehran, and by then it is your loss.
| Step | What happens | What you provide |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cargo details | Commodity, volume, weight, origin, destination | A draft packing list is enough — no need to wait for the final version |
| 2. Rate | Current departure price with validity, itemised | Whether you need DAP or DDP |
| 3. Booking | Space locked, box and origin confirmed | Company and consignee details |
| 4. Payment | Freight prepaid in full | Against the confirmed amount and account |
| 5. Stuffing and export | Warehousing, loading, securing, export declaration | Declaration documents, licences if applicable |
| 6. Tracking | Border transshipment, arrival, Iranian handover | One named contact on your side |
Steps 1 to 3 can close inside a day. The real time sits in producing the cargo and waiting for a departure — not in the paperwork.
25.5 tonnes of cargo net weight, identical for 20ft and 40ft, excluding tare. Above that the railway will not accept the container, and there is no waiver route.
Because the ceiling is the same 25.5 tonnes as a 20GP while the box itself is heavier and the freight is higher. At 25 tonnes a 40ft still has half its volume empty — you are paying for that air. Above 0.88 t/CBM, take the 20GP.
Nothing publishable. Most departures are organised at short notice — some months run dense, others thin. The one semi-fixed point is that cut-off falls three days before departure, and ad hoc trains can be shorter still.
Finish the cargo first and hold it ready. Do not run the sequence "get space, then start producing" — on this lane that order misses train after train.
No. Iran-bound FCL is prepaid in full, settled before departure once booking is confirmed. That is a platform requirement, not our preference.
Because rates track space and demand per departure, and the spread between two trains on the same routing is wide. We quote a current rate with a validity date instead — a number you can use, rather than a range that expires in two days.
The terminal and agent are appointed by the train operator and change from departure to departure. We confirm your named contact in writing once booking is done, so you are not hunting for a second person at the other end.
From the moment the train leaves China, all three are within days of each other. The variance comes from departure scheduling, not the corridor. So the real choice is which one has space this cycle.
Yes. DAP to your named address in Tehran, or DDP with clearance and duties included. Other Iranian cities are served too, with transit quoted separately.
Depends on cubic metres, density and how long you can wait. The break-even sits near 10–13 CBM; below it groupage usually wins, above it FCL costs less per cubic metre. The comparison is worked through here.