How to Import Through Long Beach and Los Angeles: The Complete Guide

How to import through Long Beach and Los Angeles: the short answer

Learning how to import through Long Beach and Los Angeles comes down to managing about a dozen U.S.-side steps in the right order: file the Importer Security Filing before the container is loaded overseas, have a licensed customs broker file entry backed by a customs bond, clear every hold before the container's free time ends, pick the container up with a drayage carrier that has a terminal appointment and a chassis, then unload, store or forward the freight and return the empty on time. Every step has a deadline, and most of the avoidable cost in a West Coast import comes from missing one of them.

The two ports sit side by side in San Pedro Bay and operate as separate agencies, but the process is the same at both. The Port of Los Angeles handled more than 10.2 million TEUs in 2025 and the Port of Long Beach about 9.9 million, so together they move roughly 20 million TEUs a year, most of it from Asia. That volume is why the gateway works well when shipments are planned and why it punishes shipments that are not.

This import freight guide is written for importers, freight forwarders, customs brokers and logistics managers who want the full picture of the San Pedro Bay import process. It is vendor-neutral. It explains who files what, which regulations apply, what each charge is for, and where the decision points are. Where a step involves a service we provide from Long Beach, we link to it, and the rest of the guide stands on its own.

The San Pedro Bay import process at a glance

A typical full-container-load (FCL) import from Asia moves through these stages. Timing is relative to vessel loading and arrival, and every shipment varies.

Who does what on a Long Beach or Los Angeles import

Most delays come from a handoff where two parties each assume the other is handling something. This is the standard division of responsibility.

Planning and booking before the cargo ships

Most problems that show up at the terminal were set in motion at origin. Planning the import before the cargo ships means settling six things.

1. 01
   Confirm classification and landed cost

   Every product needs a Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) number before it ships. The number sets the duty rate and tells your broker whether any trade actions apply, such as Section 301 duties, antidumping or countervailing duties, or quotas. Tariff rates on some origins have changed several times in recent years, so confirm the current rate with your broker for each shipment instead of relying on last year's landed-cost sheet.

2. 02
   Settle Incoterms and who controls the freight

   Under FOB or FCA terms, the buyer books the ocean freight and controls the forwarder, which makes it easier to coordinate the U.S. side. Under CIF or CFR, the seller's forwarder controls the booking and destination charges can arrive as surprises. Under DDP, the seller acts as importer of record, which only works if the seller has a U.S. bond and a broker.

3. 03
   Put a customs bond in place

   A bond must exist before the ISF and entry can be filed. A first-time importer can buy a single-transaction bond for one shipment or a continuous bond that covers a year of entries. Continuous bonds take time to be approved, so arrange one before the first booking if more shipments are coming.

4. 04
   Check other agency requirements

   Food, cosmetics, medical devices, children's products, chemicals, plants and wood products may need data or permits for FDA, CPSC, EPA, USDA or other partner government agencies. Missing data does not stop the vessel. It stops the release, while free time keeps running.

5. 05
   Decide how the container is loaded

   Floor-loaded cartons maximize cube and lower ocean cost per unit, and palletized loads speed unloading and receiving. Choose deliberately, because the decision determines how long unloading takes and whether the freight can be live unloaded at a customer's dock. Any wood pallets or crating must meet the ISPM 15 international standard and carry the treatment mark, or the shipment can be delayed or refused entry.

6. 06
   Pick the U.S.-side path before the vessel sails

   Decide whether the container will go straight to your door, to a transloader near the port, to a CFS, to a bonded warehouse, or inland in bond. Booking drayage and warehouse capacity after arrival is the most common reason containers miss their last free day.

What is ISF 10+2 and when must it be filed?

The Importer Security Filing, called ISF or 10+2, is advance cargo data that U.S. Customs and Border Protection requires for ocean shipments, and it must be transmitted at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded on the vessel at the foreign port. The requirement is set out in 19 CFR Part 149. The importer, called the ISF importer, is responsible for it, and in practice a customs broker or forwarder usually files it.

The importer supplies ten data elements, and the ocean carrier supplies two: the vessel stow plan and container status messages. Two of the importer's ten elements, the container stuffing location and the consolidator, may be submitted later, up to 24 hours before the vessel arrives in the United States. Shipments that will move in bond to be exported or will go into a foreign-trade zone use a shorter five-element filing, often called ISF-5.

A late, inaccurate or incomplete ISF can draw liquidated damages of $5,000 per violation against the importer's bond, and CBP may also place a hold on the cargo. The practical fix is simple: get the supplier's data on the manufacturer, seller, ship-to party and HTS numbers when the purchase order is placed, and give your filer the booking details as soon as the forwarder has them.

The ten importer ISF data elements

Collect these before the cargo is ready. Most come from the supplier and the purchase order.

• Seller: the last known entity that sold or agreed to sell the goods.
• Buyer: the last known entity that bought or agreed to buy the goods.
• Importer of record number or foreign-trade zone applicant ID.
• Consignee number: the IRS, EIN, SSN or CBP-assigned number of the consignee.
• Manufacturer or supplier: name and address of the entity that made, assembled or grew the goods.
• Ship-to party: the first deliver-to party in the U.S. after release.
• Country of origin of each product.
• HTS number to at least the six-digit level.
• Container stuffing location: where the container was physically loaded.
• Consolidator: the party that stuffed the container or arranged for it.

Documents needed to import through Long Beach

These are the core documents for an ocean FCL import. Your broker may ask for more depending on the product and the agencies involved.

Customs entry and bonds: who files what

A licensed customs broker files the customs entry on the importer's behalf, and the importer of record remains legally responsible for it. Brokers are licensed and regulated by CBP under 19 CFR Part 111, and they need a power of attorney from the importer before they can file. Drayage carriers, warehouses and forwarders that are not licensed brokers do not file entries, although they handle the physical cargo that the entry releases.

Merchandise that requires entry must be entered within 15 calendar days after it is landed, under 19 CFR 142.2. For goods moved in bond, the 15 days run from arrival at the destination port. Entry is usually filed before the vessel arrives so CBP can release the cargo on arrival. The entry summary, CBP Form 7501 data with estimated duties, follows within 10 working days of entry under 19 CFR 142.12, and most importers pay through the broker's account or the ACH periodic monthly statement.

If nothing is filed within 15 days, 19 CFR 4.37 lets the carrier send the cargo to a general order warehouse at the risk and expense of the consignee. General order storage is expensive and slow to unwind, and goods that stay unclaimed can eventually be sold. Shipments rarely get that far, but containers that sit at a terminal while an importer argues with a supplier over documents do.

After the entry summary is filed, CBP reviews it and liquidates the entry, which fixes the final duty. Liquidation usually happens about a year after entry. Errors found before liquidation can be fixed with a post-summary correction, and duties may be adjusted up or down at liquidation.

Common entry types for San Pedro Bay imports

How customs bonds work and how big yours should be

A customs bond is a contract between the importer, a surety company and CBP that guarantees duties, taxes, fees and penalties will be paid. A single-transaction bond covers one entry and is usually sized to the value of the shipment plus duties, or a higher multiple when other agency requirements apply. A continuous bond covers every entry for a year.

CBP generally sets a continuous bond at 10 percent of the duties, taxes and fees the importer paid over the previous twelve months, with a $50,000 minimum, rounded up. An importer that paid $900,000 in duties would typically need a $90,000 bond. CBP reviews sufficiency on a rolling basis, so a sharp increase in tariffs can make a bond insufficient before its anniversary. Importers whose duty bill has risen should ask their broker to check bond sufficiency before CBP sends a notice, because an insufficient bond can block new entries.

Duties are only part of the customs bill. Ocean imports also pay the Merchandise Processing Fee of 0.3464 percent of the entered value, subject to a minimum and maximum that CBP adjusts every fiscal year, and the Harbor Maintenance Fee of 0.125 percent of the cargo value, which has no cap. Your broker will show each line on the entry summary.

Arrival, discharge and availability

A container is available for pickup when it has been discharged from the vessel, all holds are released, and the terminal shows it as ready for an appointment. Discharge and availability are different events. A large vessel can take several days to work, and a container discharged on the first day may not be released until the last.

The Port of Long Beach import process and the Los Angeles process start the same way: the ocean carrier or forwarder sends an arrival notice a few days before arrival with the vessel, voyage, estimated arrival, terminal, and any freight charges due. Track the container on the terminal's own website or a visibility platform as the vessel approaches, because the terminal record, not the carrier's schedule, is what the drayage carrier and appointment system use.

Vessels sometimes change berths between the two ports on short notice. Because the ports are separate agencies with their own terminals, a diversion can change the terminal, the appointment system and the empty return location. When importing through Los Angeles or Long Beach, use a drayage provider that works both ports so a diversion only changes the route. Our Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles pages describe how we cover each side of the harbor.

Holds that stop a container from leaving the terminal

A container with any open hold cannot be picked up, even if the vessel discharged days ago. Most terminals show the hold type in the container status.

What happens when CBP examines a container?

CBP examines containers in three main ways: a non-intrusive X-ray or gamma-ray scan, a tailgate exam where officers open the doors and inspect what they can reach, and an intensive exam where the container is moved to a Centralized Examination Station and unloaded. Scans often clear within a few days. Intensive exams take longer because the container must be drayed to the station, scheduled, unloaded, examined and reloaded.

The importer pays the station's handling charges and the drayage to and from it, even when nothing is wrong with the shipment. Free time does not stop during an exam unless the terminal or carrier agrees otherwise, so exams are a common source of demurrage disputes. Keep the exam notice and dates, because they matter if you later contest a charge under the FMC billing rule described below.

Terminal appointments, peak hours and port fees

Every container terminal in San Pedro Bay requires a truck appointment for import pickups and empty returns, and appointments for a given day can sell out during busy periods. The drayage carrier books them, so the earlier the carrier knows a container is coming, the more choice it has. Many carriers try to pair an import pickup with an empty return in one visit, called a dual transaction, to cut turn time.

Two port-related charges commonly appear on drayage invoices. The ports' Clean Truck Fund rate is charged on loaded containers moved by truck through the terminals, and a traffic mitigation fee applies to many moves during peak daytime hours under the terminals' off-peak program. The amounts change and some cargo is exempt, so check the current rates on the port and program websites rather than relying on an old quote.

Terminal gate hours and appointment windows vary by terminal and season. A container that is released on a Friday afternoon may not have a usable appointment until Monday, which is why free-time math has to account for the terminal calendar and not just the calendar on the wall.

Free time and the last free day

Free time is the number of days a container may sit at the terminal, or be held outside it, before daily charges start, and the last free day (LFD) is the final day of that allowance. After the LFD, the container accrues demurrage at the terminal. After it leaves the terminal, a separate clock runs on the equipment until the empty is returned, usually called detention or per diem.

Free time is set by the ocean carrier's tariff or service contract, and sometimes by the terminal, and it usually starts at discharge or availability. Typical import free time at the San Pedro Bay ports is a handful of days, and it differs by carrier, contract and terminal. Whether weekends and holidays count is defined in the tariff. The last free day guide explains how to read the LFD on a terminal record and how to calculate it.

The LFD should drive every other date in the plan. If entry, freight release, appointment and pickup are all scheduled to happen on the LFD itself, any one slip turns into charges. Aim to have holds cleared and the container picked up with at least a day of margin, and if that is not possible, decide early whether to pre-pull the container to a yard.

Drayage options for San Pedro Bay containers

Drayage is the short-haul truck move between the terminal and the first stop. The what is drayage guide covers the basics; this table compares the delivery methods.

For the national view of how drayage is quoted and how to choose a provider, see container drayage services. For how the work runs at each port, see drayage at the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles drayage. If a container needs to leave the terminal before the receiver is ready, container storage and pre-pulls are the standard tool.

Chassis: the piece of equipment people forget

A chassis is the wheeled frame a container rides on over the road, and no container leaves the terminal without one. In the United States, chassis are mostly supplied by leasing companies through shared pools or by motor carriers that own their own, while ocean carriers have largely stopped providing them. Chassis are billed by the day, so a container that sits at a receiver on its chassis accrues both container detention and chassis charges.

Chassis shortages show up during peaks and at specific terminals. Carriers with their own chassis fleet avoid hunting for pool equipment, and they can match the chassis to the load: 20-foot and 40-foot chassis for standard boxes, and triaxle or tri-axle chassis for heavy containers that would otherwise exceed axle limits.

Weight matters here. Federal rules for the Interstate System cap gross vehicle weight at 80,000 pounds, with 20,000 pounds on a single axle and 34,000 pounds on a tandem, under 23 CFR 658.17. A heavy 20-foot container of tile, metal or paper can exceed those limits on a standard chassis. Give your drayage carrier the actual cargo weight at booking so it can assign the right equipment or arrange for the load to be transloaded.

In-bond options: moving cargo that has not cleared customs

An in-bond shipment is imported cargo that leaves the port of arrival without being entered there, moving under a bond to another port, a bonded facility, or out of the country. The rules are in 19 CFR Part 18. In-bond requests must be filed electronically, the goods must be delivered to the destination within 30 days of arrival or movement authorization, and arrival at the destination must be reported to CBP within two business days.

There are three in-bond types. An Immediate Transportation (IT) moves goods to another U.S. port where they will be entered. An Immediate Exportation (IE) moves goods directly out of the U.S. from the arrival port. A Transportation and Exportation (T&E) moves goods across the U.S. to be exported at another port, such as a shipment from Long Beach to Mexico or Canada.

Locally, in-bond moves are most often used to take a container from the terminal to a nearby customs-bonded warehouse or CFS when entry is not ready, when the cargo is going to be exported, or when the importer wants to defer duty. The carrier must hold bonded carrier authority. Our in-bond shipments guide goes deeper, and bonded drayage explains how the truck move works.

Bonded warehouses vs foreign-trade zones

Both let you hold imported goods without paying duty until they enter U.S. commerce. They differ in time limits, what you can do to the goods, and how entries are filed.

Recent tariff actions add a wrinkle. Goods subject to certain trade remedies must be admitted to an FTZ in privileged foreign status, which locks in the duty rate on the day of admission. If rates later fall, those goods do not benefit. In a bonded warehouse, the duty rate is set on the day of withdrawal, so an importer expecting a rate decrease may prefer the warehouse. Confirm the treatment of your specific goods with your broker before choosing.

For most importers coming through San Pedro Bay, a public bonded warehouse is the faster option because it requires no setup. See what is a bonded warehouse for the mechanics and bonded warehousing services for how storage and withdrawals are handled.

CFS and LCL imports

A container freight station (CFS) is a warehouse where consolidated ocean containers are unloaded and the shipments inside are separated and released to each consignee. Less-than-container-load (LCL) cargo always moves through a CFS, and CFS operations are regulated by CBP under 19 CFR Part 19 alongside bonded warehouses.

For an LCL importer, the CFS replaces the terminal as the pickup point. The consolidated container is drayed from the terminal to the CFS, devanned, and each house bill is held until customs and the forwarder release it. CFS free time is usually short and storage charges are per shipment or by weight and volume, so LCL importers should have entry filed and a pickup carrier lined up before the container is devanned.

Importers also use a CFS in reverse: buying from several suppliers and consolidating into one container at origin, then deconsolidating in Long Beach and distributing to several destinations. The what is a container freight station guide explains the flow, and container freight station services and freight consolidation cover the handling.

Transloading near the port vs moving the container inland

Transloading means unloading an ocean container near the port and reloading the freight into a domestic 53-foot trailer or several trucks. The alternative is to send the ocean container directly to the final destination.

Transloading is the default for freight going a long way inland from Southern California, because the domestic trailer carries more and the ocean container goes home early. Direct delivery usually wins for single-destination loads to receivers in the Los Angeles basin and the Inland Empire. The transloading vs cross-docking guide explains how the two differ, and transloading services and cross-docking cover the operations.

Warehousing near the ports

Warehousing near the ports gives importers a buffer between vessel arrival and customer demand, and it is often the cheapest way to stop paying demurrage and detention while a sales or allocation decision is made. A warehouse close to the terminals also shortens the drayage leg, which lowers per-move cost and makes it easier to turn containers the same day.

Ask any port-area warehouse how it receives floor-loaded containers, how quickly it reports receipts, whether it can palletize, relabel and sort, and how inventory is tracked and released. A warehouse management system with barcode receiving matters more than square footage when you are trying to ship specific purchase orders to specific customers. Our warehousing and storage and container unloading pages describe what that looks like in practice.

Inland trucking after the port

Once freight is out of the ocean container, it moves like any domestic shipment: full truckload when it fills a trailer or is going to one receiver, and LTL when it is a few pallets. Most transloaded freight moves FTL in 53-foot dry vans. The FTL vs LTL guide explains the tradeoffs and pricing basis, including freight classification for LTL.

Driver hours limit how far a load can travel each day. Federal hours-of-service rules let a property-carrying driver drive up to 11 hours within a 14-hour on-duty window after 10 consecutive hours off, with a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving and weekly limits of 60 or 70 hours. A load from Southern California to the Midwest or East Coast is a multi-day trip for a solo driver, so build that into delivery promises. See full truckload, LTL freight and nationwide trucking for the services.

Demurrage, detention and the FMC billing rule

Demurrage is charged for a loaded container that stays at the terminal past its free time, and detention or per diem is charged for keeping the carrier's container outside the terminal past its free time. Both are charged per container per day, often at rates that step up the longer the container is held. The demurrage and detention guide explains the mechanics and how the clocks interact.

Since May 28, 2024, ocean carriers and marine terminal operators that bill demurrage or detention must follow the Federal Maritime Commission's billing rule at 46 CFR Part 541. The rule limits who can be billed to the party for whose account the transportation or storage was provided, or the consignee, but not both. Ocean carriers must issue the invoice within 30 days of the date the charges were last incurred, and an NVOCC passing through a carrier's charges has 30 days from receiving the carrier's invoice. The billed party then has at least 30 days to dispute, and the billing party must respond within 30 days of the dispute.

Invoices must include specific information, such as the bill of lading and container numbers, the free time allowed, the dates charged, the applicable daily rates and tariff or contract, a dispute contact, and a certification that the billing party's own performance did not cause or contribute to the charges. If a required element is missing, the billed party has no obligation to pay that charge. Check every D&D invoice against the rule before paying, keep terminal records showing appointment availability, and dispute in writing within the window.

Import cost planning: the full cost stack

These are the U.S.-side cost categories to plan for on an FCL import. Amounts vary widely by commodity, carrier, season and service level, so use this as a checklist, not a quote.

Worked example: landed cost of one 40-foot container

Example only. Every number below is hypothetical and rounded to show the arithmetic. These are not our prices or anyone's quote; use your own broker's and carriers' figures.

1. 01
   The shipment

   A 40-foot container of household goods with a customs value of $60,000 arrives at Long Beach. Assume a hypothetical combined duty rate of 10 percent. The freight is floor-loaded, about 1,500 cartons, and is going to two distribution centers: one in the Inland Empire and one in Texas.

2. 02
   Customs costs

   Duty at 10 percent is $6,000. The MPF at 0.3464 percent is about $208, which sits between the annual minimum and maximum. The HMF at 0.125 percent is $75. Assume $300 for brokerage and ISF filing and $100 for a single-transaction bond. Customs-related costs total about $6,683.

3. 03
   Plan A: on time

   The container is released two days after discharge and picked up a day before the LFD. Assume drayage to a transloader near the port, chassis and port fees total $900. Unloading, palletizing and reloading 1,500 floor-loaded cartons into two trailers costs $1,000. Outbound: $800 to the Inland Empire and $4,000 to Texas. U.S.-side logistics total $6,700, and there is no demurrage or detention.

4. 04
   Plan B: one slip

   Same shipment, but a missing commercial invoice delays entry. The container sits four days past the LFD. At a hypothetical $200 per day, demurrage is $800. The broker files late, the receiver was not told, and the container is then dropped at the receiver for three days past detention free time, adding $450 of detention and chassis at a hypothetical $150 per day. The same freight now costs $1,250 more, about 19 percent above Plan A's logistics cost, and nothing about the freight changed.

5. 05
   Plan C: bonded storage

   If the entry problem had been known on arrival, the container could have moved in bond to a bonded warehouse before the LFD. Assume an extra $300 for the bonded move and bonded receiving and $150 for two weeks of storage. That is $450 instead of $1,250, and it buys time to fix the paperwork. When the delay is long or open-ended, bonded storage usually wins; when it is a day or two, a pre-pull may be cheaper.

6. 06
   What to take from it

   Duty is the largest line, and you control it mostly through correct classification and origin. The logistics line is where small slips multiply. Track the LFD from the day the vessel sails, and decide on the fallback (pre-pull or bonded storage) before you need it.

Peak season and disruption planning

Trans-Pacific import volume peaks in late summer and early fall as retailers build inventory for the holiday season, and it spikes again before Chinese New Year, when factories across China and much of Asia close for one to several weeks. Expect tighter vessel space, higher spot ocean rates, peak-season surcharges, fuller terminal appointment calendars and fewer available chassis during these windows.

Other events cause spikes too: blank sailings that bunch cargo onto fewer vessels, tariff deadlines that pull imports forward, labor negotiations at West Coast ports, and weather or congestion at origin. The ports handle these by adjusting gate hours and appointments, and importers handle them by booking drayage and warehouse space earlier and widening the margin before the LFD.

A useful peak-season rule: book drayage when the vessel sails, not when it arrives, and confirm the receiver's dock capacity for the week of arrival. If receivers cannot absorb the surge, plan a pre-pull or near-port storage for the overflow instead of letting containers sit at the terminal.

Common mistakes when importing through Long Beach and Los Angeles

These account for most of the avoidable cost and delay we see on San Pedro Bay imports.

• Filing ISF from estimates. Using last order's manufacturer or HTS numbers produces inaccurate filings. Update the ISF when the supplier's data changes.
• Waiting to arrange a bond. First-time importers often discover the bond requirement after the vessel sails. Set it up first.
• Treating the LFD as a target. Plan pickup for at least a day before the LFD so one late hold does not create charges.
• Forgetting freight release. Customs release is not enough if ocean freight is unpaid or original bills have not been surrendered.
• Not giving the trucker the weight. An overweight container on the wrong chassis cannot move legally. Share actual weight at booking.
• Dropping containers without a return plan. Every day a drop sits at the receiver adds detention and chassis charges. Agree on unload times before delivery.
• Assuming LCL is released when the vessel is. LCL cargo is released by the CFS after devanning, which can take several days after vessel discharge.
• Ignoring partner agency data. FDA, USDA and CPSC holds stop release just like customs holds.
• Untreated wood packaging. Pallets and crates without the ISPM 15 mark can lead to delays, re-export or refused entry.
• Paying D&D invoices without checking them. Under 46 CFR 541, invoices missing required information do not have to be paid. Check them, and dispute within the window.
• Ignoring bond sufficiency after tariff increases. Higher duty bills can make a continuous bond insufficient mid-year. Have the broker review it.
• Choosing transload or direct delivery by habit. Run the numbers for each lane; the right answer changes with destination, freight mix and season.

Pre-arrival checklist for importing through Long Beach or Los Angeles

Use this as the week-of-sailing and week-of-arrival checklist for every container.

Glossary of key import terms

Plain definitions of the terms used in this guide. The full logistics glossary has more.

Frequently asked questions