Air freight vs. sea freight: which is cheaper for shipping from Pakistan?
Sea freight has a lower cost per kilogram than air freight, but air freight has a far shorter transit time — as a working rule, shipments under roughly 100kg with a tight deadline should go by air, while heavier, non-urgent bulk shipments should go by sea, where the cost saving outweighs the extra 2–5 weeks in transit.
Cost per kilogram
Air freight is priced per kilogram (or volumetric weight, whichever is higher) and the rate increases faster than sea freight's as weight goes up. Sea freight is typically priced per container or per cubic metre, which becomes dramatically cheaper per kilogram once a shipment is large enough to fill meaningful container space.
Transit time
Air Cargo from Sialkot typically reaches destination in 3–7 days depending on the corridor; Sea Cargo typically takes 12–40 days port-to-port depending on distance, before adding inland delivery time at either end. A shipment with a hard deadline inside two weeks should not be booked by sea.
The weight threshold in practice
There is no single fixed weight at which sea becomes cheaper — it depends on the specific corridor's air and sea rates at time of booking — but as a working rule, consignments under roughly 100kg are usually better by air once the sea freight's fixed handling costs are accounted for, and consignments well above that, with no urgent deadline, are usually better by sea.
Frequently asked questions
Is air freight always faster than sea freight?
Yes, air freight transit time (typically 3–7 days) is always shorter than sea freight (typically 12–40 days port-to-port) for the same corridor — the tradeoff is cost per kilogram, not speed.
Can I mix air and sea freight in one order?
Yes — a common approach for exporters is to send an urgent partial shipment by air to meet an immediate deadline and the remainder of the order by sea at lower cost. Wolftrack Cargo can split a single order across both freight modes under Commercial Cargo.