I have shipped several thousand containers of shisha charcoal, and the most common question from my buyers is: why is the shipping cost I see online much cheaper than your price?
The answer is simple: online, mostly you will see only the ocean freight, while for shipping shisha charcoal we have to add DG charges, thermal blanket, vanning, and many more “additional” costs.
You can always request from our factory official email or rate card for shipping shisha charcoal
For example, in the image, you can see what we receive by email from MSC. This is a price proposal for shipping 20- and 40-foot containers from Semarang to King Abdullah and Jeddah.
The basic price is Ocean freight to Jeddah: 6,650 USD for 20″ ft and 9800 for 40′ ft (again, this is the price as of the date of the email; if you need shipping prices valid today, you can check our shipping calculator)
But then, below the text, you can see a lot of “additional charges”
- OCC: USD 86/129/129 per 20/40/HC – Operation Cost Contribution
- GFS: INCLUSIVE – Low Fuel/Bunker/Sulphur Surcharge
- EPR: USD 28 (Please ensure to select EPR and choose a cargo value range of at least 0–15,000 USD when submitting the booking or final shipping instruction to apply the minimum charge of USD 28 in the system. Alternatively, you may select a value range based on your specific needs)
- HAZ: USD 250/cntr
- Overweight Surcharges (OVW) vats, USD 200/20′ for cargo weight above 20 tons
And then more surcharges:
- LTHC: USD 95/145 per 20’/40’ & HC – Terminal Handling (Loading)
- OCC: USD 12/20 per 20’/40’ & HC – Operation Costs Contribution
- SEAL: USD 14 /BX – Seal Fee (Officially invoiced by MSC office i/o at MSC Depot)
- DOC: IDR 100.000 – Documentation Fee
- ADM : IDR 425.000 – if require Original BL / OBL
IDR 550.000 /BL – if SEAWAYBILL is required
USD 15 /BL – if require eBL - Dangerous cargo fee IDR 250.000 /cntr
- PNBP charges/DG surcharge at Terminal: invoiced by Samudera Agencies Indonesia.
- TELEX: IDR 1.100.000 /BL – if require TELEX / BL Surrender
- Intermodal services (trucking + EMKL) : USD 280/20 & USD 385/40 (Semarang)
- Uniqliner (thermal blanket + fitting): USD 220 (20’) / USD 275 (40’)
Below is the table summarising all costs
| Item / Surcharge | 20′ Container (USD) | 20′ Container (IDR) | 40′ Container (USD) | 40′ Container (IDR) |
| Ocean Freight (Base) | $6,650.00 | – | $9,800.00 | – |
| OCC (Operation Cost 1) | $86.00 | – | $129.00 | – |
| EPR (System Min. Charge) | $28.00 | – | $28.00 | – |
| HAZ (Dangerous Goods) | $250.00 | – | $250.00 | – |
| LTHC (Terminal Loading) | $95.00 | – | $145.00 | – |
| OCC (Operation Cost 2) | $12.00 | – | $20.00 | – |
| SEAL (Seal Fee) | $14.00 | – | $14.00 | – |
| Intermodal (Trucking+EMKL) | $280.00 | – | $385.00 | – |
| Uniqliner (Thermal Blanket) | $220.00 | – | $275.00 | – |
| DOC (Documentation) | – | Rp 100,000 | – | Rp 100,000 |
| ADM (Original BL) | – | Rp 425,000 | – | Rp 425,000 |
| Dangerous Cargo Fee (Local) | – | Rp 250,000 | – | Rp 250,000 |
| TELEX (BL Surrender) | – | Rp 1,100,000 | – | Rp 1,100,000 |
| SUBTOTALS | $7,635.00 | Rp 1,875,000 | $11,046.00 | Rp 1,875,000 |
| GRAND TOTAL (in USD) | $7,734.73 | – | $11,145.73 | – |
But again, this is not all. You notice that some prices are in USD and some in IDR. So, shipping lines charge us in USD not at the bank exchange rate, but at their internal exchange rate, which is quite different (for example, on the date I am writing this article, the bank exchange rate was 17650 IDR to USD, but shipping lines charge us 18800 IDR to USD); it is a big difference.
If I load a 20-foot container with 22 tons of charcoal, how does the overweight surcharge affect the final calculation?
Loading 22 tons of charcoal into a 20-foot container triggers the Overweight Surcharge (OVW), as the weight exceeds the shipping line’s 20-ton threshold.
Here is how it affects your final calculation:
- Previous 20′ Grand Total: $7,734.73
- Overweight Surcharge (OVW): + $200.00 (invoiced in USD)
- New Grand Total (in USD): $7,934.73
This means your total shipping cost increases by a flat $200, bringing the total surcharges and fees for a 20-foot container to just over $1,284 on top of the base ocean freight.
| Metric | 20′ Container | 40′ Container |
| Total Shipping Cost | $7,934.73 (incl. $200 overweight fee) | $11,145.73 |
| Cargo Weight | 22,000 kg (22 tons) | 27,000 kg (27 tons)* |
| Shipping Cost Per Kg | $0.361 / kg | $0.413 / kg |
- How Shisha Charcoal Shipping Cost Is Calculated - September 11, 2026
- Moisture Absorbers for Shisha Charcoal Packaging - September 8, 2026
- Cost of Production for Shisha Charcoal - July 23, 2026
