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North America · sea freight from Tianjin

Shipping from Tianjin to Pittsburg

Tianjin to Pittsburg

Bohai Sea · Bohai Strait · Yellow Sea · Korea Strait · Sea of Japan · Tsugaru Strait · North Pacific

Sea corridor illustration: Tianjin to Pittsburg, United States Simplified map with a curved corridor from Tianjin via Bohai Sea, Bohai Strait, Yellow Sea, Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, Tsugaru Strait, North Pacific to Pittsburg. Illustration only; not a vessel track or schedule. CHINANORTH AMERICA Korea StraitTsugaru StraitNorth Pacific TianjinCHINA ORIGIN PittsburgUNITED STATES TianjinBOHAI SEAYELLOW SEASHANDONGDEPARTURE AREA
  1. TianjinChina origin
  2. Bohai Sea
  3. Bohai Strait
  4. Yellow Sea
  5. Korea Strait
  6. Sea of Japan
  7. Tsugaru Strait
  8. North Pacific
  9. PittsburgUnited States
Geographic corridor illustration only, not a vessel track, port-call list or sailing schedule. The loading terminal, carrier, transshipment and dates are confirmed per shipment.

Lithium batteries for Pittsburg go out of Tianjin's Xingang terminals, where customs can supervise stuffing at the factory and the box goes straight to the ship on a booked slot. On the way they face a North Pacific crossing with no chokepoint but real winter-storm exposure, and they arrive at the port of Pittsburg.

The US side starts with two filings due before loading and ends with a road leg that must carry a live emergency number. This page sets out 5 points specific to this route, how Anxin handles each one and which documents to prepare.

What we need to start

  • Factory-supervised loading
  • Bohai Bay winter ice
  • HTS code 8507.60
  • ISF filer
  • Supply-chain tracing file
Ask about this route United States ports from Tianjin

Route profile

What sets Tianjin → Pittsburg apart

Sea corridor

Transpacific (North Pacific)

A North Pacific crossing with no canal or chokepoint risk, but with a record of winter storms strong enough to collapse container stacks.

Import country

United States

A duty line set by the exact 8507.60 code, lithium supply-chain questions under UFLPA, and ISF and AMS filings that are due before the box is loaded.

Container gantry cranes at a Tianjin port container terminal
A cargo ship at anchor in calm water under a clear sky

Where this route gets difficult

Where Tianjin → Pittsburg shipments get held up: 5 points

Loading port first, then the sea leg, then Pittsburg and the United States market.

  1. Origin port

    Winter ice at the Haihe mouth

    Sea ice forms every winter in the Bohai Sea, and the Haihe estuary at Tianjin is among the severe areas. In winter 2021/22 China's national marine forecast centre expected the peak ice period from mid-January to mid-February, with floating ice reaching about 5 nautical miles out in Bohai Bay. Ice and cold spells slow port operations around the Chinese New Year shipping peak.

    What Anxin does: For January and February sailings from Tianjin we add slack between stuffing and the DG cut-off and confirm the vessel's berthing window with the carrier the week before loading.

  2. Sea corridor

    Winter storms with hurricane-force winds

    NOAA's Ocean Prediction Center found hurricane-force winds (64 knots and above) in North Pacific mid-latitude storms in every month from October to April, peaking in December, with 15 to 23 such storms per season in its 2001–2004 records. They are not typhoons, so they do not follow the tropical calendar.

    What Anxin does: For October–April sailings we check blocking and bracing on stuffing photos before sealing and confirm the full DG data are on the manifest.

  3. Import country

    AMS: the manifest CBP sees before the ship leaves Tianjin

    Under 19 CFR 4.7 the carrier's cargo declaration must be in CBP's Automated Manifest System 24 hours before loading abroad. Without it, or with inaccurate data, the permit to unlade the container at Pittsburg can be delayed or refused.

    What Anxin does: We give the carrier or NVOCC the final cargo description, HS code, UN number and package count before the documentation cut-off in Tianjin, so the AMS filing and the DG manifest say the same thing.

  4. Import country

    California's battery-embedded product rules since January 2026

    Under California SB 1215, consumers have paid a recycling fee on covered battery-embedded products since 1 January 2026, and those products must be labelled with the maker's name or brand and the battery chemistry, or give that information on the maker's website. Manufacturers must also list covered and exempt products in an annual notice to retailers and CalRecycle.

    What Anxin does: If the goods landing at Pittsburg are devices with built-in batteries for sale in California, we ask the brand owner to confirm the chemistry labelling and the CalRecycle notice before shipping.

  5. Import country

    CPSC certificate data now filed at entry

    Since 8 July 2026, importers of consumer products that are subject to a CPSC certification requirement must electronically file the certificate data at entry; goods entered from a Foreign Trade Zone follow on 8 January 2027. Whether a battery-powered product is caught depends on the rules that apply to that product, not on the battery alone.

    What Anxin does: We ask whether the goods are consumer products that need a CPSC certificate and, if so, who files it, so that the question is settled before the goods arrive.

Locator map of Pittsburg, United StatesPittsburg
Locator map in the same projection as the corridor map; the dot marks the listed port position (38.03°N, 121.88°W).
Containers on rail wagons next to a terminal in Vancouver

Documents & compliance

What to have ready: Tianjin to Pittsburg

Anxin reviews documents supplied by the shipper, manufacturer and importer; it does not issue test reports, safety data sheets or import certificates.

In Tianjin, before the box is loaded

  • Customs packaging use-appraisal result for the dangerous goods packaging (with the maker's performance appraisal)
  • Container packing certificate signed by a certified packing inspector after supervised stuffing
  • Transport-condition classification report where applicable
  • Load plan showing even weight distribution (no more than 60% of the cargo weight in either half of the container length)
  • 'Made in China' marking on articles or containers checked on photos

For the carrier and the voyage

  • Stuffing photos before, during and after packing, checked for blocking and bracing
  • SP188 cartons: US 'forbidden aboard passenger aircraft' marking or CAO label
  • UN 38.3 test summary for every cell and battery type

For the importer in United States

  • CPSC certificate data and eFiling arrangement, if the product is subject to certification
  • Supply-chain tracing file for cells and lithium inputs, in case of a UFLPA request
  • 24-hour emergency response number (and provider reference) for the US road leg
A cylindrical lithium-ion cell held between two fingers
Before you book

Send the file once, complete

Most delays on this route start with a document that exists but does not match: a UN number, a model name or a package count that differs between the Tianjin filings, the carrier booking and the United States import file. We check the three against each other before the booking is confirmed.

Carriers we book with

Our booking panel; availability on this lane and acceptance of the declared UN numbers are confirmed for each booking. It does not mean that a listed carrier runs a direct service on this route. Carrier choice depends on the trade lane, cargo classification and each carrier's dangerous-goods acceptance at booking. The final carrier is confirmed on the booking.

Risk & mitigation

What could go wrong from Tianjin to Pittsburg, and who acts

RiskWhereMitigationWho acts
Ice or cold spell slows berthing in mid-winterBohai Bay, Jan–FebSlack between stuffing and cut-off; berthing window reconfirmedCarrier, monitored by Anxin
Heavy-weather damage in a winter stormNorth Pacific, Oct–AprCINS stuffing checksPacking site, checked by Anxin
Permit to unlade delayed for a late or inaccurate AMS manifestPort of dischargeFinal cargo data given to the carrier before the cut-offCarrier / NVOCC, with data from Anxin

Questions

Common questions on the Tianjin → Pittsburg route

For lithium-ion batteries classified in HTSUS 8507.60.0020 and entered from 1 January 2026, USTR set the Section 301 additional duty at 25%; EV traction batteries in 8507.60.0010 have been at 25% since 2024. Other duties can apply on top. The importer's customs broker confirms the classification and total duty; we make sure the invoice gives the broker enough detail to do so.

Weather is the main risk on this crossing: NOAA recorded hurricane-force North Pacific storms from October to April, most often in December. We tighten the packing checks for those sailings.

Tianjin Customs offers a 'supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival' model: stuffing is supervised at the factory, the box enters the port in a booked slot and is loaded directly. Whether a given shipment can use it depends on the customs arrangement for the exporter and the port slot; we check both when you book.

References

Regulations and port sources cited

  1. 19 CFR 134.11: Country of origin marking required (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
  2. 19 CFR 4.7: inward foreign manifest; advance filing of cargo declaration (24 hours before lading) (Legal Information Institute (e-CFR text))
  3. Section 301 Modifications Determination (Federal Register notice, Sept 2024) (Office of the U.S. Trade Representative)
  4. 49 CFR 171.25 – Additional requirements for the use of the IMDG Code (eCFR / PHMSA)
  5. 49 CFR 172.604: Emergency response telephone number (eCFR / PHMSA)
  6. Update: Certificates of Compliance and eFiling (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
  7. DHS designates steel, copper, lithium, caustic soda and red dates as UFLPA high-priority sectors (19 Aug 2025) (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
  8. Hurricane force extratropical cyclones observed using QuikSCAT (Mariners Weather Log 49-1) (NOAA Ocean Prediction Center)
  9. Tianjin Customs export dangerous goods service page: supervised factory loading, direct loading on port arrival (Tianjin Customs)
  10. Sea ice arrives: what are the impacts? (Bohai and northern Yellow Sea, winter 2021/22) (China Meteorological Administration (from China Natural Resources News))
  11. Export dangerous goods packaging inspection: service guide (Chinese) (General Administration of Customs of China (Lanzhou Customs service guide))

Next step

From enquiry to import

  1. 1EnquiryCargo, origin, destination
  2. 2Documents checkUN 38.3, SDS, packing
  3. 3BookingAfter carrier acceptance
  4. 4HandoverAt Tianjin
  5. 5ImportClearance at Pittsburg
Each step is confirmed in writing; an enquiry does not create a booking.

Ask about Tianjin → Pittsburg

Origin and destination are filled in; add the cargo facts you have.

Sending this form starts a review; it does not confirm carriage. Full enquiry form

After you send it

We check carrier acceptance for Tianjin → Pittsburg before any booking, and ask for missing battery documents first.

All destinations from Tianjin · United States ports

A forklift loading goods into an open shipping container

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