Chinese New Year 2027 Shipping Deadlines for US Importers

Bottom line

For a pre-holiday arrival, plan for your China cargo to sail by Jan 22–27, 2027, and your Taiwan cargo by Jan 29

Chinese New Year falls on Saturday, Feb 6, 2027, eleven days earlier than in 2026. Ships keep sailing through the holiday, but factories, trucks, customs brokers and warehouses do not. Chinese factories start slowing down three to four weeks ahead, and full capacity usually does not return until mid to late March.

Working back from transit times, the safest window to sail from Shanghai, Ningbo or Yantian is Jan 22–27. Jan 29–Feb 2 is the last practical chance. Taiwan's holiday is shorter and fixed, so Taiwanese cargo can sail up to about Feb 2.

Three things to get right:

Place final pre-holiday POs by early December. Factories fill their pre-holiday capacity 8–10 weeks before the holiday.
Book ocean space 4–5 weeks ahead. Transpacific spot rates are already near $8,000 per FEU to the West Coast, and carriers roll cargo in the two weeks before the holiday.
Plan for a slow restart, not a one-week pause. Factories reopen around the Lantern Festival (Feb 20) with roughly a third of their workforce.

Chinese New Year 2027 countdown

By Dec 4, 2026

Final pre-holiday POs confirmed; ocean space requested for January

Why: factories fill pre-holiday capacity 8–10 weeks out
Jan 15–20, 2027

Containers delivered to Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Kaohsiung or Keelung

Why: cargo arriving in the last week is what gets rolled
Jan 22–27 / Jan 29

Recommended sailings from China / from Taiwan; Feb 3 is Taiwan’s last working day

Holiday: Taiwan Feb 4–10; China about Feb 5–13 (official notice due in November)
Feb 20 → late March

Chinese factories restart around the Lantern Festival at about a third of capacity

Plan: first post-holiday pickups in March

When is Chinese New Year 2027, and how long are factories closed?

The holiday itself is about a week. The disruption is six to eight weeks.

Table 1. When is Chinese New Year 2027, and how long are factories closed?
Market	2027 holiday	Status (Oct 27, 2026)	What it means for shipping
Mainland China	Statutory days expected Feb 5–8; total break likely about 9 days	State Council notice not yet published; the 2026 notice came out Nov 4, 2025	Factories slow from about Jan 9–16 and stop around Jan 30
Taiwan	Thu Feb 4 – Wed Feb 10 (7 days); back to work Feb 11	Published by Taiwan's DGPA on May 21, 2026	Feb 3 is the last working day for export customs and trucking
Lantern Festival	Sat Feb 20	Fixed	Most Chinese factories restart around this date
Full recovery (China)	Mid to late March	Industry estimates	Plan the first post-holiday shipments for March

Source: CNA: Taiwan 2027 government calendar; People's Daily: 2026 holiday notice (pattern)

How fast do Chinese factories recover?

Table 2. How fast do Chinese factories recover?
Period	Typical capacity	Source
Late February (after Lantern Festival)	30–35%	DHL; SEKO
Early March	50–60%	DHL
Mid-March	80–90%	DHL
Late March	Full capacity	DHL; SEKO

Source: DHL: post-Chinese New Year factory restart; SEKO Logistics

SEKO estimates up to a quarter of workers do not return to the same factory after the holiday. That is why quality problems and late shipments cluster in March.

What about Taiwan?

Taiwan's holiday is shorter and more predictable. Taiwanese factories generally follow the official seven-day calendar, and there is no mass migration of factory workers like mainland China's Spring Festival travel season. In our experience at Mingsung, Taiwanese suppliers are usually back to normal output within days of Feb 11, not weeks.

The catch is the paperwork window: Feb 3 is the last working day for Taiwan export customs, trucking and container terminals before the break.

What are the last safe sailing dates from China and Taiwan?

These windows assume cargo is ready, inspected and delivered to the port about a week before departure. They are planning dates, not carrier schedules. Confirm the actual vessel with your forwarder.

Table 3. What are the last safe sailing dates from China and Taiwan?
Origin	Destination	Port-to-port transit	Recommended departure	Last practical departure	Likely arrival (last practical)
Shanghai / Ningbo	Los Angeles / Long Beach	14–19 days	Jan 22–27	Jan 29–Feb 2	Feb 12–21
Yantian (Shenzhen)	Los Angeles / Long Beach	16–21 days	Jan 22–27	Jan 29–Feb 2	Feb 14–23
Shanghai / Ningbo	New York / New Jersey	29–42 days	Jan 15–22	Jan 29	late Feb – mid-March
Shanghai / Ningbo	Savannah / Houston	28–36 days	Jan 15–22	Jan 29	late Feb – early March
Kaohsiung / Keelung	Los Angeles / Long Beach	15–19 days	by Jan 29	Feb 2	Feb 17–21
Kaohsiung	New York / Savannah / Houston	37–43 days	by Jan 22	Jan 29	early to mid-March

Source: ONE 2026 transpacific schedule; Maersk Asia–North America network

Transit ranges come from ONE's June 2026 transpacific schedule and Maersk's Gemini network schedule. East Coast and Gulf services from Asia currently run via the Panama Canal; Suez is not used on Asia–North America routes.

What is the transpacific market doing right now?

Rates are high going into the pre-holiday rush, far above last year.

Table 4. What is the transpacific market doing right now?
Index (date)	Asia–US West Coast	Asia–US East Coast
Freightos FBX (week to Oct 20, 2026)	$8,126 / FEU	$9,700 / FEU
Drewry WCI (Oct 22, 2026)	Shanghai–LA $8,007 / FEU	Shanghai–New York $10,166 / FEU
SCFI (reported Oct 27, 2026)	$7,521 / FEU	$10,388 / FEU
SCFI a year earlier (Jan 23, 2026)	$2,084 / FEU	$2,896 / FEU

Source: Freightos, Oct 20; Drewry WCI via FreightWaves; SCFI via Wantrich

Why rates are this high:

Middle East disruption. The Strait of Hormuz crisis that began on Feb 28, 2026 pushed up bunker costs and scrambled networks.
Blank sailings. Carriers blanked 79 sailings in weeks 38–42, more than half of them on the transpacific.
Reliability. Global schedule reliability is around 29%, so "on time" is the exception.
US port congestion. At Los Angeles and Long Beach, rail dwell rose to 7.19 days in September after record volumes.
Panama Canal. Neopanamax transits returned to 10 per day from Oct 15, but the canal has warned that El Niño may force water-saving measures in 2027.

Forecasters disagree on direction. Freightos expects a pre-holiday rush to keep rates elevated, while Xeneta says US rates have peaked and expects them to soften toward $4,500–5,500 per FEU to the West Coast over the next three months. On the policy side, USTR has proposed extending its pause on port fees for China-linked vessels to Jan 9, 2027, with comments due Oct 30. The US–China trade truce runs to Jan 10, 2027, just ahead of the holiday rush.

Week-by-week plan: from today to March 2027

Now to mid-November — forecast and order
- Confirm Q1 2027 demand and place the last pre-holiday purchase orders.
- Ask your forwarder for January space and current rates on your lanes.
- Check whether any of your products relied on the 178 Section 301 exclusions that expire Nov 9, 2026.
Early November — adjust to China's official calendar
- When the State Council publishes the 2027 holiday notice, check make-up working days.
- Ask each supplier for its own shutdown and restart dates in writing.
By early December — lock production and space
- Final POs should be confirmed by about Dec 4.
- Book ocean space 4–5 weeks before your target departure.
- Decide FCL or LCL now; LCL warehouses close their pre-holiday consolidations earlier than container yards.
Mid-December to mid-January — inspect and prepare documents
- Book pre-shipment inspections early; inspectors are booked out in January.
- Have the commercial invoice, packing list and ISF data ready before cargo leaves the factory.
Jan 15–27 — deliver to port and sail
- Target containers at port by Jan 15–20.
- Recommended sailings: Jan 22–27 from China, by Jan 29 from Taiwan.
Feb 20 to late March — restart carefully
- Do not schedule critical production for the first week after the Lantern Festival.
- Re-inspect the first post-holiday batch; quality slips when new workers start.

Does Amazon FBA or de minimis change the plan?

Two US-side factors matter for Q1 2027.

Table 5. Does Amazon FBA or de minimis change the plan?
Factor	Status (Oct 27, 2026)	What to do
De minimis (Section 321)	Suspended for all countries since Aug 29, 2025; statutory repeal takes effect July 1, 2027	Plan for formal entries; low-value parcels will not clear duty-free
Amazon FBA	Holiday peak fees run Oct 15, 2026 to Jan 14, 2027; Q1 2027 capacity limits not yet published	Check capacity limits as soon as they post before shipping a large January load
Section 301 exclusions	178 exclusions expire Nov 9, 2026 unless extended	Confirm duty rates for affected HTS lines before Q1 orders

Source: STR: de minimis suspension; Benesch: de minimis repeal 2027; Gateway Lines: 178 exclusions end

Frequently asked questions

When is Chinese New Year 2027?

Saturday, Feb 6, 2027. New Year's Eve is Friday, Feb 5. The Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the season, is Saturday, Feb 20.

When do Chinese factories close for Chinese New Year 2027?

Most slow down from about Jan 9–16 and stop production around Jan 30. They restart around Feb 20 with about a third of their workers, and usually reach full capacity in late March.

What is the last day to ship from China before Chinese New Year 2027?

For most US importers, sailings on Jan 22–27 are the safe window, and Jan 29–Feb 2 is the last practical chance. Containers should be at the port by Jan 15–20.

Does Taiwan close for Chinese New Year?

Yes, for seven days: Thursday, Feb 4 to Wednesday, Feb 10, 2027. Feb 3 is the last working day. Taiwanese factories usually recover much faster than mainland China's.

How long does Chinese New Year delay shipping?

The holiday is about a week, but total disruption runs six to eight weeks, from the January slowdown to the late-March recovery.

Will freight rates go up before Chinese New Year?

They are already high. Asia–US West Coast spot rates are around $7,500–8,300 per FEU in late October 2026, roughly four times last January's level. Freightos expects the pre-holiday rush to keep them elevated; Xeneta expects a gradual correction. Either way, space gets tight in the last two weeks before the holiday.

Is it better to ship LCL or FCL before Chinese New Year?

FCL gives you more control over timing. LCL consolidation warehouses close earlier before the holiday, so LCL cargo needs to be ready several days sooner than a full container.

When should I place orders after Chinese New Year?

Place them in February, but schedule pickups for March. Factories need two to four weeks after the Lantern Festival to rebuild capacity.

About this guide

Paul Liang
Mingsung International Logistics, Taipei

Last reviewed: Oct 27, 2026
Experience: Written by Paul Liang at Mingsung International Logistics in Taipei. Mingsung runs its own cross-strait services between mainland China and Taiwan and handles ocean exports from Kaohsiung, Keelung and Taichung, so we plan around both China's and Taiwan's holiday calendars every year.
Coverage: Covers 2027 holiday dates for China and Taiwan, factory shutdown patterns, port-to-port transit times, transpacific rate indicators and US-side factors such as de minimis and Amazon FBA.
Based on: Based on Taiwan's DGPA 2027 calendar, carrier schedules from ONE and Maersk, Freightos, Drewry and SCFI rate indices, the Panama Canal Authority, USTR notices and planning guides from DHL and SEKO.
Please note: Sailing windows are planning estimates, not carrier schedules or quotes. China's official 2027 holiday notice is expected in November 2026; we will update this guide when it is published. Confirm vessel schedules and rates with your forwarder on the day you book.

Update log

Oct 27, 2026First published. China's official 2027 holiday notice is expected in November 2026; dates will be updated then.

Chinese New Year 2027 Shipping Deadlines for US Importers

Bottom line

Chinese New Year 2027 countdown