Your goods have left the factory in China. Now you want to know where they are. How you track a shipment depends on how it travels: by sea, air, rail or express, each uses a different number and a different website. This guide explains which number you need, where to enter it, what the tracking statuses mean and why tracking sometimes stops updating.
Key points
• Sea freight (FCL) is tracked with the container number or the bill of lading number on the shipping line’s website.
• Air freight is tracked with the 11-digit air waybill (AWB) number on the airline’s website.
• Express shipments are tracked with the DHL, UPS or FedEx tracking number.
• LCL (shared container) and rail shipments are usually easiest to follow through your freight forwarder.
• Tracking often pauses during transshipment, customs checks or the handover to final delivery. That is normal.
Which Number Do You Need?
| Shipping method | Tracking number | What it looks like | Where to track |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight, full container (FCL) | Container number, or bill of lading number | 4 letters + 7 digits, e.g. ABCU1234567 | The shipping line’s website |
| Sea freight, shared container (LCL) | House bill of lading number from your forwarder | Set by the forwarder | Ask your forwarder; once you know the container number, the shipping line’s website |
| Air freight | Air waybill (AWB) number | 11 digits, e.g. 123-45678901; the first 3 digits identify the airline | The airline’s cargo website |
| Express | Courier tracking number | Depends on the courier | DHL, UPS or FedEx website |
| Rail freight | Container number | 4 letters + 7 digits | Your forwarder or the rail operator |
Before the goods leave, there is usually only a booking number. The container number and bill of lading number are confirmed once the cargo is loaded or the container is packed.
How to Track Sea Freight
For a full container, go to the website of the shipping line that carries it and enter either the container number or the bill of lading number. The shipping line’s name is printed on the bill of lading.
- Container number: 4 letters and 7 digits. The first three letters are the owner code, the fourth is usually “U”, and the last digit is a check digit.
- Master bill of lading (MBL): issued by the shipping line, so it works on the shipping line’s website.
- House bill of lading (HBL): issued by a forwarder or NVOCC, so it usually does not work on the shipping line’s website. Ask your forwarder for the container number or MBL number instead.
For LCL, your cartons share a container with other people’s goods. The container number only tells you where the container is, not your cartons. Your forwarder knows which container your goods are in and when they will be unpacked at destination. See LCL vs FCL and our guide to the bill of lading.
How to Track Air Freight
Every air shipment has an air waybill (AWB) number of 11 digits. The first three digits are the airline’s prefix, so they tell you which airline’s website to use. Enter the full number on that airline’s cargo tracking page.
If your goods were consolidated with other shipments, there is also a house air waybill from the forwarder. As with sea freight, the airline only knows the master air waybill, so ask your forwarder for it. Read more about air freight from China.
Which shipping line is it? Reading the container number
The first three letters of a container number are the owner code, registered with the international BIC register. Some well-known examples:
| Prefix | Owner |
|---|---|
| MSKU, MRKU | Maersk |
| MSCU, MEDU | MSC |
| CMAU | CMA CGM |
| COSU, CSNU | COSCO |
| HLXU, HLBU | Hapag-Lloyd |
| OOLU | OOCL |
Be careful: many containers belong to leasing companies, not to the line carrying them. If the prefix does not match a shipping line, use the bill of lading to find the carrier, or ask your forwarder.
Which airline is it? Reading the air waybill prefix
| AWB prefix | Airline |
|---|---|
| 999 | Air China |
| 784 | China Southern Airlines |
| 781 | China Eastern Airlines |
| 160 | Cathay Pacific |
| 176 | Emirates |
| 172 | Cargolux |
Air cargo statuses use short codes: RCS (received from shipper), MAN (manifested on a flight), DEP (departed), ARR (arrived), RCF (received from flight at destination), NFD (consignee notified, ready for collection) and DLV (delivered).
How to Track Express and Rail Shipments
Express: enter the tracking number on the DHL, UPS or FedEx website. Express tracking is the most detailed, with scans at almost every step from pickup to delivery. See express shipping.
Rail: China–Europe rail freight is tracked by container number, but public tracking is limited. Your forwarder can usually give you the train’s departure, border crossing and arrival updates. See China–Europe rail freight.
What Do the Tracking Statuses Mean?
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Empty container released / picked up | The empty container has left the depot to be loaded |
| Gate in | The loaded container has arrived at the port terminal |
| Loaded on vessel | The container is on board the ship |
| Vessel departed | The ship has left the port of loading |
| Transshipment | The container is being moved to another ship at a hub port |
| Discharged | The container has been unloaded at the destination port |
| Customs hold / released | Customs is checking the cargo, or has cleared it |
| Gate out | The container has left the terminal for delivery |
| Empty returned | The empty container is back at the depot |
For more shipping terms, see our shipping terms glossary.
Example: Tracking a Container from Shenzhen to Los Angeles
This is how the tracking of a typical FCL shipment from a factory in Dongguan to a warehouse near Los Angeles might look. Day 0 is the day the ship sails; times vary by carrier and season.
| Day | Event on the tracking page | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| −5 | Empty container released | Loading at the factory is about to start |
| −3 | Gate in at Yantian | The loaded container is at the port; export customs is being cleared |
| 0 | Loaded on vessel, vessel departed | Your bill of lading follows in a few days |
| +1 to +15 | No new events | The ship is crossing the Pacific; this is normal |
| +16 | Vessel arrived, discharged at Los Angeles | Customs clearance starts; free days at the terminal begin to count |
| +18 | Customs released | The container can be collected |
| +19 | Gate out, delivered | The truck brings the container to your warehouse |
| +21 | Empty returned | The empty container is back at the depot; return it on time to avoid detention charges |
The days after arrival matter for cost: containers left at the terminal or kept too long can cost demurrage and detention charges. Make sure your customs broker and trucker are ready before the ship arrives. For how long each route takes, see shipping time from China to the USA and our guide to the Port of Yantian.
Tracking the ship itself
The bill of lading shows the vessel name and voyage number. With the vessel name, you can follow the ship’s position on public AIS ship-tracking websites. This shows where the ship is, but not your container: for container events, use the carrier’s tracking.
Why Is My Tracking Not Updating?
- The ship is at sea: on a long ocean leg there may be no new events for days or even weeks. The next update comes at a transshipment port or the destination.
- Transshipment: the container may wait at a hub port for the next ship. Delays here are common.
- Customs inspection: a customs hold can take days, and the tracking may simply stay on “discharged”.
- Handover to final delivery: after import clearance, the goods may be passed to a local trucking company or courier with a new tracking number.
- Slow updates: some carriers update their websites only once or twice a day.
- Wrong number: a house bill of lading or booking number will not work on the shipping line’s website.
What to Do If Your Shipment Is Delayed
- Check the latest event and its date on the carrier’s site. A long gap during an ocean crossing is normal; a gap after “discharged” is worth asking about.
- Ask your forwarder for the reason: rolled to a later ship, transshipment delay, customs exam or a missing document.
- Get a new estimated arrival and tell your warehouse, customers or Amazon in time.
- If customs is holding the goods, ask what is needed. Often it is a corrected invoice, product details or a certificate.
- Watch the free days at the destination terminal, so a delay does not turn into storage charges.
- For the next shipment, plan buffer time for peak seasons and Chinese holidays. See China public holidays 2027.
Tracking Checklist
- Container number and master bill of lading number for sea freight
- Master air waybill number for air freight
- Courier tracking number for express
- Vessel or flight name and the estimated arrival date
- Your forwarder’s contact for updates and problems
- Your customs broker’s contact at destination
How to Track Your Shipment with JIEYI
We do not use an online tracking portal. Instead, your JIEYI contact sends you the tracking numbers and keeps you updated personally:
- Sea and rail: we send you the container number and bill of lading details once the cargo is loaded.
- Air: we send you the air waybill number after the booking is confirmed.
- Express: you get the original DHL, UPS or FedEx tracking number, so you can follow the parcel directly on the courier’s website.
- Key milestones: we tell you by email or WhatsApp when the goods ship, arrive at the destination port and clear customs.
If anything goes wrong on the way, such as a delay or a customs check, you hear it from us, not from a tracking page. For door-to-door shipments with duties included, see DDP shipping.
Not sure what a customs message in your tracking means? See customs clearance status meanings.
FAQ
How do I track a shipment from China?
Use the number that matches the shipping method: the container or bill of lading number for sea freight, the air waybill number for air freight, and the courier tracking number for express. Enter it on the carrier’s website, or ask your forwarder.
Can I track a container with the bill of lading number?
Yes, if it is the master bill of lading issued by the shipping line. A house bill of lading from a forwarder usually only works with that forwarder.
How do I know which airline my air freight is on?
Look at the first three digits of the air waybill number. They are the airline’s prefix.
Why does my container tracking show no update for weeks?
The ship is probably on a long ocean leg. Tracking updates when the container is transshipped or discharged at the destination port.
How do I find out which shipping line has my container?
The carrier is named on the bill of lading. The container prefix can also help, but many containers are leased, so the prefix does not always show the carrier.
What does NFD mean in air cargo tracking?
NFD means “notified for delivery”: the cargo has arrived and the consignee or its agent has been told it is ready for customs clearance and collection.
Can I track an LCL shipment?
Partly. You can track the container your goods are in, but not your individual cartons. Your forwarder will tell you when the container arrives and is unpacked.
Checked on 2 November 2026. Shipping from China and want one contact who keeps you updated? Tell us what you ship and where it goes, and get a quote within 2 hours.
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