- Your packed volume is under about 15 m³ — a living room, a bedroom and a dining set together.
- You can accept 26–31 days port to port plus consolidation in Foshan and deconsolidation at Dublin.
- Nothing in the order is a stone top, a glass panel or a single heavy slab.
- You accept that terminal handling, deconsolidation and the customs entry are charged per consignment, not per cubic metre.
Destination guide · Ireland
Shipping Furniture From China to Ireland
Furniture shipped from Foshan reaches Dublin in 25–27 days port to port in a full container, or 26–31 days as an LCL consignment, on Cape of Good Hope routing. Seats and furniture under headings 9401 and 9403 carry 0% EU duty; mattresses under 9404 carry 3.7%. Irish VAT is 23% on the customs value plus duty and charges to the point of entry, and a VAT-registered trader can use postponed accounting. Source Foshan, a sourcing agent based in Foshan, China, consolidates the order, inspects it, crates it to ISPM 15 and arranges the delivery leg.
Page reviewed by the Source Foshan sourcing team in Foshan · freight and duty figures are dated and sourced at the foot of the page.
At a glance
Five numbers to carry into the first conversation.
25–27 daysShenzhen to Dublin, port to port, full container
USD 4,140–5,06040 ft ocean freight to Dublin, September 2026
0% dutyOn seats (9401) and furniture (9403); 3.7% on mattresses (9404)
23% VATIrish standard rate on the landed value; postponed accounting available
15 m³Where a 20 ft container starts to beat an LCL consignment
Before it sails
What leaves Foshan, whatever the destination.
The same three steps stand behind every container we send to Ireland. These are our own warehouse photographs, not stock images.
01 · The one decision
A full container or an LCL consignment?
Ireland is a straightforward European route with one local quirk: the domestic delivery leg from Dublin is short, so the container decision is almost purely about volume.
- Your packed volume passes about 15 m³; a 20 ft loads 28–33 m³ of crated furniture in practice.
- You are furnishing a whole house or a set of apartments: 45–70 m³, which is a 40 ft high-cube.
- The order includes marble, sintered stone or solid-timber slabs that should be handled once.
- You want one arrival and one customs entry rather than a deconsolidation queue.
LCL territory
under 15 m³
One 20 ft container
30 m³ loaded
One 40 ft high-cube
68 m³ loaded
A three-seat sofa carton is 1.6–2.2 m³; four stacked dining chairs 0.6–0.9 m³; a knock-down wardrobe 0.5–0.8 m³. Send the list and we return the packed volume per line.
Dublin Port handles most Irish container imports; Cork is the deep-water alternative for the south and Shannon for the west. Choosing the nearer port usually saves more in inland haulage than any difference in the ocean rate.
02
What does it cost to ship furniture to Ireland?
Every line that appears between the ex-works price and the furniture standing in the room. Ranges, not promises.
| Line | Indicative | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight, 20 ft | USD 2,610–3,190 | Shenzhen to Dublin Port |
| Ocean freight, 40 ft HC | USD 4,140–5,060 | The same sailing; about twice the volume for well under twice the price |
| LCL ocean freight | About USD 65 per m³ | Before destination charges, which is where LCL quotes mislead |
| LCL destination charges | EUR 350–800 per consignment | Terminal handling, deconsolidation and the customs entry — fixed, not per m³ |
| Export packing and consolidation | About USD 30 per m³ | Re-crating, bracing, labelling, packing list |
| Marine insurance | About 0.5% of insured value | On goods plus freight |
| Customs duty | 0% on 9401 and 9403 | 3.7% on mattresses under 9404; check anti-dumping before you order |
| Irish import VAT | 23% | On customs value plus duty and charges to the point of entry |
| Delivery, unload and assembly | Quoted per address | Dublin and the commuter belt are short runs; the west adds haulage |
Indicative landed cost, Foshan to an Irish address, September 2026. Ocean freight moves monthly — confirm at booking.
03
How long does it take, week by week?
From the deposit to the last crate leaving your drive. The sea leg is the part nobody can compress.
- Week 0Orders placed and consolidated
Pieces from each factory are collected at one Foshan warehouse, checked against the specification and re-crated for sea.
- Week 6–10Inspection and loading
Every item photographed against the spec; the balance falls due after you approve the report. Timber treated to ISPM 15 before the container is sealed.
- Week 10–14At sea
25–27 days Shenzhen to Dublin on Cape of Good Hope routing. Tracking shared weekly.
- Week 14–15Customs clearance
Declaration lodged through Revenue's Automated Import System by your broker; duty where it applies and 23% VAT settled or postponed. EORI number required.
- Week 15–16Delivery and carry-in
Delivery booked to the address, crates opened, pieces carried in and assembled, packaging taken away the same day.
04
Duty, tax and clearance into Ireland
Ireland charges no duty on most furniture and the highest standard VAT rate of the five destinations we cover. How you account for that 23% decides your cash position, not your cost.
Seats under 9401 and furniture under 9403 carry 0% third-country duty into the EU; mattresses under 9404 carry 3.7%. Classification decides it, so the codes belong on the quotation.
Irish import VAT is 23% of the customs value plus duty and charges to the point of entry. A VAT-registered trader can use postponed accounting and declare it on the VAT3 rather than paying at the border. A private importer pays it and does not recover it.
Revenue can assess unpaid duty with interest going back four years, and an anti-dumping measure on a component or material is the usual cause. We list the codes early so your broker can check them before a deposit is paid.
You need an EORI number to import in your own name, and the declaration goes through Revenue's Automated Import System. We are not a customs broker: we supply the codes, packed volume per line and documents early enough to be checked.
05
Clearance is not delivery. What happens at the door.
Dublin to most Irish addresses is a short run, which makes access rather than distance the thing that decides the delivery day.
A Georgian terrace, a narrow lane or a first-floor apartment decides the vehicle and the crew size. We ask for photographs of the approach.
No lift and a narrow stairwell means a larger crew and a slower day, priced before the order is placed.
Crates are opened outside, pieces carried in, beds and tables assembled and positioned by room against the packing list.
Timber, cardboard and wrap leave with the crew the same day rather than filling the site.
FAQ
Shipping furniture to Ireland, answered.
How long does furniture take from China to Ireland?
Twenty-five to twenty-seven days port to port in a full container from Shenzhen to Dublin, and twenty-six to thirty-one days as an LCL consignment, on current Cape of Good Hope routing. Add two to four weeks of production and consolidation before the sailing and about two weeks for clearance and a delivery booking. Door to door, a typical order runs fourteen to sixteen weeks from deposit.
What duty and VAT apply to furniture imported from China to Ireland?
Seats under heading 9401 and furniture under 9403 carry 0% duty into the EU; mattresses under 9404 carry 3.7%. Irish VAT is charged at the standard rate of 23% on the customs value plus duty and any charges to the point of entry. A VAT-registered Irish trader can use postponed accounting and declare the VAT on the VAT3 return instead of paying it at the border; a private importer pays it and cannot reclaim it.
Should I ship LCL or a full container to Ireland?
Below about 15 m³, LCL. Above it, a 20 ft container is usually cheaper per cubic metre and safer for stone and solid timber. LCL ocean freight into Dublin runs around USD 65 per cubic metre, but terminal handling, deconsolidation and the customs entry are charged per consignment, so on a small shipment those fixed costs dominate.
Which Irish port should my container arrive at?
Dublin Port for Dublin, Leinster and most of the country — it handles the majority of Irish container traffic and has the most frequent services. Cork is the deep-water alternative for Munster and Shannon serves the west. The saving in inland haulage from choosing the nearer port is usually larger than any difference in the ocean rate.
Do I need to worry about anti-dumping duty on furniture from China?
There is no EU anti-dumping measure on Chinese furniture, seating or mattresses as things stand, but measures do exist on components and materials, and Revenue can assess unpaid duty with interest going back four years. That is why we put an indicative code and packed volume on every line of the quotation, so your broker can check them before a deposit is paid rather than after the container sails.
Send your list and your Ireland address
Quantities, rooms or a rough list are enough. You get compared factory options, the packed volume, the container call and a landed estimate within one business day.
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No spam, no obligation. Replies come from the sourcing team in Foshan, usually within one business day.
Sources & further reading
Where these figures come from.
- Sino Shipping — Freight from China to Ireland — FCL and LCL rate ranges and port-to-port transit times to Dublin, September 2026
- European Commission — EU Customs Tariff (TARIC) — Third-country duty rates for Chapter 94 headings
- Revenue — VAT on imports and postponed accounting — Irish import VAT rate and postponed accounting for registered traders
Ocean freight is a spot market and moves monthly; duty and tax rules change without notice. Treat every figure here as a starting point and confirm it at booking with your broker.