Commercial Cargo Shipping to Germany from Canada

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Commercial LCL shipping from Canada to Germany

Samples, spare parts, stock for a small shop or goods for a customer abroad do not need a whole container. A1 ships commercial cargo in shared ocean containers (LCL) from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to <a href="/shipping-to/berlin-germany/">Berlin</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/bielefeld-germany/">Bielefeld</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/bonn-germany/">Bonn</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/bremen-germany/">Bremen</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/cologne-germany/">Cologne</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/dortmund-germany/">Dortmund</a>, <a href="/shipping-to/dresden-germany/">Dresden</a>, and <a href="/shipping-to/dusseldorf-germany/">Dusseldorf</a> and 20 more. The rate starts at USD 4 per cubic foot to Hamburg, and the carrier estimates 17–75 days in transit depending on the gateway and the city.

Moving to Germany with your household goods? A person transferring their normal residence from outside the EU can usually import used household goods free of customs duty and import VAT, provided the goods have been owned and used for at least six months and the owner lived outside the EU for at least twelve months. The relief is claimed with German customs (Zoll) using form 0350 and a detailed inventory, normally within twelve months of the move. Our signed packing list is the inventory you will need.

Commercial cargo is cleared by the German importer, who needs an EORI number and pays the EU customs duty for the goods plus import VAT (19 % standard rate, 7 % reduced). The carrier's tariff requires a commercial invoice and a packing material declaration for every shipment to Germany.

Commercial cargo rates to Germany

Example: a small commercial shipment from Toronto to Hamburg

• A few cartons (0.4 CBM, 80 kg): USD 441.60
• One pallet, 120 × 100 × 150 cm, 350 kg (1.8 CBM): USD 519.30
• Two such pallets (3.6 CBM, 700 kg): USD 773.61

The totals include the A1 processing fee, surcharges and solar fee. The carrier charges by volume or by weight (1,000 kg per CBM), whichever is greater. Destination charges are confirmed by the carrier before you pay; customs duties and taxes are paid by the importer in Germany.

Which Canadian gateway: one pallet to Hamburg

• From Toronto: USD 519.30, about 17 days
• From Montreal: USD 519.30, about 17 days
• From Vancouver: USD 710.03, about 38 days

Toronto is both the least expensive and the fastest gateway to Hamburg. Choose the warehouse you can reach; from other Canadian cities the calculator shows the lowest of the three.

One pallet to different cities in Germany

• Hamburg: USD 519.30 from Toronto, about 17 days
• Berlin: USD 582.88 from Toronto, about 18 days
• Bielefeld: USD 582.88 from Toronto, about 18 days
• Bonn: USD 582.88 from Toronto, about 18 days
• Bremen: USD 582.88 from Toronto, about 17 days
• Cologne: USD 582.88 from Toronto, about 18 days

The difference between the least and the most expensive of these is USD 63.58. The other 22 destinations are in the calculator.

Dense goods are charged by weight: 1 CBM of tiles or metal parts weighing 800 kg costs USD 441.60 to Hamburg, against USD 441.60 for 1 CBM at 200 kg.

Documents for commercial cargo

• Commercial invoice. Our commercial invoice (PDF): seller and buyer, a clear description of each item, quantity, unit value, total value, currency and country of origin. HS codes help customs in Germany classify the goods.
• Packing list. The packing list (PDF) gives the pieces, packed dimensions and gross weight of every pallet, crate or carton, matching the invoice.
• Customs value. The customs value of the shipment may not exceed CAD 2,000.

The importer's details that the carrier conditions below ask for (tax or registration numbers) go on the invoice and the booking. More help: commercial shipping documents.

Pallets and crates

Commercial cargo travels palletized or crated. Wood packaging must be ISPM 15 heat-treated and stamped, or the cargo can be refused at the destination. Stack the cartons squarely on the pallet, no wider than the pallet itself, and stretch-wrap and strap them; label every piece with the consignee's name and city in Germany. You deliver the cargo, already palletized or crated, to our receiving warehouse in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver: A1 does not offer pickup and does not palletize. The warehouse measures and weighs the cargo, and the final price follows those measurements.

Carrier conditions for Germany

• Commercial Invoice and Packing Material are Required
• Personal Effects / Household Goods On Approval
• Subject to ISPM 15 Packing Regulations

How to book

Calculate the price in the calculator above with the cargo type "Commercial cargo", accept the quote and upload the commercial invoice and packing list on your booking page. After the carrier confirms the destination charges, you pay and receive the labels and the warehouse delivery instructions. Sending your own belongings rather than goods? See personal effects shipping to Germany.

Shipping to Germany by service

• All shipping to Germany: rates and destinations
• Personal effects shipping to Germany from Canada

By city: Berlin, Bielefeld, Bonn, Bremen, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Heidelberg, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Kassel, Leipzig, Mainz, Mannheim, Munich, Nuremberg, Osnabrueck, Potsdam, Rostock, Saarbruecken, Schwerin, Stuttgart, Wuppertal.

Questions and answers

Rates valid October 1–31, 2026; totals include A1 fees of USD 265.00. Destination charges are confirmed by the carrier, duties and taxes are paid by the consignee, and transit days are the carrier's estimate.