How much does a freight forwarder charge for an air cargo shipment?

Freight forwarder pricing for air cargo breaks down into multiple components:

1. Freight charges: Based on chargeable weight (actual vs volumetric, whichever is greater). Expect $3–7/kg for India–USA on most forwarders.

2. Origin charges (India):

• Pickup/cartage: $20–50
• Air export documentation: $30–60
• Airline handling (THC): $0.10–0.20/kg min ₹500

3. Destination charges (USA):

• ISF filing (mandatory): $35–55
• Customs entry: $80–150
• Delivery from airport: $50–200 depending on destination zip

4. Surcharges: FSC (fuel), security surcharge ($0.05–0.15/kg), and sometimes a peak surcharge.

For a 50 kg shipment, total door-to-door cost typically runs $400–800. The 'markup' you're seeing is the forwarder bundling all these charges into a single quote — the airline's published rate is just the base freight component.

Shop at least 3 forwarder quotes and ensure they're all-in quotes to compare apples to apples.