How long does an order from China take from PO to delivery at an African port?

Plan for 60-100 days from purchase order to port arrival - 25-45 days for production and 25-45 days for ocean freight, depending on destination.

A realistic end-to-end timeline: | Stage | Typical duration | |---|---| | PO confirmation and deposit clearing | 3-7 days | | Production (steel, aluminium, hardware) | 25-45 days | | Pre-shipment inspection | 3-5 days | | Inland trucking to port + customs export | 5-10 days | | Ocean transit to African port | 25-45 days | | Port arrival to gate-out (destination clearing) | 7-14 days | Ocean transit ranges by destination port: - **Durban, Cape Town (South Africa):** 25-32 days from Shanghai/Ningbo - **Lagos / Apapa (Nigeria):** 35-42 days - **Mombasa (Kenya), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania):** 28-35 days - **Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), Tema (Ghana):** 38-45 days - **Luanda (Angola), Pointe-Noire (Congo):** 35-42 days - **Jebel Ali (UAE):** 18-24 days Lead times stretch around Chinese New Year (late Jan-mid Feb), Golden Week (first week of October), and during Red Sea / Suez disruptions when carriers route via the Cape of Good Hope (add 10-14 days). For live shipping considerations to your region see [Logistics: Africa & Middle East](/logistics/africa-middle-east).