Air Freight Price per Kilo from Saudi Arabia 0552803439 | Rates by Destination for Parcels, Cargo and Car Shipping by Air

The air freight price per kilo from Saudi Arabia at Home Safe starts from SAR 14 to the Gulf states, SAR 23 to Europe, SAR 26 to the UK and SAR 41 to the USA, and an express document envelope starts from SAR 83. The rate is not always multiplied by the scale weight; it is multiplied by the chargeable weight, which is the greater of the shipment’s actual weight and its volumetric weight. This page explains the price for each destination, how the charge is calculated with examples, and what pushes the bill up or down. For a quotation for your shipment: 0552803439.

In this guide44ShowHide

1. What is the air freight price per kilo from Saudi Arabia by destination?
2. What makes up the price per kilo? Reading the quotation item by item
3. Actual weight and volumetric weight in air freight from Saudi Arabia
4. Worked examples: how much do you pay for your shipment?
5. Weight bands: why does the kilo get cheaper as the shipment gets heavier?
6. Price of sending documents and small parcels
7. What changes the air freight kilo price from Saudi Arabia: destination, weight band and speed
8. Express and economy air freight from Saudi Arabia: the difference between the two services
9. Price per kilo for commercial goods and pallets
10. Items with a special price outside the kilo table
11. Charges that may not show in the price per kilo: ask about them before booking
12. Prices circulating in the market and the price per kilo with the airlines
13. Air freight transit time and how it relates to the price
14. Which airport does your shipment leave from, and does the price change with the city?
15. How to lower the cost of air freight from Saudi Arabia: consolidation and smart packing
16. When is road or sea freight cheaper than air?
17. What the aircraft will not accept, and what it accepts on conditions
18. Customs and taxes in the destination country: outside the price per kilo
19. Information and documents needed to price and ship a consignment
20. Car shipping by air: how is it priced?
21. Insurance on an air shipment and its effect on the cost
22. Shipping companies in Saudi Arabia: direct or consolidated shipping?
23. How do you choose who prices for you? Signs of an honest quotation
24. Steps for requesting a quotation and shipping
25. Common mistakes that raise the air freight bill
26. Why Home Safe for pricing your air shipment?
27. Related articles and pages
28. Tags
29. Frequently asked questions about the air freight price per kilo from Saudi Arabia
30. What is the air freight price per kilo from Saudi Arabia?
31. Do I pay for the scale weight or for the size of the carton?
32. Why does the price I receive differ from the figure in the table?
33. What is the smallest weight you accept for air freight?
34. Does the price per kilo fall as the shipment gets heavier?
35. How much does it cost to send 30 kg by air to Europe?
36. What is the price difference between express and economy air freight?
37. Does the price include customs and tax in the destination country?
38. What is the price per kilo with the airlines, and is it cheaper than excess baggage?
39. Does the price per kilo differ between Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam?
40. How do I work out the cost of my shipment before I call?
41. Are perfumes and batteries shipped at the same price?
42. Is air freight cheaper than sea or road freight?
43. Do you ship cars by air, and how are they priced?
44. When is the final price fixed, and how do I pay?

What is the air freight price per kilo from Saudi Arabia by destination?

The destination sets the price before anything else. A two-hour flight to Dubai or Kuwait is not the same as one that crosses the ocean to New York, and a route with many aircraft every day is not the same as one where the shipment passes through an intermediate airport. The table brings together our approved starting prices for each region, with the usual time from the sender’s door to the consignee’s door. The figures are per kilogram of chargeable weight for general air cargo.

Destination	Price per kilogram	Usual time	Note
UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman	Starts from SAR 14	1–3 days	The shortest routes with the most flights
Jordan	Starts from SAR 14 for large weights	1–3 days	To Queen Alia Airport in Amman
Lebanon	Starts from SAR 14 for large weights	2–4 days	To Beirut airport
Turkey	Starts from SAR 17 for 300 kg and above	2–4 days	A 50 kg shipment starts from SAR 1,100
European countries: Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and others	Starts from SAR 23	3–6 days	A parcel of up to 5 kg from SAR 110
UK	Starts from SAR 26	3–6 days	Customs separate from the European Union
Morocco, Libya, North and West Africa	Starts from SAR 28	2–7 days	Depending on the arrival airport and the flight available
Canada	Starts from SAR 32	5–8 days	Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver
USA	Starts from SAR 41	5–8 days	A small parcel or documents from SAR 55
Egypt, East Asia, Australia and other destinations	Set on request	Stated with the quotation	Send the destination, weight and measurements

These are starting points, and the price for your shipment is fixed once its weight, measurements and contents are known. Each route has an article detailing its prices, airports and customs: air freight from Saudi Arabia to the UAE, air freight from Jeddah to Kuwait, air freight from Jeddah to Turkey, air freight from Jeddah to Europe, air freight from Jeddah to the UK and air freight from Jeddah to the USA.

What makes up the price per kilo? Reading the quotation item by item

When an office tells you “the kilo is so much”, it means one of two things: the aircraft charge alone from airport to airport, or the whole service from your door to the consignee’s door. The gap between the two meanings can be double the figure. That is why we break our quotation into items, and these are the items you will find in any complete air quotation.

Item	What it is	How it is calculated
Air freight charge	The price of the space on the aircraft	Per kilogram of chargeable weight, by destination and band
Fuel surcharge	An amount the carrier adds, which moves with the price of jet fuel	Per kilogram, reviewed periodically
Security and screening surcharge	The cost of passing the shipment through screening equipment before loading	Per kilogram or a fixed amount per shipment
Airport warehouse handling	Receiving the shipment, weighing it and preparing it for the flight	Per kilogram with a minimum per shipment, under the terminal tariff in force
Air waybill and declaration	Issuing the air waybill and registering the export declaration	A fixed amount per shipment
Collection from your address	A vehicle and driver to the home or office	By city and volume
Clearance and delivery in the destination country	The import declaration, then the delivery vehicle	By country and city

The starting prices on this page are worked out per kilogram on the usual service for each route. When you ask for a quotation we state plainly what is inside the figure and what is left outside it, so no item surprises you on delivery day. A broader explanation of what makes up the price in every shipping method is on the pricing factors page.

Actual weight and volumetric weight in air freight from Saudi Arabia

An aircraft fills up by volume before it fills up by weight. A carton of pillows takes the place of a carton of books at a tenth of the weight, and if both were charged by the scale the carrier would lose its space. Hence the volumetric weight rule: convert the parcel’s volume into kilograms, compare it with its real weight, and charge on the greater. That greater figure is called the chargeable weight.

• Actual weight: what the scale reads for the parcel once packed, including the carton, the padding and the pallet.
• Volumetric weight: length × width × height in centimetres, divided by 6000 for general air cargo.
• On the express service: the divisor is usually 5000, which makes the volumetric weight a fifth higher.
• Rounding: the chargeable weight is rounded up to the next half kilogram.

The divisor of 6000 means that one cubic metre is charged as about 167 kg. Any goods less dense than that pay for their volume, and anything denser pays for its weight. The table applies the rule to parcels often shipped from the Kingdom.

Parcel	Size in centimetres	On the scale	Volumetric weight	Chargeable weight
Box of dates	40 × 30 × 20	10 kg	4 kg	10 kg
Carton of clothes	60 × 40 × 40	9 kg	16 kg	16 kg
Large suitcase	75 × 50 × 30	23 kg	18.75 kg	23 kg
Carton of blankets and duvets	70 × 50 × 50	6 kg	29.2 kg	29.5 kg
Box of metal spare parts	40 × 30 × 30	35 kg	6 kg	35 kg
Pallet of light goods	120 × 80 × 100	120 kg	160 kg	160 kg

The carton of blankets is the clearest example: six kilograms on the scale and nearly thirty on the invoice. You do not have to do the sum by hand; on the volumetric weight calculator page you enter the measurements and weight and the chargeable weight appears straight away.

Worked examples: how much do you pay for your shipment?

Once the chargeable weight is known, the sum becomes a simple multiplication: the weight by the destination’s price per kilogram. The following examples take the same parcels from the previous table and put them on different routes, so you can see the effect of destination and of volume together. The figures are transport charges from which the quotation starts, and they do not include the destination country’s duty or tax.

Shipment	Chargeable weight	Destination	Price per kilogram	Charge starts from
Box of dates	10 kg	The Gulf	SAR 14	SAR 140
Carton of clothes	16 kg	The Gulf	SAR 14	SAR 224
Carton of clothes	16 kg	Europe	SAR 23	SAR 368
Large suitcase	23 kg	Europe	SAR 23	SAR 529
Large suitcase	23 kg	USA	SAR 41	SAR 943
Pallet of light goods	160 kg	Morocco	SAR 28	SAR 4,480

Note that the carton of clothes weighs only nine kilograms, yet its owner paid for sixteen. Had he pressed the clothes into a carton measuring 50 × 40 × 30, the volumetric weight would have dropped to ten kilograms, and the charge to Europe would have fallen from SAR 368 to SAR 230. Volume is the first thing to review before any negotiation over the rate.

Weight bands: why does the kilo get cheaper as the shipment gets heavier?

Airlines do not sell the kilogram at a single price. They have a ladder of bands, and each band is priced lower than the one beneath it, because the cost of dealing with a 500 kg shipment is nowhere near ten times the cost of a 50 kg one. The bands themselves are common to the whole industry; what differs from route to route is the price inside each band.

Band	Who it suits	What happens to the price per kilogram
Minimum charge per shipment	An envelope or a small parcel	A flat amount, not divided by the weight
Under 45 kg	One or two cartons, a suitcase, samples	The highest price per kilogram
45 kg and above	The luggage of a student or a small family	The first drop in price
100 kg and above	Shop orders, spare parts, a pallet	A second drop, and here general air cargo starts to pay
300 kg and above	Commercial goods on pallets	The large-weight rate, such as the Turkey route from SAR 17
500 and 1000 kg and above	Factories, importers and exhibitions	The lowest prices, with space booked in advance

Out of this ladder comes a legitimate trick the trade knows well: if your shipment’s weight is close to the start of a higher band, charging it on the higher band may be cheaper. A 92 kg shipment at the under-hundred rate can cost more than 100 kg at the hundred-band rate. We run both comparisons and give you the lower one, and band prices above 100 kg are set on request because they follow the route and the day of shipping.

The first rung of the ladder, the minimum charge, explains why someone sending two kilograms to Dubai does not pay SAR 28. Every shipment, however small, needs a driver, an air waybill, a security screening and an export declaration, then clearance and delivery, and that cost does not follow the weight. Small parcels are therefore priced at flat amounts, and the per-kilogram price starts doing its work once the weight passes those categories.

Price of sending documents and small parcels

Most people who ask about the price per kilo are not shipping goods; they are sending an important paper, a gift or purchases that would not fit in their suitcase. For them there are ready price categories that need no band calculation. The table lists what is approved with us, and where no figure is given we send it once we know the destination.

Category	Examples	Price
Express document envelope	Contracts, certificates, powers of attorney, passports, bank papers	Starts from SAR 83
Small parcel or documents to the USA	A small gift, a file, a light sample	Starts from SAR 55
Parcel of up to 5 kg to Turkey, Europe and the UK	Clothes, a box of dates, books, accessories	Starts from SAR 110
Parcel from 5 to 20 kg to Turkey	A carton of purchases or belongings	Starts from SAR 200
Parcel to the Gulf states	Gifts, dates and shop orders	From SAR 14 per kilogram

Documents carry no customs duty in most countries because they have no commercial value, so their price is a transport charge only. A parcel, on the other hand, holds goods with a value, and the consignee may be asked for duty or tax. The parcel service for every destination is on the parcel shipping page.

What changes the air freight kilo price from Saudi Arabia: destination, weight band and speed

Three things make most of the difference between one quotation and another: where the shipment is going, how much it weighs, and how much of a hurry you are in. After those come smaller factors that add or subtract. So if you receive two different prices for the same shipment, ask about these factors before deciding which is cheaper.

Factor	Its effect on the price per kilogram
Destination and distance	The Gulf has the lowest prices, then the Levant and Turkey, then Europe and Africa, then North America
Weight band	Each higher band lowers the price, and a small shipment pays the minimum charge
Speed of service required	Express to the door costs more; general air cargo costs less and is slower by one to 3 days
Volume against weight	Bulky goods are charged on their volume, which raises what you pay for each real kilogram
Nature of the goods	Dangerous, chilled, valuable and oversized items have their own charge
Season	Before the Eids, after Hajj and in sales seasons, space tightens and the price rises
Collection city and delivery city	Distance from the airport at either end adds inland transport

That is why we do not give a final price to someone who says only “I have a carton”. We ask about the destination, weight, measurements and contents, and then send a figure you can rely on.

Express and economy air freight from Saudi Arabia: the difference between the two services

The words “air freight” cover two services that differ in price and method. The first is an express service delivered door to door at one price, moving through a network with its own aircraft and couriers. The second is general, or economy, air cargo, in which space is booked on a passenger flight or a freighter and collection, clearance and delivery are arranged around it. Both of them fly, and choosing between them is a matter of weight and deadline.

Point of comparison	Express	Economy (general air cargo)
Best suited to	Documents and urgent parcels of up to about 30 kg	Weights above 45 kg and goods on pallets
Pricing method	Weight categories at an all-in price to the door	A price per kilogram, with collection, clearance and delivery added
Usual volumetric divisor	5000	6000
Price per kilogram	Higher	Lower, and falling further with the bands
Time	The shortest	Usually longer by one to 3 days
Clearance in the destination country	Within the service, simplified for small values	By an import declaration lodged by a customs broker
Size and weight limits per piece	Restricted	Wider, accepting pallets and heavy pieces

The working rule we follow: an envelope or a parcel under 30 kg with a near deadline goes by express. A shipment over 45 kg, or one with several cartons, is priced both ways and we show you the lower. So do not pay the express rate on a hundred kilograms, and do not delay a document for the sake of a few riyals. The urgent service is detailed in the article on express international shipping.

Price per kilo for commercial goods and pallets

A trader looks at the price per kilo differently: how much does freight add to the cost of one unit? Light, costly goods such as dry perfumes, fashion, electronics and spare parts can bear the aircraft charge because each unit’s share of it is small. Heavy, cheap goods cannot, unless the delay costs more than the freight.

• The pallet: it is charged on its full footprint and height, and the weight of the timber counts in the actual weight.
• Advance booking: above 300 kg, space is booked on a specific flight, and the price is fixed with the booking.

A Saudi exporter also has papers that affect what the customer pays at the other end, the first being the certificate of origin, which removes the duty on national products in the Gulf states. The service for companies is explained on the commercial shipping page.

Items with a special price outside the kilo table

The general table prices ordinary dry goods that can be stacked and need no special care. Some items fall outside it, not because the office wants more, but because the carrier itself applies a different tariff and different handling to them. Knowing this in advance spares you a quotation that changes after collection.

Item	Why its price differs	Price
Declared dangerous goods: liquid perfumes, loose batteries, aerosols	Approved packaging, labels and a shipper’s declaration, and some on freighter aircraft only	Set on request
Chilled goods: medicines and fresh food	Insulated or refrigerated containers, and a flight that cannot wait	Set on request
Valuables: watches, high-value devices and documents of value	A strongroom in the warehouse and delivery under security procedures	Set on request
Cars	A whole pallet position in a freighter’s hold	Set on request

Charges that may not show in the price per kilo: ask about them before booking

Most disputes in air freight do not arise from the price per kilogram but from what is added to it once the shipment is in the carrier’s hands. You are entitled to know about it before paying, not after. Here is a list of the ones that recur, with the question that brings each to light.

Charge	When it appears	What to ask
Volumetric weight difference	When the parcel is priced on the scale and then re-measured at the airport	Is the price on chargeable weight after measuring the dimensions?
Fuel and security surcharges	When the price per kilogram is quoted without them	Does the figure include both surcharges?
Delivery to a remote area	An address outside the main cities in the destination country	Is the consignee’s address within the usual delivery zone?
Storage	A shipment left in the airport warehouse after the free period	How long is the collection period, and what is charged after it?
Clearance fees in the destination country	An import declaration lodged by a broker in the consignee’s name	Who pays the broker’s fee, the sender or the consignee?
Return	A shipment refused by customs or by the consignee	Who bears the cost of return or disposal?

With us the quotation states what the price covers and what it does not, and the cancellation and rescheduling terms and the limits of liability are written in the booking confirmation you receive before collection. If weighing shows a difference from what you sent, we tell you about it and its effect before the shipment leaves.

Prices circulating in the market and the price per kilo with the airlines

Prices circulating in the market: little is published about the price per kilo and the figures are far apart; most offices ask you to call. What we found published in shipping guides puts an international air kilogram between 4 and 8 dollars, roughly SAR 15 to 30, with no destination specified. Also published is a tariff starting from SAR 70 for the first 20 kg and then SAR 6 for each additional kilogram, which is closer to particular short routes. SAR 45 per kilogram is quoted for the USA route, and air is generally described as four to five times dearer than sea. Among the figures that have long been repeated is SAR 50 per kilogram with a fixed charge of about SAR 130 per shipment. The spread arises because some figures are airport to airport and others are to the door.

Many people ask about the price per kilo for air freight with the national carrier and with airlines in general. Two things get mixed up here: the excess baggage a passenger takes along, and a shipment sent on its own. The first is sold at airline offices by the extra piece, not by the kilogram, and the published going rate is between about SAR 140 and SAR 290 per piece depending on its weight, the destination and the payment method, and it is higher at the airport than when bought in advance. The second, freight, is sold by the airlines’ cargo divisions through freight agents and is calculated by the kilogram and the bands as we have explained.

Air freight transit time and how it relates to the price

Speed is what you buy when you choose the aircraft, so it is natural for the price to be tied to the time. The time is not the flight alone; flying to London takes about seven hours and the shipment needs days. The time goes on collection, preparation and waiting for the flight, then on release and distribution. The less you pay per kilogram, the longer the wait you accept at one of these links.

On the express service the parcel is usually collected on the day of the request, flies on the network’s first flight and is released within hours. In general air cargo the shipment may wait a day or two for consolidation to be completed or for the booked flight, then one to 3 days for release depending on the country and the item. What most often lengthens the time is not the aircraft but a missing paper, a vague description or a consignee who does not answer the phone. The usual times for each destination are given in the first table, and they are detailed for the other shipping methods on the transit times page.

Which airport does your shipment leave from, and does the price change with the city?

International air freight from the Kingdom leaves mostly from four airports. The per-kilogram price on the aircraft is close between them for most destinations, and the difference shows in the number of flights and in inland transport for those who live far from them. We choose the airport according to your city and the flight available, not according to where our office is.

Airport	Serves	Effect on price and time
King Khalid International, Riyadh	Riyadh, Al-Kharj, Qassim, Hail and the centre of the Kingdom	Many flights to most destinations, and nothing added within Riyadh
King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah	Jeddah, Makkah, Taif, Rabigh and the south-west	Many routes to Africa and Europe, and nothing added within Jeddah
King Fahd International, Dammam	Dammam, Khobar, Dhahran, Jubail and Al-Ahsa	The nearest to the Gulf and Asia
Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International, Madinah	Madinah, Yanbu and Al-Ula	Limited destinations, and the rest via Jeddah
Other cities: Abha, Jazan, Najran, Tabuk, Al-Jouf and others	The shipment is moved to the nearest of the four airports	Usually an extra day, and the inland transport charge is set on request

Each major city has an article explaining collection from its districts and its airport: air freight company in Riyadh and air freight office in Jeddah. The full picture of the service across the Kingdom is in the article on air freight from Saudi Arabia.

How to lower the cost of air freight from Saudi Arabia: consolidation and smart packing

You cannot change the price per kilogram on the route, but you do control the number of kilograms you are charged for. Most of the saving comes from two things in your hands before the driver arrives: how you combine your parcels and how you pack them. The rest is small choices of timing and service.

• Combine the parcels into one shipment: three parcels for one consignee pay one minimum charge, and their total weight may lift them into a cheaper band.
• Choose a carton that fits the contents: every gap inside the carton is volumetric weight you pay for while shipping nothing in it.
• Pack light and strong: a double-wall corrugated carton with padding where the knocks land, instead of a wooden crate that adds ten kilograms.
• Compress bulky items: clothes, blankets and pillows in vacuum bags come down to half their volume.
• Ask about the next band: if you are close to 45 or 100 kg, reaching it may be cheaper.
• Do not pay for speed you do not need: if your deadline can take three more days, ask for the economy service price.

Anyone buying from several shops inside the Kingdom can send the purchases to us one after another, and we combine them under one air waybill instead of paying for each parcel separately. Packing methods that protect without adding volume are illustrated on the packing guide page.

When is road or sea freight cheaper than air?

Sometimes the most honest answer about the air price per kilo is: do not ship by air. The aircraft sells time, and anyone who does not need the time pays for it and gets nothing back. To the Gulf states the truck arrives within days at about a third of the air cost per kilogram, and to Turkey a whole cubic metre goes by sea for roughly the charge on twenty kilograms by aircraft.

Destination	By air	The alternative	When to choose the alternative
Gulf states	From SAR 14 per kilogram, 1–3 days	Road truck: a kilogram from SAR 4.6 above 50 kg, and a carton from SAR 140	Furniture, many cartons and heavy goods without a tight deadline
Turkey	From SAR 17 per kilogram for large weights	Sea: a cubic metre from SAR 415, and a 20ft container from SAR 4,600	Anything over 300 kg that can take three weeks
Europe	From SAR 23 per kilogram	Sea: part load from SAR 5,500, and a container from SAR 11,000	A household’s furniture, a car and goods by the tonne
Cars	Set on request	Road carrier to the Gulf from SAR 1,100, and sea RoRo from SAR 2,800	Any car not chased by a deadline

The two routes are detailed on the land freight and sea freight pages, and all of them are compared on the shipping methods comparison page. For the neighbouring countries there is the article on shipping from Saudi Arabia to the Gulf states.

What the aircraft will not accept, and what it accepts on conditions

The question of price is preceded by another: can these goods go by air at all? Aviation safety rules are the same on every route, and they bar anything that ignites, explodes, leaks or affects the aircraft’s systems. Some of these materials are accepted with a declaration, special packing and a higher charge, and some are not accepted at any price.

Item	Status in air freight
Liquid perfumes and oud oil mixed with alcohol	A flammable liquid, shipped only as declared dangerous goods
Loose lithium batteries and power banks	Not loaded on passenger aircraft; they need a freighter and a declaration
Devices with the battery inside	Accepted switched off and protected, with the battery label and a set number per parcel
Aerosols, lighters and gas cylinders	Compressed gases, not allowed in an ordinary parcel
Medicines	Personal with a prescription and a treatment quantity; commercial with both countries’ licences
Food	Sealed dry food is accepted; fresh food needs cooling and the destination country’s approval
Cash, raw gold, weapons and narcotics	Not carried in our shipments
Zamzam water	Not carried in shipments

Each destination country has its own list on top of these rules. So tell us about anything you are unsure of before sealing the carton. The general list is on the prohibited items page.

Customs and taxes in the destination country: outside the price per kilo

The price per kilogram is the price of transport. What the destination customs take is something else, calculated on the value of the goods rather than their weight, and normally paid by the consignee. Anyone who overlooks this item is surprised when a gift that cost two hundred riyals to send attracts a further sum at the door. The rules differ from country to country and they change, so we state the current practice briefly and confirm what applies to your shipment before shipping.

• Gulf states: a unified customs duty of 5% as a rule, value added tax at a rate that differs from one state to another, and products of Gulf origin exempt from duty with a certificate of origin.
• European Union countries: value added tax is due on commercial parcels however small their value, and customs duty depends on the item and the value.
• UK: a system separate from the European Union, with a small exemption threshold for gifts between individuals.
• USA: the rules for low-value parcels have changed, so we assume no exemption before checking what is in force.
• Documents: no duty and no tax in countries generally.

On the Saudi side, the international transport of goods is zero-rated for value added tax under current practice, while accompanying local services may be treated differently, and all of it appears itemised on the invoice. The clearance service is explained on the customs clearance page.

Information and documents needed to price and ship a consignment

An accurate quotation needs just five pieces of information, and you have them all. Each one that is missing turns the figure into an estimate rather than a commitment. The documents are requested at booking, not at enquiry, and they are few for individuals and more for companies.

Required	For pricing	For shipping
From an individual	Collection city, destination country and city, number of pieces, weight and size of each piece, description of the contents	A copy of the ID or residence permit, a list of the items and their value, the consignee’s name, mobile and address
From a company	The above, plus the type of goods, their tariff heading and the delivery term	Commercial registration, commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and the importer’s details

A photo of the parcels beside a tape measure is enough for us in most requests. We issue the air waybill and register the export declaration ourselves. Each paper and who issues it is explained on the shipping documents page.

Car shipping by air: how is it priced?

A car does not come under the price-per-kilo table. It is loaded on a freighter aircraft, on a metal pallet to which the wheels are strapped, and it takes space in the hold that is sold to no one else. Its price is therefore worked out from its weight and dimensions, the aircraft type available on the route and the two airports, and its charge is set on request.

This is a service for a luxury or classic car, or a show car with a date to meet. For the rest the economical route is well known: a road carrier to the Gulf from SAR 1,100, or a RoRo vessel to sea destinations from SAR 2,800 for a saloon. All the methods and conditions are in the article on car shipping from Saudi Arabia and on the car shipping page.

Insurance on an air shipment and its effect on the cost

The air carrier is liable for the shipment, but its liability is limited by international conventions to an amount per kilogram, not to the value of what is in the parcel. A carton of clothes may be covered by that limit, while for a phone weighing two hundred grams the limit covers no meaningful part of its price. That is why there is optional insurance on the declared value, with a premium that is a percentage of that value, set on request.

Insurance is written as a separate item that you choose, and we recommend it for electronics, watches, precision spare parts and samples; its condition is a true value and sound packing. What it covers and what it excludes is on the cargo insurance page.

Shipping companies in Saudi Arabia: direct or consolidated shipping?

International shipping companies in Saudi Arabia fall into three kinds as far as the price per kilo is concerned. Express parcel networks, which sell an all-in price to the door. The cargo divisions of airlines, which mostly sell space to agents rather than directly to individuals. And freight offices and agents, like us, who book the space and add collection, packing, clearance and delivery, and choose for each shipment the channel that suits its weight.

Within general air cargo there are two methods. Direct shipping: your shipment gets its own air waybill and flies on the first flight with room. Consolidated shipping: your shipment is joined with others under one large air waybill that benefits from a higher band price, and is then sorted at the arrival airport. Consolidation is cheaper per kilogram for small and medium weights, but it waits for consolidation day, which adds a day or two. Direct is faster and better suited to large weights and to anything with a deadline.

How do you choose who prices for you? Signs of an honest quotation

The lowest price on the phone is not always the lowest on the invoice. The difference between an office that prices honestly and one that fishes with a number shows in the questions it asks you before answering, and in what it writes down for you after answering. These signs help you tell them apart.

What you notice	A reassuring sign	A worrying sign
Before the price is mentioned	Asks about the measurements, the contents and the destination by city	Gives a figure the moment the word “carton” is heard
Basis of calculation	Mentions chargeable weight and works it out in front of you	Talks only about the scale weight
Form of the quotation	Itemised: freight, surcharges, collection, clearance and delivery	One spoken figure “including everything”
Customs	Explains that the destination duty falls on the consignee and estimates it for you	Promises that nobody will pay anything
Prohibited items	Asks about perfumes, batteries and medicines	Accepts everything without a question
Legal standing	Commercial registration and a collection receipt in the establishment’s name	A transfer to a personal account with no receipt

Steps for requesting a quotation and shipping

1. Measure each piece in centimetres and weigh it, or photograph it beside a tape measure.
2. Send to 0552803439 the measurements, weights, a description of the contents, your city and the consignee’s country and city.
3. We work out the chargeable weight, compare express with economy, and send the itemised quotation and the expected time.
4. We go through the contents list with you and take out what the aircraft will not accept, or price it as special cargo.
5. After your approval you receive the booking confirmation, and the driver arrives at the agreed time and packs what needs packing.
6. The shipment is weighed and measured at the airport warehouse, and we tell you of any difference before it takes off.
7. The air waybill is issued and you receive its number to follow the shipment until arrival.
8. The shipment is cleared in the destination country and delivered against the consignee’s signature, and we tell you delivery is complete.

After take-off the shipment is followed by the air waybill number, and we send you every change in its status on WhatsApp. How to follow it is on the tracking page, and the collection and delivery service at both addresses is on the door to door page.

Common mistakes that raise the air freight bill

• Asking for a price on the scale weight alone, then being taken aback by the volumetric difference at the airport.
• Shipping clothes and blankets in roomy cartons that are half air.
• Splitting one shipment over several days, so the minimum charge is paid more than once and the cheaper band is lost.
• Choosing the express service for fifty kilograms with no deadline.
• Comparing two prices, one to the airport and the other to the door, as if they were the same thing.
• Declaring a value below the real one to reduce the duty, so the shipment is held or the right to compensation is lost.
• Hiding a perfume or a power bank among the belongings, so the parcel is returned and its charge is paid twice.

Why Home Safe for pricing your air shipment?

To book: 0552803439 by call or WhatsApp, from 7 am to 11 pm. Or from the request a quote page.

Related articles and pages

• Air freight from Saudi Arabia
• Air freight company in Riyadh
• Air freight office in Jeddah
• Air freight from Saudi Arabia to the UAE
• Air freight from Riyadh to the USA
• Air freight

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Frequently asked questions about the air freight price per kilo from Saudi Arabia

What is the air freight price per kilo from Saudi Arabia?

There is no single figure, because the price follows the destination first. With us a kilogram starts from SAR 14 to the Gulf states, SAR 23 to European countries, SAR 26 to the UK, SAR 28 to Morocco and Libya, SAR 32 to Canada and SAR 41 to the USA. An express document envelope starts from SAR 83. The rate is multiplied by the chargeable weight, not simply by what the scale shows.

Do I pay for the scale weight or for the size of the carton?

You pay for whichever is greater. The carton is weighed, then its three dimensions in centimetres are multiplied together and divided by 6000 to give its volumetric weight. If the volumetric figure is higher than the scale reading, you are charged on it. That is why the owner of a carton of blankets pays for its volume, while the owner of a box of books pays for its actual weight.

Why does the price I receive differ from the figure in the table?

Because the table gives starting points, not invoices. The figure rises if your shipment is below the minimum charge, if you choose the express door-to-door service, if it contains an item needing special handling, or if your city is far from the airport. It falls if the weight enters a higher band. We write out the items one by one so you can see where the total came from.

What is the smallest weight you accept for air freight?

There is no minimum weight; we ship an envelope holding a single sheet. Every shipment does have a minimum charge, however, because issuing the air waybill, screening and handling cost the same whether the parcel weighs one kilogram or twenty. Documents therefore start from SAR 83, and a parcel of up to 5 kg to Turkey and Europe starts from SAR 110.

Does the price per kilo fall as the shipment gets heavier?

Yes, and this is a fixed rule of air pricing. The usual bands begin at 45 kg, then 100, 300, 500 and 1000, and each band is cheaper per kilogram than the one before it. The Turkey route is an example: a 50 kg shipment starts from SAR 1,100, while anything reaching 300 kg starts from SAR 17 per kilogram.

How much does it cost to send 30 kg by air to Europe?

If the chargeable weight is 30 kg, the charge starts from SAR 690 at SAR 23 per kilogram, and to the UK from SAR 780 at SAR 26. Check the volumetric weight first: two suitcases weighing 30 kg may be charged as 38 if they are bulging. The destination country’s tax and duty are outside this figure.

What is the price difference between express and economy air freight?

Express is sold at one door-to-door price and delivered within a few days; its kilogram costs more, and it suits documents and parcels of up to roughly 30 kg. Economy, meaning general air cargo, is booked as space on a flight, with clearance and delivery added; its kilogram costs less, and it starts to pay above 45 kg. The difference in time is usually one to 3 days.

Does the price include customs and tax in the destination country?

No. The price per kilogram is a transport charge, and whatever duty and tax the destination customs impose is paid there by the consignee according to the item and its value. Anyone who wants the consignee to pay nothing, such as a shop sending to its customer, asks for delivery duty paid, and that charge is set on request once the item and its value are known.

What is the price per kilo with the airlines, and is it cheaper than excess baggage?

Airlines sell excess baggage to the passenger by the piece, not by the kilogram, and the published going rate for an extra piece is between about SAR 140 and SAR 290 depending on its weight, the payment method and the destination. One extra bag travelling with the passenger is therefore usually cheaper than shipping it. Anything beyond a bag or two, or anything sent without a passenger, is a job for air freight by the kilogram.

Does the price per kilo differ between Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam?

The per-kilogram price on the aircraft is close across the three airports for most destinations, and the difference comes from the number of flights and the space available on the day. What clearly changes is inland transport: if you live in a city without enough international flights, your shipment is moved to the nearest airport, and that charge is set on request.

How do I work out the cost of my shipment before I call?

Measure the carton in centimetres, multiply length by width by height and divide by 6000. Compare the result with the scale weight and take the greater, then multiply it by the per-kilogram price for your destination from the table on this page. That gives you a close starting figure. If there are many pieces, add up their chargeable weights, or enter the measurements in the volumetric weight calculator on our site.

Are perfumes and batteries shipped at the same price?

No. Liquid perfume is a flammable substance, and a loose battery or a power bank is a lithium dangerous good; all of them need approved packaging, labels and a shipper’s declaration, and some cannot board a passenger aircraft at all. A dangerous-goods shipment is therefore priced with a charge set on request. A device with its battery inside is accepted under the packing conditions, usually without that increase.

Is air freight cheaper than sea or road freight?

Air is faster, and it is only cheaper for light items. To the Gulf the truck starts from SAR 4.6 per kilogram for anything above 50 kg, against SAR 14 by air. To Turkey a cubic metre by sea starts from SAR 415. So anything under 100 kg or tied to a date belongs on the aircraft, and furniture or heavy goods belong on the truck or in the container.

Do you ship cars by air, and how are they priced?

Yes, on freighter aircraft. A car is not priced at the parcel rate per kilogram, because it takes a whole pallet position in the hold; it is worked out from its weight and dimensions, the route and the space available, and its charge is set on request. It is a service for luxury, classic and show cars. Other cars go by road to the Gulf from SAR 1,100 or by sea on a RoRo vessel from SAR 2,800.

When is the final price fixed, and how do I pay?

The price is fixed once the shipment has been weighed and measured at collection, and it is checked on the airport warehouse scale. If the figures match what you sent us, nothing changes. You receive the itemised quotation before the driver sets out, then the booking confirmation with the payment method and the cancellation and rescheduling terms, and then a collection receipt in the establishment’s name.