Chinese New Year Shipping Impact for 2026

What is Chinese New Year and when does it happen

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Chinese New Year—also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival—is the most important holiday across China and much of Southeast Asia. In 2026, Chinese New Year begins on February 17, with official public holidays lasting about one week. Celebrations often extend well beyond that window though.

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Factory, freight, and business operations slow in advance of the holiday and take time to recover afterward. This could potentially cause extended disruptions that linger into mid-March with the Lantern Festival also happening on March 3.

Why Chinese New Year matters for global shipping

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China remains the world’s largest manufacturing and exporting hub, accounting for roughly 27-30 percent of global manufacturing output. When production halts at such a large scale, the ripple effects are felt worldwide. Common impacts include:

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• Factory shutdowns and reduced production that begin 2-4 weeks before the holiday and not resuming full capacity until mid-March
• Limited workforce available at ports, warehouse, and inland transport hubs
• Pre-holiday shipping surges that strain vessel and aircraft capacity
• Elevated ocean and air freight rates driven by peak demand and blank sailings
• Post-holiday backlogs as operations return to normal

How Chinese New Year affects rates and capacity

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As shippers scramble to move their cargo before Chinese factories shutdown, carriers often implement peak season surcharges and reduce scheduled sailings. This causes capacity to tighten and pricing to become more volatile.

Ocean freight transit times during this period can extend 10 to 20 days or more depending on lane and congestion levels. Even air freight, which is typically more resilient, experiences tighter capacity and higher costs.

Preparing your supply chain for Chinese New Year

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How you prepare for the upcoming Chinese New Year will make all the difference for your supply chain.

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Book your shipments early
Secure space well ahead of the holiday. Waiting until the final weeks before Chinese New Year will significantly increase the chances of rolled cargo and premium pricing.

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Identify any priority shipments
If you are facing a time-sensitive shipping deadline, identify all requirements and inform your freight forwarder immediately. This will help prioritize what is needed to secure space and avoid delays.

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Confirm supplier shutdown schedules

Each factory operates differently. Talk with your suppliers to confirm final production dates and final booking cutoffs to establish a realistic timeline.

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Build a buffer inventory
Production can stall weeks ahead of and after the holiday. For critical SKUs, having an adequate inventory helps absorb production and transit delays. Many companies plan for 4-6 weeks of coverage around Chinese New Year.

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Communicate with all stakeholders
Proactively informing your customers, internal teams, and partners when updates or disruptions happen makes all the difference.

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Diversify routing and sourcing
Where possible, create a secondary plan that includes alternative ports or routing and additional sourcing options. This can reduce exposure to seasonal bottlenecks that happen in a single region, like Chinese New Year.