Container rail quotation: COC, SOC and what the price includes

Published October 8, 2026 · Sino-Euro Railway

Information as of 8 October 2026 | Quotation guide

A useful freight quote answers two questions: what exactly will be transported, and which costs and responsibilities are included? A headline rate alone cannot answer them. This guide explains our quotation basis; it is not a price list, a transport case or an arrival promise.

COC: station-to-station includes the container

Our FCL station-to-station quotation uses the COC basis with the container included. Confirm the origin and arrival terminals, container type, departure product and agreed container-use conditions. “Container included” does not automatically include supplier collection, customs services, duties, taxes or final delivery.

A rate shown on a country page is a reference for the stated lane and validity. It must not be applied automatically to another origin city, different equipment or a door-to-door shipment.

SOC: confirm the actual container-use charge

For SOC, the quotation must account for the actual rental or container-use cost for that shipment. Confirm the supply or acceptance of the container, permitted use period, return arrangements and any applicable extension or repositioning charges. A fixed supplement cannot stand in for these actual charges.

If the shipper provides a container, identify that arrangement and the applicable use or return costs explicitly. Confirm container acceptance before booking.

Ask for an itemised scope

• Collection and inland transport in China, if required.
• Origin terminal handling, consolidation and export formalities.
• Rail carriage and the COC or SOC container basis.
• Arrival handling, deconsolidation and storage arrangements.
• Customs services and any onward road or rail transport.
• Duties, taxes, insurance and possible additional charges: say whether included, excluded or subject to confirmation.

An item may be included in the offered total or shown separately. Check the written breakdown rather than assuming all listed costs are always extra or always included. For LCL, confirm the selected product's volume or weight charging rule and any minimum; there is no universal conversion rule for every service.

Check validity and timing together

Request the currency, charging unit, validity dates and the conditions tied to cargo acceptance, equipment and departure availability. An expired or unconfirmed reference needs a fresh quotation before booking. Door-to-door timing is confirmed per shipment after checking collection addresses, consolidation, the departure and cargo cut-off, customs arrangements and the receiving appointment. It is not calculated by adding a fixed number of days to the rail leg.

Compare offers on the same terminals or addresses, equipment, cargo-ready date and included stages. Rail arrival and delivery to the warehouse are different milestones.

Send enough cargo information for a usable quote

Provide the pickup and delivery addresses or terminals, cargo description, package count, dimensions, gross weight, volume, ready date, FCL or LCL preference and required container type. State the required delivery window and identify batteries, chemicals, vehicles or other special handling.

NEVs are reviewed per shipment; acceptance requires our confirmation of the vehicle, documents, route and carrying operator. Other battery-powered or battery-containing products and dangerous goods are not accepted under our current company policy. Chemicals require a safety appraisal report and acceptance review.

Start with the Germany country guide or Poland country guide, then review handover options at Duisburg or Małaszewicze. Request a shipment-specific quotation with those details so the offer can state its included charges, validity and confirmed scope.