OriginShipping from China
Nine offices across every major port and manufacturing cluster, from Tianjin to Shenzhen.
Shipping from
India to the US.
Shipping from India with our own office in Mumbai, close to Nhava Sheva and the west coast ports that serve the US.
India
India makes far more for US importers than many people expect. Electronics and generic medicines lead, with real depth in textiles, tools, auto parts and jewelry, and US imports from India passed $100 billion in 2025.
Our own office in Mumbai manages orders, suppliers and bookings at the source, and coordinates consolidation before cargo sails. Problems get picked up in the time zone they start in, while your suppliers are still at their desks.
India also works well alongside the rest of Asia. With our own teams in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Singapore too, you can run Indian suppliers and your other Asian sources through one partner, with every PO on one live picture in OWL Vision from PO issuance to final delivery.
At a glance
India at a glance.
Much of India’s export cargo starts inland. Factories in the north often load containers at inland container depots near Delhi, such as Tughlakabad and Dadri, which then go by rail to Mundra or Nhava Sheva.
- [01] Our office
- Mumbai
- [02] Local time
- --:--
- 10½ hours ahead of New York and 13½ ahead of Los Angeles on US standard time. One hour less while US daylight saving time is on.
- [03] Main seaports
- Nhava Sheva (JNPA) · Mundra · Pipavav · Chennai · Kattupalli · Kolkata
- Nhava Sheva and Mundra, on the west coast, are the main gateways for US-bound containers.
- [04] Main air gateways
- Mumbai (BOM) · Delhi (DEL) · Bengaluru (BLR) · Chennai (MAA) · Hyderabad (HYD)
- Airport to airport, typically three to five days on direct services, longer with a connection.
- [05] Currency
- Indian rupee (INR)
- [06] Business language
- English and Hindi
- English is the language of business and paperwork. Regional languages such as Gujarati, Marathi and Tamil are common on factory floors.
- [07] Biggest holiday
- Diwali
- October or November. Plan for about two weeks of reduced output, and longer in Gujarat.
- [08] US goods imports, 2025
- $103.8 billion
- US Census Bureau.
Transit times
How long it takes.
Indicative port-to-port days on the water, based on recent shipments. Nhava Sheva and Mundra have direct services to the US East Coast, and sailing through Suez instead of around the Cape of Good Hope saves about a week, so confirm the routing at booking. West Coast cargo usually relays via Colombo, Singapore or another Asian hub.
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Nhava Sheva New York / New Jersey Often direct, via Suez or the Cape
32–40 days
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Mundra New York / New Jersey Often direct, via Suez or the Cape
30–39 days
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Nhava Sheva Savannah Often direct, via Suez or the Cape
36–45 days
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Mundra Charleston Often direct, via Suez or the Cape
38–47 days
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Nhava Sheva Los Angeles / Long Beach Via Colombo, Singapore or another Asian hub
37–56 days
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Chennai Los Angeles / Long Beach Via Colombo, Singapore or another Asian hub
37–57 days
Indicative port-to-port ranges from published carrier schedules. They shift with the season, the carrier and congestion, so ask us for current sailings on your lane.
What it makes
Electronics, medicines, textiles and tools.
Electronics and generic medicines lead, followed by machinery, gems and jewelry, textiles and metal goods. The clusters are spread right across the country, so the best port depends on where your factory is.
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[01] Tamil Nadu · Karnataka
Electronics
Smartphones and electronics from plants around Chennai, Sriperumbudur and Hosur, and from Bengaluru.
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[02] Gujarat · Telangana · Maharashtra
Medicines
Generic medicines and active ingredients from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.
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[03] Gujarat · Maharashtra
Gems and jewelry
Cut and polished diamonds from Surat, and finished jewelry from Mumbai.
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[04] Tamil Nadu · Haryana · Uttar Pradesh
Textiles and home furnishings
Knitwear from Tiruppur, home textiles from Panipat and Karur, and hand-knotted carpets from Bhadohi.
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[05] Punjab
Tools, bicycles and sporting goods
Hand tools, garden tools and sporting goods from Jalandhar, and bicycles and parts from Ludhiana.
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[06] Maharashtra · Tamil Nadu · Haryana
Auto parts and engineering
Auto components, castings and forgings from Pune, Chennai and the Gurugram–Manesar belt.
Know before you ship
What to plan for.
US trade measures on India have changed several times since 2025, and trade talks are still open. Check the current rules for your HTS code before you commit.
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[01] Tariffs
Section 301, and a deal not yet signed
Since July 24, 2026, most Indian goods pay a Section 301 duty on top of regular duty. A US–India trade deal was announced in February 2026 but had not been signed by early November, so rates could change again. Check the current rate for your HTS code at booking.
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[02] Section 232
Steel, aluminum and auto parts
Steel and aluminum goods, auto parts and patented medicines pay separate Section 232 tariffs instead. That matters for tools, castings and engineering goods, so check whether your product counts as a steel or aluminum derivative.
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[03] AD/CVD
Anti-dumping and countervailing duties
India has orders on goods such as frozen shrimp, quartz surface products and a range of steel products. Check the scope before you buy a new product.
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[04] Routing
Suez or the Cape
Some India–US East Coast services have gone back through the Suez Canal, which saves about a week, while others still sail around the Cape of Good Hope. Confirm the routing and ETA when you book.
Our team in India
Our own office in Mumbai.
Our Mumbai team follows up with suppliers, checks cargo readiness, books space and coordinates consolidation close to the source. Working in the same time zone as your factories means questions get answered the same day. Every update lands in OWL Vision for your team to see.
- Origin management
- Supplier follow-up
- Bookings
- Consolidation
Plan around the holidays
When India stops.
Diwali in October or November is the one India-wide shutdown, with about two weeks of reduced output and longer in Gujarat, while Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja and Pongal slow particular regions. Our factory closure calendar has the dates for the next ten years, with book-by dates.
[01]How long does ocean freight from India to the US take?
From Nhava Sheva or Mundra to New York, typically about four to six weeks port to port, depending on whether the ship goes through Suez or around the Cape of Good Hope. Savannah and Charleston take about five to six and a half weeks. The West Coast usually takes about five and a half to eight weeks, because cargo relays via an Asian hub.
[02]Which Indian port should I ship from?
Usually the one nearest your factory. Nhava Sheva serves Mumbai, Pune and much of western and central India, and Mundra and Pipavav serve Gujarat and, by rail, the north. Chennai and Kattupalli serve the south, and Kolkata the east. For East Coast destinations, the west coast ports have the most direct sailings.
[03]What tariffs apply to Indian goods in the US right now?
As of early November 2026, most Indian goods pay regular US duty plus a Section 301 duty that started on July 24, 2026. Steel, aluminum, auto parts and patented medicines pay Section 232 tariffs instead, and India has had no GSP benefits since 2019. The trade deal announced in February 2026 has not been signed, so check the current rate for your HTS code with your broker at booking.
[04]When do Indian factories close?
Diwali, in October or November, is the one shutdown that affects the whole country. Plan for about two weeks of reduced output, and longer in Gujarat, and get cargo to the port before the festival starts. Regional festivals such as Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai, Durga Puja in Kolkata and Pongal in Tamil Nadu slow particular areas.
[05]What does OWL do in India?
Our Mumbai office manages orders, suppliers and bookings at the source, and coordinates consolidation before cargo sails. It works alongside our own teams across Asia, so your Indian orders sit in OWL Vision with the rest of your supply chain, from PO issuance to final delivery.
More origins
Where else we source.
Origin
OriginShipping from Vietnam
Our own teams in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, for the fastest-growing origin for US importers.
OriginShipping from Thailand
Laem Chabang, Bangkok and the manufacturing corridor of the Eastern Seaboard.
OriginShipping from Cambodia
Apparel, footwear and travel goods, shipped through Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh.
OriginShipping from Laos
Landlocked, not locked out: rail, road and river routes to the sea from Vientiane.
OriginShipping from Singapore
Our headquarters, beside one of the world’s busiest transshipment hubs.
OriginShipping from Sri Lanka
Apparel, rubber and tea, with Colombo as one of South Asia’s great transshipment hubs.
OWL Vision
See every PO before it sails.
From the purchase order in India to your door: every container, PO and SKU on one live picture, with alerts before a delay reaches you.