Chinese New Year (CNY)

What is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year (CNY), also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is the biggest Chinese celebration of the year.

Factories will be closed for the entire week of CNY, because most factory workers will travel a long way to spend the holiday with their families, so there will be additional closings, delays, and disruptions occurring in the weeks before and after CNY. Factories are closed and/or operating at diminished capacity for at least 4 weeks.

How does Chinese New Year affect shipping?

The holiday falls on a different date each year, usually between late January and mid-February. Production slows before the holiday as workers leave, and many factories restart gradually afterward. Suppliers often rush orders out ahead of the break, which can tighten ocean and air capacity and raise rates.

How can you prepare?

Place purchase orders early, confirm your supplier's holiday schedule, and build a buffer into your cargo ready date. Goods that miss the pre-holiday sailings might not arrive for weeks.

Back to the full glossary.