Port of Long Beach: Maritime Cargo and Apparel Shipping Guide
The Port of Long Beach (USLGB) is the second busiest container port in the United States and, together with the adjoining Port of Los Angeles across San Pedro Bay, forms the largest container complex in the Western Hemisphere. This guide covers its six container terminals, the deepest main channel in the country, on dock rail and the Alameda Corridor, CBP customs entry under port code 2709, and realistic ocean transit from Manila, Batangas, Cebu, and Davao.
Container Terminals
The Twin Ports of San Pedro Bay
The Port of Long Beach was founded on 24 June 1911 on mudflats at the mouth of the Los Angeles River, and it is administered today as the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach. It sits less than two miles southwest of downtown Long Beach and roughly 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, adjoining the separate Port of Los Angeles across San Pedro Bay. Together the two ports handle the largest container complex in the Western Hemisphere.
In 2025 the Port of Long Beach moved 9,881,595 TEU, the busiest year in its 115 year history and a 2.4 percent increase over the previous record of more than 9.6 million TEU set in 2024. The port manages about 3,200 acres of land along roughly 25 miles of waterfront, with 12 piers and around 80 berths, and it moves close to US$300 billion in trade a year while supporting more than 300,000 jobs across Southern California. Apparel is a steady import category alongside furniture, electronics, footwear, and auto parts, which is why the port matters to Philippine garment exporters and to buyers placing private label and OEM orders.
The Six Container Terminals of the Port of Long Beach
Each pier is operated under lease by a terminal operator. The ocean carrier's service rotation decides which one your container is discharged at, so confirm the pier and the rail ramp with your freight forwarder before booking drayage.
The First Fully Automated Container Terminal in America
The Long Beach Container Terminal at Pier E, also called Middle Harbor, was built as the first fully automated container terminal in the United States, after a multi billion dollar modernization that consolidated two older terminals. Automated guided vehicles and automated stacking cranes move containers without a driver in the cab, and the terminal runs on electric equipment designed to reach near zero emissions. The result is a terminal that is both among the cleanest and among the most productive in North America, and it holds the port's largest on dock rail yard.
The port pairs that investment with shore power for berthed vessels, an ongoing shift to zero emissions cargo handling equipment, and the green port programs that have become a signature of Long Beach. For apparel buyers the practical effect is a faster, more predictable discharge and rail connection at Pier E.
On Dock Rail and the Alameda Corridor
Long Beach is a rail first gateway. Containers can move from the quay to a train without leaving the terminal at the on dock rail yards, and the port is expanding that capacity at the Pier B On Dock Rail Support Facility, a project designed to stage longer trains and to support zero emissions locomotives as they arrive.
From the piers, freight reaches the transcontinental network by way of the Alameda Corridor, a 20 mile rail expressway opened in 2002 that links the San Pedro Bay ports to the rail yards near downtown Los Angeles and removes the trains from local streets. From there, BNSF and Union Pacific carry containers to inland hubs such as Chicago, Kansas City, Memphis, Dallas and Fort Worth, Atlanta, and Columbus, which is how Philippine made apparel reaches buyers well beyond the West Coast.
If your consignment stays in Southern California, bonded truck drayage moves it from the terminal to a warehouse or transload facility within the region. Review the routing options on our rail transport services page.
Ocean Transit from Philippine Ports to Long Beach
The same transpacific vessel strings that call at Los Angeles also call at Long Beach, so the planning bands are similar for both San Pedro Bay ports. The discharge port is set by the carrier's rotation, so ask your forwarder to quote both.
| Philippine origin | Routing note | Planning transit, port to port |
|---|---|---|
| Manila (MICT and South Harbor) | Direct transpacific service to San Pedro Bay | 20 to 26 days |
| Batangas | Feeder connection to a transpacific string | 24 to 30 days |
| Subic Bay | Feeder connection to a transpacific string | 24 to 30 days |
| Cebu | Feeder to Manila or a direct call | 24 to 32 days |
| Davao (DICT) | Feeder from Mindanao to a mainline port | 26 to 34 days |
Transit bands are planning estimates and depend on carrier space, the sailing schedule, transshipment, and port congestion. Custom garment production is separate and normally takes three to six weeks after sample, artwork, and payment approval. For urgent samples and replenishment, air freight moves through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), about 20 miles north, which clears under CBP port code 2720, in roughly two to five days door to door.
United States Customs Entry at the Port of Long Beach
Long Beach is CBP Schedule D port code 2709. The adjoining Los Angeles seaport is 2704, and both fall under the CBP Los Angeles and Long Beach Seaport field office. A bill of lading often shows Long Beach as the port of discharge while the entry is filed under the seaport, so confirm the port of entry with your licensed customs broker before the shipment sails.
The importer of record, or a broker acting for the importer, transmits entry data through the Automated Commercial Environment, files CBP Form 7501, and classifies each line to a ten digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule code, most often in Chapters 61 and 62 for garments. An Importer Security Filing is also required 24 hours before the cargo is loaded at the foreign port.
What Apparel Duty Looks Like on a Long Beach Entry
There is no free trade agreement between the Philippines and the United States, and the Generalized System of Preferences has lapsed, so Philippine made garments enter at the standard most favoured nation rate. That rate is commonly about 16.5 percent for cotton knitted shirts and can exceed 30 percent on a number of man made fiber lines. The Section 321 de minimis exemption, which once cleared shipments valued at or below US$800 duty free, has been suspended for all countries since 2025, so even small parcels now require formal entry, an HTS classification, and payment of duty.
Additional trade action tariffs have applied to apparel in recent years and the rates change, so confirm the current duty and any exclusions with a licensed customs broker before you commit to a landed cost. A broker can also flag whether a specific garment construction changes the tariff line.
Long Beach or Los Angeles?
The two ports sit about two miles apart across San Pedro Bay and share the same carrier services, the same customs field office, and the same Alameda Corridor rail link. The choice usually comes down to the carrier's rotation and the terminal, not the customs process.
Port of Long Beach
USLGB- CBP port code
- 2709
- 2025 volume
- 9.9M TEU
- Main channel
- 76 ft (23 m)
- Signature terminal
- LBCT, fully automated
- On dock rail
- Pier E and Pier T
Port of Los Angeles
USLAX- CBP port code
- 2704
- 2025 volume
- 10.2M TEU
- Main channel
- 53 ft (16 m)
- Signature terminals
- Pier 400 and six others
- On dock rail
- Multiple yards
Read the full profile on our Port of Los Angeles guide. The daily life of the harbor city itself is covered in our Long Beach city guide.
From a Philippine Factory to a United States Delivery Address
Production and quality control
Garments are cut, sewn, finished, and inspected in the Philippines after sample, artwork, and payment approval. Private label orders can include buyer approved labels, hangtags, folding, and polybags.
Export packing and documentation
Cartons are packed with desiccant for the humid marine crossing, then consolidated with a commercial invoice, packing list, and the booking details that feed the Importer Security Filing.
Ocean sailing to San Pedro Bay
The container moves from Manila, Batangas, Subic, Cebu, or Davao to Long Beach. The carrier's rotation decides whether it is discharged at Pier E, Pier T, or another pier.
Customs entry and final delivery
The broker files entry under port code 2709, duty is paid, and the container moves by on dock rail or truck drayage to the inland ramp or a regional warehouse.
Packing apparel for a transpacific crossing
Garments cross the Pacific in a marine environment that swings between humid heat near the equator and cooler air on the approach to California. Condensation inside a container can mark or mold a carton of finished apparel, so mill and factory packing for this lane normally includes a polybag on each garment and desiccant in the master carton, with cartons stacked to avoid compression creasing on the base layers. Knitted styles recover from folding better than structured woven styles, which are often flat packed or hung for higher value programs.
Port of Long Beach Shipping Questions
What is the UN/LOCODE and CBP port code for the Port of Long Beach?
The UN/LOCODE is USLGB, used on carrier bookings and bills of lading. The CBP Schedule D port code for Long Beach is 2709. The adjoining Port of Los Angeles is 2704 and both sit under the CBP Los Angeles and Long Beach Seaport field office, so confirm the port of entry with your broker if the bill of lading shows Long Beach while entry is filed at the seaport.
What are the main container terminals at the Port of Long Beach?
There are six container terminals: Pier A with SSA Terminals, Pier C with SSA Terminals for Matson, Pier E with the Long Beach Container Terminal, Pier G with International Transportation Service, Pier J with the SSA Pacific Container Terminal, and Pier T with Total Terminals International.
How long does ocean freight from the Philippines to Long Beach take?
Direct transpacific service from Manila is about 20 to 26 days port to port. Feeder origins such as Batangas, Subic Bay, and Cebu add time for transshipment, typically 24 to 32 days, and Davao through DICT runs about 26 to 34 days. Custom production takes three to six weeks after sample and artwork approval and is separate from the sailing.
Should I ship to Long Beach or to Los Angeles?
The two ports are about two miles apart and share the same carrier services, the same customs field office, and the same Alameda Corridor rail link, so the carrier's rotation and the nominated terminal usually decide the port. Long Beach offers a deeper main channel at 76 feet and the first fully automated container terminal in the United States, while Los Angeles handled a slightly larger volume in 2025. Ask your forwarder to quote both and compare the terminal, the rail ramp, and the drayage cost.
Which terminal at Long Beach is fully automated?
The Long Beach Container Terminal at Pier E is the first fully automated container terminal built in the United States. It uses driverless guided vehicles and automated stacking cranes, runs on electric equipment designed for near zero emissions, and holds the port's largest on dock rail yard.
How does customs entry work at the Port of Long Beach?
The importer of record, or a licensed customs broker acting for the importer, transmits entry data through the Automated Commercial Environment and files CBP Form 7501 under port code 2709. An Importer Security Filing is due 24 hours before loading at the foreign port. Each line is classified to a ten digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule code, most often in Chapters 61 and 62 for garments.
What duty applies to apparel imported from the Philippines?
Philippine made garments enter at the United States most favoured nation rate, commonly about 16.5 percent for cotton knitted shirts and above 30 percent on many man made fiber lines, because there is no free trade agreement and the Generalized System of Preferences has lapsed. The Section 321 de minimis exemption has been suspended for all countries since 2025, so shipments valued at or below US$800 now require formal entry and payment of duty. Additional trade action tariffs have applied in recent years and rates change, so confirm the current duty with a licensed customs broker.
Which Incoterms can be quoted for a Long Beach delivery?
FOB Manila or Davao, CFR Long Beach, and CIF Long Beach are the usual terms, with payment by bank transfer, letter of credit, or international card through the methods in our Modes of Payment guide. The agreed Incoterm determines which side arranges the ocean leg, the entry, and the inland delivery.
Plan a Shipment Through the Port of Long Beach
Send your garment type, quantity, sizes, decoration method, target delivery date, and destination city. The export desk will respond with routing options through Long Beach and a freight indication.