Trade Intelligence Guide
Practical, method-first guidance for commodity importers and traders: how chemical and commodity prices are formed, how ocean freight is costed, how goods are classified and taxed at the border, how to compute CBM and container fit, and how GCC import and export actually works. Every guide links to the Tradloc module that turns the method into a number.
Tradloc does not publish live prices, freight rates, tariffs or trade statistics. Guides explain method and market structure; figures shown are illustrative and should be confirmed with suppliers, carriers or the relevant customs authority.
Chemical & Commodity Prices
How spot, contract and benchmark pricing works for chemicals, polymers and industrial raw materials โ and how traders read price trends.
A trader's guide to how chemical prices are formed: spot vs contract, feedstock links, netbacks, regional benchmarks and how to read chemical price trends.
What a chemical spot price actually represents, how it differs from monthly contract pricing, and when each is the right reference for a purchase decision.
How petrochemical benchmarks and price indices are constructed, which references matter for polymers in the Gulf, and how to convert a benchmark into a landed number.
Sea Freight & Shipping
Ocean freight rate structure, FCL vs LCL economics, port-to-port cost drivers and ChinaโGCC shipping cost mechanics.
Base rate, BAF, THC, documentation and destination charges โ the full anatomy of an ocean freight quote, plus how to calculate sea freight cost end to end.
The break-even logic between LCL and FCL, how LCL is charged on w/m, hidden LCL destination fees, and a simple rule for choosing the cheaper option.
Every cost line on a ChinaโUAE ocean shipment: origin charges, freight, Jebel Ali destination fees, customs duty and VAT โ plus transit time expectations.
HS Codes, Customs & Import Duty
Classification logic, tariff lookup, duty and VAT mechanics, and how the customs value builds into your landed cost.
What an HS code is, how the 6-digit international structure works, how to classify a product step by step, and how HS codes differ from tariff and commodity codes.
The customs value, duty base, VAT base and the order of operations that determine what you actually pay at import โ with a worked GCC example.
CBM & Cargo Calculation
Cubic metre maths, volumetric weight, carton and pallet optimisation, and how much cargo really fits in a container.
GCC Import & Export
Importing into the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC: customs union rules, documentation, and intra-Gulf trade flows.
How the GCC customs union works, what documentation importers into the UAE and Saudi Arabia need, and how goods move between Gulf states after first entry.
An end-to-end worked method: chemical price, packing and CBM, sea freight, HS classification, duty and VAT โ combined into a landed cost per tonne.