Logistics
ETD explained
Estimated Time of Departure
The projected sailing date from the load port; factory lead times are usually planned backward from it.
Full definition
ETD anchors your payment schedule, insurance and ISF filing. In practice factories treat "ETD minus 7 days" as the warehouse cut-off, because export declaration, gate-in and loading all sit between. When a factory slips, confirm which vessel the new ETD refers to and whether it stays on the same service — a transshipment substitution adds both transit time and damage exposure.
Worked examples
ETD Yantian 2026-04-02, cut-off 2026-03-29
Related terms
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