Routes and what they cost
| Route | USD/m³ | Days | Minimum lot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail 40'HC → Novorossiysk → AmbarlıRecommended | 90–120 | 22–32 | 1 container |
| Rail 40'HC → Novorossiysk → Gemlik / IzmirRecommended | 105–140 | 25–35 | 1 container |
| Boxcar → Azov, river-seaLarge lot only | 55–85 | 25–40 | 2,000–3,000 m³ |
| Breakbulk shipment from NovorossiyskLarge lot only | 60–90 | 20–30 | 3,000+ m³ |
| Railcar → Apsheronsk → 3 trucksFast / urgent | 170–255 | 15–25 | 1 railcar (102 m³) |
| Direct truck (via Verkhny Lars)Fast / urgent | 210–305 | 12–20 | 1 truck |
The spread in that table comes from the mode of transport, not from service level.
Rail plus feeder vessel (recommended). The railcar or container is loaded at our own siding, runs to Novorossiysk, and transfers to a feeder service for the Marmara ports. It starts at a single container and offers the most balanced cost.
River-sea via Azov. The cheapest route, but it needs a 2,000–3,000 m³ lot and runs into ice restrictions from mid-December to the end of March — the ice season in the Sea of Azov lasts 70–83 days.
Road. Fastest and dearest. There is an electronic queue at the Verkhny Lars crossing, but the average wait is 3–4 days and the crossing can close in bad weather. It makes sense for urgent and trial lots, not for regular supply.
Container and railcar loading
| Transport unit | Format | Net m³ | Gross t | Floor use | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxcar | 2600 × 1300 | 102 | — | — | Loaded directly from our own rail siding on site. |
| 40'HC container | 1600 × 1600 | 38 | 23.6–25.8 | 63.3% | Limited by weight, not volume. The most efficient container format. |
| 40'HC container | 1300 × 1300 | 40 | 24.8–27.2 | 66.4% | Fast breakdown into parts, less warehouse space. |
| 40'HC container | 2600 × 1300 | 33 | 20.5–22.4 | 47.8% | A 2600 mm bundle does not fit the 2352 mm inner width — lengthwise only. |
| Euro truck (13.6 m) | 2600 × 1300 / 1600 × 1600 | 34 | 20.0–22.0 | — | Always weight-limited: 82–92 m³ of space but only 20–22 t of payload. |
| 20'DV container | 2600 × 1300 | 15 | 9.3–10.2 | 49.0% | Only 35% of payload used. Not recommended for veneer — you pay for air. |
This table contains an arithmetic the trade rarely publishes. In short: choosing your format on freight pays better than choosing it on price. The 1600 × 1600 format carries about 15% more material in the same container than 2600 × 1300. For a buyer shipping twelve containers a year, that is roughly two containers’ worth of freight saved.
Batch calculator
- Railcars
- 1
- 40'HC containers
- 3
- Goods value (EXW)
- $22,313
- 1,785,000 ₽
- Freight
- $12,240
Example: 102 m³ — one full railcar
Calculated from the published price list and the upper bound of each route range. Not a binding offer — write to us for a firm price.
Packaging and moisture protection
Every bundle sits on 80–100 mm bearers for forklift access and ventilation from the container floor. Bundles are strapped at four to six points with edge protectors under the straps — veneer crushes easily along the edge.
Moisture protection is a shrink or polyethylene wrap plus a waterproof top sheet. Ventilation openings under the wrap are mandatory: a fully sealed bundle plus a temperature swing in the hold produces condensation, and the result is rain inside the packaging. We put six to ten desiccant bags in a 40’HC.
Labelling carries the bundle number, species (Betula / Birch), grade, format, thickness, moisture, sheet count, m², m³, net and gross weight, date, exporter and contract number — in English and Turkish.
Incoterms
For Turkey the practical choice is CIF Ambarlı, Gemlik or Mersin: you take delivery at the port while the transport risk and organisation stay with us. Turkish buyers are used to buying to the port, so negotiations move faster on that basis.
FCA and FOB make sense for buyers with their own carriage contracts. DAP is possible but only worthwhile on high-margin lots. We do not work DDP — a Russian exporter cannot be the importer of record in Turkey and cannot reclaim VAT there.