03/2026
Understanding import lead times in the current market
Import lead times have been unpredictable for several years now. Freight costs fluctuate, port congestion comes and goes, and manufacturer capacity shifts with global demand. For Australian HVAC wholesalers, this means one thing: you can't rely on last year's timelines. Here's what we're currently seeing across our import categories.
Typical lead times have extended. What used to take 6 to 8 weeks from order to arrival is now more commonly 10 to 14 weeks, depending on the category and origin. Some lines are faster. Some are slower. The variance itself is the challenge.
Port congestion is less severe than it was, but not gone. Australian ports have largely recovered from the worst delays of recent years, but schedule reliability is still not what it was pre-2020. Vessels can still be rerouted or delayed with little notice.
Freight costs remain volatile. Rates have come down from their peaks, but they can still swing significantly based on fuel prices, capacity, and global demand. We build buffer into our costings rather than passing every fluctuation straight to customers.
Supplier capacity is uneven. Some suppliers have expanded and can handle larger orders. Others are still constrained. We work with both, but we plan differently depending on which type of supplier we're dealing with.
How we adjust: We order earlier than we used to. We hold more buffer stock on core lines. And we communicate realistic timelines to customers rather than optimistic ones. If a delivery might take 12 weeks, we say 12 weeks - not 8.
If you're a retailer or trade customer planning your own stock ahead of the summer season, this context matters. The businesses that plan furthest ahead are the ones that get caught out least.