Customs clearance at the Port of Charleston

Charleston files under CBP port code 1601. Its harbor was deepened to 52 feet in 2022, among the deepest on the East Coast, with a 54 foot entrance channel. It is also a port where exports matter as much as imports, which is unusual enough to change what a broker is actually useful for here.

CBP port code: 1601
CBP district: 16
Official CBP name: Charleston, South Carolina

Wando Welch is the port, in practice

South Carolina Ports operates its terminals directly rather than leasing them to private companies. Wando Welch handles the large majority of the container volume, with North Charleston alongside it, Columbus Street handling breakbulk, RO-RO and project cargo, and Veterans handling bulk.

The Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal is the one to be careful about. It opened in 2021, closed for roughly twenty one months from 2023 during a labor dispute, reopened in 2024, and South Carolina Ports announced a temporary halt of operations there effective August 1, 2026, citing demand and cost. Anyone describing Leatherman as an active option for your cargo is working from old information.

A port where the exports are the story

Charleston moves an unusually heavy export book for a US container port. BMW's Spartanburg plant is the largest US vehicle exporter by value and moves primarily through here, alongside tires and aerospace.

If you export as well as import, two things follow. Your AES filings matter as much as your entries, and duty drawback becomes a real conversation rather than a theoretical one: drawback refunds duty paid on goods that are later exported, and it is the single most under-claimed thing we see from companies moving freight in both directions.

Examinations and equipment differ from Savannah

Charleston's authorized centralized examination station changed at the start of 2026, and chassis here are provisioned off-terminal rather than on it, which is not how Savannah works. Two ports two hours apart, two different sets of ground rules.

That is the general lesson about ports, and it is why a broker who files at your port regularly is worth more than one who is merely near it.

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FAQ

What is the CBP port code for Charleston?

1601. Savannah is a separate port of entry at 1703.

Is the Leatherman Terminal operating?

No. South Carolina Ports announced a temporary halt of operations there effective August 1, 2026, after a history that already included a roughly twenty one month closure during a labor dispute. It was described as temporary and indefinite rather than permanent, but it should not be treated as an active option for your cargo today.

How deep is Charleston harbor?

It was deepened to 52 feet in 2022 under the Post 45 project, with a 54 foot entrance channel, which puts it among the deepest on the East Coast. The reach beyond Leatherman to North Charleston Terminal is shallower at 48 feet, so the single number people quote does not apply to the whole harbor.

We export through Charleston as well as import. Does that change anything?

It should. Export filings through AES carry their own liability, and if you import goods and later export them you may be entitled to duty drawback, which refunds duty already paid. Drawback is the most under-claimed thing we see from companies moving freight in both directions.

Importing and exporting through the same port?

That combination is where duty drawback lives, and most companies never claim it. Tell us roughly what you bring in and what goes back out and we will tell you whether there is money on the table.

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