Australia Freight Forwarding Market Size and Share - Growth Analysis Report and Forecast Trends (2026-2035)

Market Overview

The Australia freight forwarding market is an intermediary business in which forwarders buy space from shipping lines, airlines and hauliers and resell it with documentation, compliance and storage. Margins depend on buying power, trade lane density and the ability to handle customs and biosecurity paperwork accurately.

Three forces shape the outlook: record port volumes that keep container demand high, new air freight infrastructure at Western Sydney, and rising landside and regulatory costs that favour forwarders with scale, technology and in-house compliance teams.

In April 2025, DSV completed its acquisition of Schenker. In August 2026, a Macquarie Asset Management-led consortium completed its investment in Qube, and in September 2026 Port of Melbourne reported a second consecutive record year for container trade.

Key Market Trends and Insights

• Record port volumes: Port of Melbourne handled a record 3.52 million TEU in the financial year ended June 2026, reported on 17 September 2026, its second consecutive record.
• Rail gains share: NSW Ports reported on 21 August 2026 that a record 504,000 TEU moved by on-dock rail at Port Botany, a 19% mode share in the financial year.
• Ownership change: A Macquarie Asset Management-led consortium completed its investment in Qube on 14 August 2026, a transaction valued at about AUD 11.7 billion.
• Forwarder earnings: Mainfreight reported on 27 May 2026 that Australian profit before tax rose 11.1% to AUD 152.6 million on revenue of AUD 1.51 billion.

Australia Freight Forwarding Market Size and Forecast

Growth is expected to stay ahead of national container volumes as importers outsource more compliance, warehousing and e-commerce fulfilment to forwarders. Sea freight remains the largest mode, with air freight advancing fastest as Western Sydney cargo infrastructure matures. Warehousing and distribution outgrow core forwarding, and agriculture and food shippers expand quicker than other end users. Queensland grows quickest, with Victoria the largest region. Port productivity, biosecurity cost recovery and the integration of large global networks will decide which forwarders capture the next decade of growth.

Key Takeaways: Australia Freight Forwarding Market

Forwarding Revenue Compounds Steadily

Forwarding revenue is on course to rise by about 64% across the decade, from AUD 20.50 billion in 2025 to AUD 33.71 billion in 2035 at a 5.1% CAGR. Record port volumes, e-commerce and outsourced compliance keep demand climbing.

Air and Agriculture Lead Growth

Air freight grows at an estimated 6.3% CAGR and agriculture and food shippers at an estimated 6.4% CAGR through 2035. Perishable exports, e-commerce parcels and new Western Sydney capacity pull cargo towards air-linked forwarding.

Compliance and Cost Reshape Competition

Biosecurity cost recovery, customs reporting and rising landside charges are changing forwarder economics. Firms with strong brokerage teams, rail access and warehouse space will be better placed as costs and border expectations rise.

• Biosecurity Cost Recovery Charge increased from 1 July 2026
• Port Botany on-dock rail reached 504,000 TEU in the financial year
• DSV expects half of its Schenker integration by the end of 2026

Australia Freight Forwarding Market Report Summary

Key Insight

Record port volumes, growing air capacity and outsourced compliance support steady forwarding growth, while rising landside costs and biosecurity charges squeeze margins. Sea freight leads; air and warehousing gain ground.

Key Trends in the Australia Freight Forwarding Market

The Australia freight forwarding market is being shaped by record port trade, higher regulatory and landside costs, and consolidation among the largest global networks.

September 2026 - Port of Melbourne Records a Second Consecutive Year of Record Container Trade

• On 17 September 2026 Port of Melbourne reported a record 3.52 million TEU for the financial year ended June 2026.
• Chief executive Saul Cannon said the mix of cargo moving through the port kept changing during the year.
• The port's report cited United States tariff changes and instability around the Strait of Hormuz as pressures on global supply chains.

July 2026 - Biosecurity Charges Rise and a Stricter Stink Bug Season Begins

• Australian Customs Notice 2026/23 raised the Biosecurity Cost Recovery Charge from 1 July 2026 for full import declarations above AUD 1,000.
• On 31 July 2026 the Australian National Audit Office found biosecurity cost recovery needed to be more transparent and equitable.
• Brown marmorated stink bug measures apply to goods shipped between 1 September 2026 and 30 April 2027, with ethyl formate approved for onshore treatment.

June 2026 - Landside Charges Climb Faster Than Inflation

• The June 2026 update of the Landside Port and Air Cargo Terminal Charges Index showed port charges rising at more than double the rate of inflation.
• On 30 June 2026 an amendment to the Port of Melbourne Pricing Order was gazetted in Victoria.
• Changes to International Air Transport Association direct air waybill liability took effect on 1 July 2026, adding contract risk for forwarders.

April 2025 - DSV Completes Its Acquisition of Schenker

• DSV completed its acquisition of Schenker from Deutsche Bahn in April 2025, creating one of the largest global forwarding networks.
• Integration began country by country from the third quarter of 2025, starting with the air and sea division.
• DSV expects half of the integration to be complete by the end of 2026 and all of it by the end of 2028.

Key Insight

Record port trade, higher compliance charges and global network consolidation pull forwarders in different directions. Volume growth sustains demand, but cost recovery and landside pricing shape margins and competition.

Recent Market Developments in the Australia Freight Forwarding Market

Recent developments, presented from the most recent, show the Australia freight forwarding market moving through ownership change, new air cargo capacity and infrastructure investment.

August 2026 - Macquarie-Led Consortium Completes Its Investment in Qube

• On 14 August 2026 Macquarie Asset Management and its co-investors completed the Qube investment through a scheme of arrangement.
• Macquarie Asset Management valued the transaction at about AUD 11.7 billion.
• The earlier proposal of 23 November 2025 offered AUD 5.20 per share, a 27.8% premium to the prior closing price.

August 2026 - Qantas Freight Starts Operations at Western Sydney International Airport

• Qantas Freight began operations on 4 August 2026 from a 24,000 square metre terminal, with the first flight departing for Brisbane.
• It estimated more than 160,000 parcels passed through the facility in the first 24 hours.
• Weekly throughput is forecast to exceed 850 tonnes, and international operations are expected to start in early 2027.

August 2026 - Adelaide Intermodal Precinct Begins as Brisbane Stevedores Hold a Stop-Work Meeting

• On 4 August 2026 Flinders Port Holdings began construction of a AUD 50 million Outer Harbor Intermodal Precinct beside Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal.
• On the same day the Maritime Union of Australia called an authorised stop-work meeting at DP World Brisbane.
• Texel Air announced a service to the 24-hour cargo precinct at Western Sydney International Airport on 1 July 2026.

May 2026 - Mainfreight Reports Higher Australian Profit

• On 27 May 2026 Mainfreight reported Australian revenue of AUD 1.51 billion, up 0.2%, and profit before tax of AUD 152.6 million, up 11.1%.
• The company closed its Perth Projects division to focus on less-than-container and full-container import and export work.
• A new Brisbane cross-dock is nearly complete, and a larger Perth cross-dock is expected to finish in late 2027.

Key Insight

Recent events show infrastructure owners changing hands while new air cargo capacity opens in Sydney. Forwarders also keep investing in warehouses and cross-docks as port volumes stay strong.

Australia Freight Forwarding Industry Segmentation

The Expert Market Research’s report on the Australia Freight Forwarding Market offers a detailed analysis of the market based on the following segments.

Market Breakup by Mode

• Sea Freight
• Air Freight
• Road and Rail Freight
• Multimodal and Project Cargo
• Others

Sea Freight leads revenue, with Port of Melbourne handling a record 3.52 million TEU in the year to June 2026 and Qube completing its change of ownership on 14 August 2026. Air Freight grows fastest at an estimated 6.3% CAGR, as Qantas Freight began Western Sydney operations on 4 August 2026 and Texel Air announced a service in July 2026. Road and Rail Freight benefits from NSW Ports reporting a record 504,000 TEU of on-dock rail on 21 August 2026. Multimodal and Project Cargo follows resource and infrastructure builds, and Mainfreight reported closing its Perth Projects division in May 2026.

Market Breakup by Service

• Freight Forwarding and Consolidation
• Customs Brokerage and Border Compliance
• Warehousing and Distribution
• Value-Added and Cargo Insurance Services
• Others

Freight Forwarding and Consolidation leads revenue through booking, consolidation and lane management, and DSV expects half of its Schenker integration by the end of 2026. Customs Brokerage and Border Compliance grows with the Biosecurity Cost Recovery Charge increase of 1 July 2026 and the Australian Border Force duty indexation effective 3 August 2026. Warehousing and Distribution grows fastest at an estimated 6.1% CAGR, with Mainfreight finishing a Brisbane cross-dock in 2026. Value-Added and Cargo Insurance Services covers labelling, quarantine treatment and cover, including onshore ethyl formate treatment approved for the 2026-27 stink bug season.

Market Breakup by End Use

• Retail and Consumer Goods
• Automotive and Industrial
• Agriculture and Food
• Mining, Energy and Resources
• Others

Retail and Consumer Goods lead revenue, and the Landside Port and Air Cargo Terminal Charges Index showed port charges rising at more than double inflation in June 2026. Automotive and Industrial shippers gained from a surge in motor vehicle imports through Fremantle in May 2026. Agriculture and Food grows fastest at an estimated 6.4% CAGR, supported by new Adelaide air capacity such as the China Eastern Shanghai service adding about 45 tonnes weekly in mid-2026. Mining, Energy and Resources relies on specialist project forwarding, while fertiliser suppliers sought alternative sourcing during the 2026 Middle East conflict.

Market Breakup by Region

• Victoria
• New South Wales
• Queensland
• Western Australia
• South Australia
• Others

Victoria dominates through the country's largest container port, growing at an estimated 4.8% CAGR through 2035. New South Wales follows at 4.9%, with Port Botany rail records and Western Sydney air cargo. Queensland is the fastest-growing region at an estimated 6.0%, helped by new Brisbane cross-docks. Western Australia grows at 5.5%, with Fremantle publishing June 2026 trade statistics. South Australia grows at 5.2%, backed by a AUD 50 million Adelaide precinct. Others covers Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory at 4.7%, relying on coastal shipping and road linehaul.

Purchase the Regional Overview for USD 1099

If you choose to purchase the full report at a later stage, the amount already paid will be adjusted, and you will only need to pay the remaining balance.

Purchase the Regional Overview for USD 1099

If you choose to purchase the full report at a later stage, the amount already paid will be adjusted, and you will only need to pay the remaining balance.

Competitive Landscape in the Australia Freight Forwarding Market

Competition spans global forwarding networks, ports and logistics groups, airline cargo arms, regional specialists and customs brokers. Barriers include carrier buying power, warehouse and cross-dock networks, customs and biosecurity accreditation, and technology for booking and tracking.

Mainfreight

Mainfreight, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, provides air and ocean forwarding, domestic transport and warehousing across Australia. On 27 May 2026 it reported Australian revenue of AUD 1.51 billion and profit before tax of AUD 152.6 million, up 11.1%. It operates 15 warehouses in Australia and is completing a Brisbane cross-dock.

Qube Holdings

Qube Holdings, headquartered in Sydney, operates ports, terminals, rail and logistics services that feed container and bulk forwarding. A Macquarie Asset Management-led consortium completed its investment on 14 August 2026, valued at about AUD 11.7 billion. The earlier proposal of 23 November 2025 offered AUD 5.20 per share.

DSV

DSV, headquartered in Hedehusene, Denmark, offers air and sea freight, customs clearance and contract logistics from offices in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. It completed the acquisition of Schenker in April 2025 and expects to finish integration by the end of 2028, with half complete by the end of 2026.

Qantas Freight

Qantas Freight, part of Qantas Group and headquartered in Sydney, carries domestic and international air cargo and parcels for forwarders and Australia Post. It began operations from Western Sydney International Airport on 4 August 2026, with a 24,000 square metre terminal, and plans international services from early 2027.

Other players operating in the Australia freight forwarding market include Kuehne+Nagel, DHL Global Forwarding, Toll Group, Expeditors, and CEVA Logistics, alongside regional forwarders, customs brokers, airline cargo arms and warehousing specialists moving cargo across Australia.

Key Insight

Competition rests on carrier buying power, warehouse reach, compliance skill and technology rather than rate alone. Global networks defend share while infrastructure owners and airline cargo arms push into forwarding.