SF Express tracking: waybill numbers, statuses and delivery

SF Express tracking number: what it looks like

SF calls it the waybill number. Its tracker asks for a "12-digit waybill No. or 15-digit waybill No. started with SF". With invented digits:

Lower case and spaces don't matter in Peek.

Where to find it. It is printed on the waybill, the label on the parcel. If a shop sent it, the number is in the shipping email or on the order page. If you can't find it, see how to find your tracking number.

Tracking on SF's sites. The Taiwan site makes you solve a picture puzzle first, and asks for the sender's or recipient's phone number before it opens a waybill's details. A waybill "under privacy protection" shows its tracking lines but no map. In Australia, SF's FAQ says to use "Track and Trace" on sf-international.com/au/en; for mainland China waybills, SF International sends you to the SF Express site.

SF Express tracking statuses explained

SF's English tracker puts a label on each waybill, above its lines:

Other lines say the parcel left or reached an operation centre, is on a flight, or is going through customs. A line about limited access to the recipient's address is a failed attempt. One saying the parcel was placed at a post office or self-pickup point means it is waiting for you there.

SF's tracker shows every time on China's clock (UTC+8), even for scans in your country: an evening scan in London can carry the next morning's date.

SF delivery: who brings it and where

SF's terms for shipments from mainland China abroad say:

• The parcel goes to the address the sender gave, not necessarily to you in person: someone else there can take it, and in a building with a central mailroom or reception, delivery there counts.
• SF doesn't deliver to an address that is only a PO box or a postcode.
• The local courier may deliver without contacting you first: don't count on a call.
• Proof of delivery can be a signature or stamp, a text message or a photo, taken at your address, an SF station or service point or a parcel locker, or a collection record in SF's system.

E-Parcel and E-Commerce Express. Online sellers ship small parcels with SF's E-Parcel (under 2 kg) and E-Commerce Express (EX-CD). SF hands these to a local partner, which its pages call a "service partner" or "agent" without naming it. An EX-CD parcel can't be returned, sent to a new address or redelivered: SF's page says "Return, change of address, and re-delivery will not be accepted."

United States. SF's FAQ says US law bars its couriers from carrying a phone on their rounds, so they can't call you, and they leave the parcel at your door.

Australia. If you're out, SF tries again, or you follow the "Delivery Absence Notice" to arrange a free redelivery. If that fails too, SF asks the sender what to do. To have SF call ahead and agree a time, ask on 1300 148 168: SF says it will try.

Changing the address. For Standard Express, Global Express+ and Economy Express shipments from mainland China, the sender or the recipient can ask SF's customer service line to correct the address, for destinations including the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and the EU. It costs RMB 70 each time, plus any extra shipping charges. E-Parcel and EX-CD aren't on SF's list.

SF Express customs: duties on parcels from China

Duties and taxes depend on the country you live in: see the customs guide. In Ireland, as everywhere in the EU, a flat €3 customs duty per item type has applied since 1 July 2026 to parcels worth up to €150 bought from outside the EU. From 1 November 2026, a €2 EU handling fee will apply too.

If you refuse the parcel or won't pay the duties, SF's terms let it send the parcel back to the sender, at the sender's cost. If customs holds the parcel and the sender doesn't sort it out within 30 calendar days of SF's written notice, the parcel counts as abandoned and SF may destroy or sell it.

SF parcel not arriving, lost or returned

Who acts. SF's claim rules are written for the sender. For E-Parcel and EX-CD that is the seller, who claims with screenshots of the platform refund. If you bought online, contact the seller or marketplace first.

No update. The seller can query SF after 10 working days with no new line (E-Parcel) or 7 (EX-CD). Claims close 90 days (E-Parcel) or 60 days (EX-CD) after sending. More in why tracking stops updating and tracking parcels from China.

Damaged. SF's terms want damage reported in writing within 7 calendar days of delivery. If you accept the parcel without noting damage on the delivery record, SF treats that as evidence it arrived intact. Keep the box, contents and packaging: SF can ask to inspect them.

Returned. Returned means the parcel is going back. SF's terms give reasons such as a refused delivery, unpaid charges or duties, or a recipient who couldn't be found. Ask the sender to send it again.

Delivered but not there. Check the neighbours, your building's mailroom and nearby lockers or pickup points. When an E-Parcel or EX-CD partner's website shows delivery, SF may help check but pays nothing. Tell the seller quickly; see delivered but not received.

SF Express contact number and customer service

As read on 23 October 2026, SF International lists these lines, with hours in local time:

• United States: 1 855 901 1133, Monday to Friday 06:00 to 15:00 Pacific time.
• Canada: 1 289 203 2630, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:30 Eastern time.
• Australia: 1300 148 168, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00.
• UK: SF lists no phone line; its UK site gives the email [email protected]. There's no Irish line either.
• Mainland China: 95338, or +86 755 95338 from abroad, every day 08:00 to 21:00.
• Hong Kong: 273 00 273, or +852 2730 0273, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:30, weekends and public holidays 08:00 to 20:00.
• Taiwan: 412 8830 (dial 02 first from a mobile), Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00, Saturday 08:00 to 17:30.

Have the waybill number ready. For the order itself, ask the seller.

Track an SF Express parcel with Peek

Peek names SF Express at once from an SF number whose check digit fits. A 12-digit number fits many carriers. Paste it all the same: Peek follows more than 3,500 carriers. Peek can't ask SF whether it knows a number, so if SF Express doesn't come up, tap "Change" and pick it under "Fits this number", or use "Change carrier" on the parcel. An sf-express.com waybill-detail/ link or the Taiwan site's #search/bill-number/ link names SF Express too.

Peek reads the English tracking of SF's Taiwan site: the status and the history in SF's words, with delivered lines as "Delivered" and SF's labels as "Cancelled", "Forwarded", "Returned to sender", "Held" or "Lost". It reads SF's times on China's clock and shows each scan in your device's time zone, not China's. There's no expected delivery date or proof of delivery, and Peek follows the SF number to the end, not a local partner's.

It checks every 10 minutes, every 5 once the parcel is out for delivery, and can notify you with "All tracking updates", "Important only" or "Delivery day only". It can't contact SF or the seller for you.

Questions about SF Express tracking

Is SF Express legit?

Yes. SF was founded in 1993 and is listed on the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock exchanges. It calls itself the largest integrated logistics provider in China and Asia, citing a Frost & Sullivan report.

What does "Accepted" mean on SF Express tracking?

Delivered. SF's English tracker uses "Accepted" for 已签收, "signed for": the parcel reached the delivery address. It doesn't mean SF has just taken it in.

How long does SF International take to deliver?

SF gives reference times only: it "does not make any transit time commitment". For E-Parcel, it lists 7 to 12 working days to the US, 6 to 10 to the UK, and 14 to 18 to Ireland and Canada. For EX-CD from South China, it lists 7 to 12 to the US, 6 to 10 to the UK, 10 to 15 to Canada and Ireland and 8 to 12 to Australia.

Does SF Express deliver to PO boxes?

No. SF's terms for shipments from mainland China say it doesn't deliver to an address that is only a PO box or a postcode. Give a street address, or a pickup point where the seller offers one.