What LCL and FCL mean
LCL (less than container load) means your cargo shares a container with other shippers' goods. A forwarder consolidates everyone's cargo at an origin warehouse, ships the container and splits it again at destination. You pay for the space you use, usually per CBM or per tonne.
FCL (full container load) means you book a whole container. It is yours from loading to unloading, and you pay a rate per container whether it is full or not.
Key differences
| LCL | FCL | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Per revenue ton (W/M), often with a minimum | Per container |
| Extra charges | Consolidation (CFS) charges at origin and destination | Terminal handling, and haulage if the container is delivered |
| Handling | Cargo is handled several times in warehouses | Loaded once, sealed and unloaded once |
| Transit | Usually longer, because of consolidation and deconsolidation | Usually shorter and more predictable |
| Risk | More handling means more chance of damage or delay from other shippers' cargo | Your cargo only, under your seal |
| Best for | Small volumes | Larger volumes, fragile or high-value goods |
How LCL is charged
LCL rates use weight or measure (W/M): the cargo's CBM is compared with its weight in tonnes, and the larger number of revenue tons is charged. Six CBM weighing 2.4 tonnes is charged as 6 revenue tons. On top come origin and destination charges, which can be a large share of the total for small shipments. The LCL Freight Calculator works this out from your rate.
When does FCL become cheaper?
LCL cost grows with every CBM; an FCL rate stays the same until the container is full. Somewhere between, the two lines cross. As a rough guide, many shippers start comparing FCL quotes at around 13–15 CBM for a 20ft container, but the actual break-even depends entirely on your quotes, the trade lane and the season.
Also consider:
- Usable space. A 20ft container holds about 33 CBM, but mixed cartons rarely load beyond 25–30 CBM.
- Weight. Dense cargo may reach a container's payload long before it fills the space.
- Timing. FCL avoids waiting for a consolidation box to fill.
- Destination costs. LCL destination CFS charges can be high and are easy to forget.
Making the decision
- Calculate your CBM and gross weight with the CBM Calculator.
- Get an LCL quote and FCL quotes for the container sizes you might use.
- Enter them in the LCL vs FCL Calculator to compare totals, cost per CBM and the break-even volume.
- If FCL wins, check how the cargo really fits with the Container Loading Calculator.
The freight choice feeds into what each product really costs; see How to Calculate Landed Cost.