Should I ship FCL or LCL?
Choose FCL (a full container) when you have roughly 13–15 m³ or more, or when your goods are fragile, high value or urgent. LCL (sharing a container) is usually cheaper for smaller shipments, but it takes longer and your cargo is handled more.
If your shipment won't fill a container, you have two choices: pay for a whole container anyway (FCL, full container load) or share one with other shippers (LCL, less than container load, also called groupage or consolidation). The cheaper option depends on the volume, the goods and how quickly you need them.
FCL and LCL compared
| FCL (full container) | LCL (shared container) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's priced | Per container, whatever you put in it | Per cubic metre or per 1,000 kg, whichever is greater, usually with a 1 m³ minimum |
| Typical sweet spot | Around 13–15 m³ and above | From about 1 m³ up to roughly 13 m³ |
| Transit time | Port to port, plus loading and delivery | Usually one to two weeks longer, because of consolidation at origin and unpacking at destination |
| Handling | Packed at your supplier and opened at your door | Unloaded and reloaded at warehouses (CFS) at each end |
| Risk of damage or loss | Lower | Higher, with more handling and mixed cargo |
| Customs risk | Only your goods | A problem with another shipper's cargo can delay the whole container |
| Delivery in the UK | Container delivered to your site | Delivered on pallets by a standard lorry, often with a tail-lift |
How LCL pricing works
LCL is charged on whichever is greater: the volume in cubic metres (m³) or the weight in tonnes. This is called weight or measure (W/M). For most general cargo the volume is what counts, because 1 m³ of typical goods weighs less than a tonne.
On top of the ocean rate per m³ you'll usually pay origin warehouse (CFS) charges, destination CFS and unpacking charges, documentation fees and delivery. Many of these are charged per m³ too, with minimums. That's why an LCL quote that looks cheap on the ocean rate can end up close to the cost of a container.
Worked example: 10 m³ from China
- LCL ocean freight (10 m³ at £60)
- £600
- LCL origin and destination warehouse charges
- £600
- LCL pallet delivery in the UK
- £250
- LCL total
- £1,450
- 20ft ocean freight
- £1,500
- 20ft origin and destination charges
- £600
- Container haulage to your site
- £450
- 20ft FCL total
- £2,550
- Cheaper option at 10 m³
- LCL, by about £1,100
Illustrative figures only. Because LCL costs rise with every cubic metre while a container costs the same however full it is, the gap closes as volume grows. On many lanes FCL becomes the better deal somewhere between 13 and 18 m³.
When FCL makes sense even below the break-even point
- Fragile or high-value goods, where the extra handling in LCL is a real risk
- Urgent stock, where the extra week or two in LCL costs you sales
- Goods that need careful stowage, such as furniture or machinery
- Peak season, when LCL consolidations can be delayed waiting to fill a container
- Simple delivery, when you'd rather unload one container than receive several pallet deliveries
When LCL is the better choice
- Samples, trial orders and first shipments from a new supplier
- Small, regular top-ups between full container orders
- Goods that are sturdy, well packed and on pallets
- When you have no way to unload a container at your site
Packing for LCL
LCL cargo is stacked with other shippers' goods and handled by forklift at least twice, so packaging matters more than in a container you load yourself. Use strong export cartons, stretch-wrap the pallets, label every carton with the shipping marks and avoid overhanging pallets. Damage from poor packing is rarely covered by the carrier.
What happens to LCL cargo when it reaches the UK
An LCL container is taken from the port to a container freight station (CFS), where it's unpacked and each shipper's goods are separated. Your goods then need their own customs clearance before they can be released, and are delivered on a standard or tail-lift lorry. This usually adds three to seven days after the vessel arrives. If another shipper's cargo in the same container is held by customs, the whole container can be delayed before it's unpacked.
How we can help
We'll compare LCL and FCL for every shipment where it's close, and tell you plainly which works out cheaper door to door. Not sure how much space you need? Try our container load calculator or read what size shipping containers are.
Written by the 365 Freight team · Last reviewed . General guidance only, so check the specifics for your shipment.