“FCL and LCL Shipping from China – The Ultimate Guide
If you are shipping from China, you need to know about FCL and LCL shipping.
Sometimes you can save a lot of money if you find the best shipping solution between FCL and LCL shipping.
Not every time, when your cargo is not enough for a whole box, you have to choose LCL shipping.
Sometimes, FCL shipping costs even less than LCL shipping. So check out our FAQ guide and become an expert on it.
What is FCL and LCL shipping from China?
definition:
FCL: Full Cabinet Loading
LCL: smaller than container load
What is a FCL
Choose the FCL option if you only want your cargo to be in the container.
In other words, when you pre-order a full case, it’s entirely yours.
You can use it any way you want, maybe stuff the container until it’s full or half empty, it’s totally up to you.
FCL uses three standard sizes of containers:
20-foot container, volume 26 cubic meters
40-foot container with a volume of 54 cubic meters
40-foot-tall cube with a volume of 68 cubic meters
What is LCL
If your shipment does not fill the entire 20ft or 40ft container, you can ship it in a shared container with other shipments. This is what “”less than the container load”” means. It is also called LCL because it is combined with other cargo. Therefore, LCL shipping is suitable for small or medium volume shipments.
Advantages of the whole box:
reduce risk. There is less risk of damaged goods, packaging costs are saved due to less handling, and it is your own private space.
Consolidation time. Using FCL can save more freight consolidation time.
A container is opened once, loaded and sent to the port immediately.
Easier use of space. When you have a lot of cargo to ship from China, it is easier to take advantage of the space available in the FCL, if your container is not full, you can buy some volume products to fill the container.
tracking service. Tracking is available for shipments from China using FCL shipping.
You can check the current location and estimated delivery date by the container number.
Disadvantages of FCL
Not worth it. It is not cost effective enough when transporting lower CBMs such as 10CBM.
However, when transporting more than 15m3 (in a 20ft GP container) it is more cost effective to order a full container.
You need to use at least 50-70% of the container volume
The benefits of LCL
It is cost effective. In the FCL, you pay a flat rate for the container, known as the commodity box rate. But in LCL, you only pay for the amount you need. It is also cheaper than air freight
Frequently shipping smaller quantities can help you save inventory space. Therefore, LCL is the preferred shipping method for small businesses
LCL is easier to get than FCL during peak season
Disadvantages of LCL
For bulk shipments, LCL may not be cheap because its cost per cubic meter (CBM) is higher than a full container, usually two to three times higher. why? Because LCL shipping involves a lot of work – freight forwarders make multiple LCL bookings, then book a FCL container and fill it with LCL cargo (a process called consolidation).
Sometimes, LCL shipments stop at multiple ports and go through several rounds of loading and unloading. In this case, the shipping time may be longer or even cause delays. Frequent handling of items increases the chance of damage or loss of items.
How do I find the best FCL and LCL shipping prices?
For LCL shipping, only work with forwarders who have their own LCL containers.
It would be cheaper because he would not have to pay commissions for the container.
To get the best FCL shipping prices, contact many suppliers and compare their prices with each other.
Go to the cheapest provider.
What is a palletized LCL shipment?
Palletized shipments are goods placed on wooden platforms called pallets.
Goods are placed on pallets and wrapped with tape and foil to keep them together.
This is the best way to transport the goods because the goods will be protected.
How to track goods in FCL shipping?
The movement of goods in FCL shipments can be tracked by checking the shipping company’s website or by contacting a shipping agent.
Is it possible to track shipments in LCL shipments?
Goods can be tracked in LCL by container number/bill/booking number.
What types of tracking systems are there?
There are standard container tracking systems and GPS container tracking systems.
Standard container tracking systems observe the movement of cargo as it passes through important ports and stops.
GPS container tracking system shows the exact location of the container anywhere in the world.”
