What the two actually mean
FCL means you book an entire container. It is sealed at origin and opened at destination, and you pay for the box whether it is full or half empty.
LCL means your cargo shares a container with other shippers. It is consolidated at an origin warehouse, shipped, then deconsolidated at destination. You pay by volume or weight, whichever is chargeable.
How LCL is priced
LCL is charged on the greater of cubic metres or weight in tonnes — usually one CBM against one tonne, though the ratio varies by trade. Dense cargo therefore prices on weight and light cargo prices on volume.
The freight itself is only part of it. LCL attracts origin and destination handling charges per CBM, and destination charges in particular can be substantially higher than shippers anticipate. Always compare LCL and FCL on the total landed cost, never on the ocean freight line alone.
Where the break-even sits
As a working rule, once a consignment exceeds roughly 13 to 15 CBM it is worth pricing a 20ft FCL alongside the LCL quote. A 20ft container takes about 28 to 33 CBM of usable space; a 40ft takes roughly double.
On lanes with high destination handling charges, the break-even drops — sometimes to as low as 10 CBM. On lanes where LCL consolidations are frequent and competitive, it rises. This is why a general rule is only a starting point and the actual comparison has to be run per lane.
The factors that are not about money
LCL adds handling. Your cargo is loaded, unloaded and moved more times, which raises the risk of damage and means packaging has to be genuinely robust. It also adds time — consolidation waits for the container to fill, and deconsolidation at destination takes days rather than hours.
LCL also exposes you to other shippers’ problems. If another consignment in the container attracts a customs examination, your cargo waits too.
When LCL is clearly right
Small volumes, samples, spare parts, and any situation where you would rather ship monthly than tie up cash in a full container. It also suits new lanes where you are testing demand before committing to container quantities.
Send us the dimensions, weight and lane and we will price both so you can see the real comparison rather than a rule of thumb.
Need this applied to your shipment?
Send us the lane and the commodity and we will tell you exactly which documents and which term make sense for your movement.
Request a Quote