FCL
FCL (Full Container Load) refers to an ocean freight shipment where one shipper books an entire container exclusively for their cargo. The container is sealed at origin and travels intact to the destination — no consolidation, no de-consolidation, no co-mingling with other shippers' goods.
FCL is the preferred mode for shipments that fill (or nearly fill) a container — typically 20'/40'/40'HC or 45' sizes. It offers faster transit times than LCL (no consolidation step), lower per-unit costs at scale, reduced damage risk (no intermediate handling), and better security (single seal from origin to destination).
Standard container types include Dry (DV), High Cube (HC), Reefer (refrigerated), Open Top, Flat Rack, and Tank.
FCL is the mode to choose when you have enough cargo to justify a whole box. Once a shipment gets past roughly 15 CBM, a full container usually beats LCL on both cost per unit and transit time, because it skips the consolidation and de-consolidation steps entirely — the box is sealed at origin and opened by the consignee.
A shipper with 25 CBM of cargo books a single 40ft container (~67 m³). Sealed at origin, it travels intact to the consignee — no CFS handling, lower damage risk, and typically 2–7 days faster than the LCL equivalent, at a lower cost per cubic metre.
When should I choose FCL over LCL?
Roughly when your shipment exceeds ~15 CBM, or when speed, security or fragile cargo matter. Below that, LCL (paying only for the space you use) is usually cheaper.
What container sizes are available?
The common dry sizes are 20ft, 40ft, 40ft high-cube and 45ft. Specialised types include reefer (refrigerated), open-top, flat-rack and tank containers.