Logistics and Shipping Terms: FCL and LCL

FCL and LCL are terms commonly used in the shipping and logistics industry. There are different container packaging methods for transporting by sea. In international trading, you can hear the word of LCL shipment and FCL shipment or consignment. It means all the container shipments are divided into two main category as a loading method for the container. As LCL or FCL shipment. In simple words, we can say shipment is a full container or less than a container.

What is FCL?

stands for “Full container Load”

Also known as “consolidated shipping”

As the name reflects FCL shipment is a consignment that occupies the whole space of the standard container. whole of the container cargo is owned by one shipper.

FCL shipments are used when transporting a large amount of goods or when the shipper is required not to mix cargo with another shipper’s cargo.

Freight charges are based on the number of containers or the weight of products.

FCL and LCL can be derived as two methods of space utilization of containers for transporting goods.

FCL shipments are mostly used in sea transportation. Containerization is a packaging that can use multimodal transportation, such as sea, land, rail, and inland waterways.

FCL shipments are mainly used in sea transportation. but air transportation FCL shipments are less. Due to higher weight and unaffordable cost.

In the shipping shipper book FCL shipment for at least one container.

What is “LCL?

LCL stands for Less than Container Load

If your consignment does not fill the whole space of a standard container. It’s called “LCL shipment”.

In one container, there are many small packages loading from different shippers. This is a cost-effective method for small consignment transporting shippers.

Freight charges apply according to volume, weight, or space used in the container.

In the shipping shipper book LCL shipment for space required lower than full container.

Freight forwarders consolidate the different shippers’ consignments for one container.

Difference between FCL and LCL in shipping?

	FCL	LCL
stands for	Full Container	Less than Container Load
Space utilization	less than a full container	less than a full container
cargo handling	cargo owned by one consignee	within a container cargo handling more than one consignee
a large amount of shipment	a large amount of shipment	space utilization of the container
a large amount of shipment	large amount of shipment	Full Container Load
Most suitable products	bulky and heavy products	less than a full container
Transit Time	Transit time is lower than FCL shipment	number of containers