Knowing the different sea cargo freight options is important when you need to ship your goods between two countries. Knowing the pros and cons of FCL and LCL container shipping goes a long way. These stand for Full container load and less than container load, but what distinguishes LCL shipping from FCL shipping? Let’s find out more information!
Full Container Load (FCL) is a container shipping option when a container is only used for a single shipment and is not shared with other cargo shipments. One party is responsible for all costs associated with the shipment. The shipping party may decide to use the container even if it is not entirely packed to the brim with cargo. There are a variety of reasons why they would decide to ship as FCLs, including the following:
- LCL shipping is more expensive than FCL. Regardless of the quantity of your shipment or the type of container you choose, importing fees must be paid. The cost per unit per freight is higher with LCL than FCL.
- FCL deliveries provide a quicker lead time and delivery. Even if it stops at different ports, delays can be avoided because an FCL shipment contains cargo that is intended for one party only and is not shared.
- The freight forwarder can deliver a container to the place of your choice, where you can load the goods onto the container yourself.
LCL Shipments is another shipping term is “less than container load,” or “LCL,” when multiple cargo shipments share a single container and incur the same container shipping fees. LCL container shipping is used for a variety of reasons, including the following:
- LCL Shipping is typically selected when there aren’t enough products to fill a whole container.
- If you are stocking a warehouse until you can handle an FCL shipment, LCL shipping will help you reduce your warehousing expenditures, which will minimize your warehousing/inventory costs.
It should be noted that LCL may cost more and take longer than FCL due to greater charges, including insurance costs.