LCL Shipping

What LCL means

LCL — Less than Container Load — is the ocean service where several shippers' cargo travels in the same container. Each one pays only for the volume or weight their goods occupy, which makes importing viable long before you have enough to fill a box.

It is how most companies start importing, and for irregular or seasonal purchasing it often stays the right answer for years.

How you are charged

LCL is quoted on whichever is greater: the volume in cubic metres or the weight in tonnes. That is the W/M rule — weight or measure — and it is why a pallet of ceramic tiles and a pallet of cushions can cost very different amounts to ship.

Beyond the freight itself, an LCL shipment carries destination charges for deconsolidation at the bonded warehouse. We itemise those in the quote rather than letting them appear at the end.

When LCL is the right call

• Your cargo is under roughly 15 CBM
• You buy from several suppliers and want to consolidate at origin into one shipment
• You are testing a product or a supplier and do not want to commit to a full container
• Your purchasing is seasonal or irregular and a fixed container cadence does not fit

What to expect on timing

An LCL shipment is slower than FCL, and the extra time is not at sea. It is at both ends: the consolidator waits to fill the container at origin, and at destination the box has to be deconsolidated at a bonded warehouse before your cargo is released.

Allow 5 to 10 days on top of the port-to-port transit. We tell you the cut-off date for each sailing so the cargo does not sit waiting for the next one.

Packing matters more in LCL

• Palletise where you can: loose cartons get handled more and damaged more
• Mark every package with your name and the shipment reference
• Declare the real weight and dimensions — remeasurement at origin is the most common cause of a quote changing
• Shrink-wrap pallets, and use corner protection for anything fragile