Fcl means full container load and lcl means less container load.
Fcl lcl container.
In an fcl cargo the complete goods in the said container owns by one shipper.
The terms lcl and fcl refer to the two main modes of container shipments.
It could be any product type shipped from toys commodities or machinery.
An fcl shipment or full container shipment as its name suggests is a shipment that occupies the entire space of a container without having to share it with other merchandise.
Thus fcl full container load and lcl less than container load are not only frequently used in shipping but also in transport by truck rail and air freight.
Difference between fcl and lcl.
Thinking inside the box.
Fcl describes sea shipping for cargo loads large enough to fill a 20 or 40 shipping container.
The fcl means the load reaches its allowable maximum or full weight or measurement.
Unlike lcl less than a container load where shipments share container space with other goods fcl shipments use the entire container.
In practice however the fcl in the ocean freight does not always mean packing a container to its full.
For example a 20 full container rate at the beginning of the month can decrease or increase by mid month depending on what market forces are present at the time.
When there is no rush to transport lower volumes of goods lcl is a good option.
The word carload relates to the rail car.
If an exporter has goods to accommodate in one full container load he books an fcl full container load to stuff his cargo.
If for example shipments are transported by truck forwarders use the very similar terms ftl which means full truck load or ltl less than truck load.
Fcl for full container load and lcl for less than container loads.
An fcl refers to one full container load and the decision whether to go for fcl or lcl will be a product of cost time underlying product transport method amongst many other elements.
The fcl and lcl are differentiated in practice on whether the whole container or not the whole container is intended for the consignee.
Lcl offers lower warehousing and inventory costs as it is easier to arrange and sort them in a smaller space as compared to fcl.
The lcl per cbm rate will likely not be affected by the fcl s price fluctuation or if it is it will take the consolidator time to apply the changes.