LCL vs FCL: should your move share a container?
What a shared and a full container each mean, the stops a shared one makes, the standard sizes and what to ask a mover.
LCL, or less than container load, means your goods share a sea container with other shippers' cargo, while FCL, or full container load, means a whole container is booked for your goods alone, so the choice turns on how much of a container your home fills and how much extra handling you will accept.
Both are ways to ship the sea part of a move. Neither is right for every home.
This guide shows how each one travels and where a shared container stops on the way. It names the standard container sizes and ends with the questions to ask a mover.
For how a whole move runs, see international moving with IMove.
What is the difference between LCL and FCL?
The difference is who else is in the box, because an FCL container carries one shipper's goods and is sealed once they are loaded, while LCL goods are gathered at a consolidator's warehouse, packed into a container with other shippers' cargo and separated again at the destination before they reach you.
The table sets the two side by side. Each row has its own section further down.
| Point | Shared (LCL) | Your own (FCL) |
|---|---|---|
| Who is in the box | Several shippers | One shipper |
| Extra stops | A warehouse at each end | None for sorting |
| Handling | More, at each warehouse | Less, one box throughout |
| Timing | Shaped by consolidation | More predictable |
| Suits | Smaller loads | Most of a container |
| Paperwork | A house bill from the consolidator | A bill of lading for your box |
The definitions follow the port operator DP World's glossary entries for less than container load and full container load.
Does a container of your own mean less handling?
Yes, a container of your own can mean less handling, because your goods stay in the same sealed box from loading until it is opened at the destination, which DP World says can lower the risk of damage, while a shared shipment is handled again at a warehouse at each end.
Every extra stop is a chance for a carton to be moved, stacked or knocked. That is why packing counts for more in a shared box.
Furniture and fragile pieces need packing that can stand being handled again. Ask how each piece will be packed, and whether anything will be crated.
Ask too what protection applies while your goods sit in a warehouse.
How much of a container will your goods fill?
How much your goods fill depends on the volume a survey measures for your home, set against the inside volume of a standard container, and port operator DP World suggests a container of your own suits a shipment large enough to fill most of one, so the survey figure is where the choice starts.
Volume is measured in cubic metres (CBM). These are the inside sizes of the three common dry containers.
| Container | Inside length | Inside volume |
|---|---|---|
| 20-foot | 5,898 mm | 33.1 cubic metres |
| 40-foot | 12,032 mm | 67.6 cubic metres |
| 40-foot high cube | 12,032 mm | 76.2 cubic metres |
The figures come from Ocean Network Express container specifications, which the carrier gives for reference. Individual containers can differ.
Cartons and furniture never pack a box perfectly, so a container holds less than its inside volume. Ask the mover how much of a container your surveyed goods will take up.
Which should you choose, LCL or FCL?
Choose a shared container when your goods fill only a small part of a box and your dates leave room for the extra stops, and choose a container of your own when your goods fill most of one, when fragile or valuable pieces need less handling, or when your dates are tight.
The survey settles the first point. You decide the other two.
A shared container suits you if
- Your goods fill only part of a container
- Your dates have room for the extra stops
- You have few fragile or valuable pieces
A container of your own suits you if
- Your goods fill most of a container
- You are sending fragile or valuable furniture
- You have a fixed date at the other end
If you need a few things sooner, part of a move can go by air. The sea freight vs air freight guide explains how to split one.
What should you ask a mover before you book?
Put the same questions to every mover you are comparing, because the answers show whether your sea shipment shares a container, which size it uses, where it is loaded and sealed, which warehouses handle it and when it sails, so two quotes can be compared on the same footing.
Ask every mover
- Will my sea shipment share a container, or have one of its own?
- Which container size, and how much of it will my goods fill?
- Where will my goods be loaded and sealed?
- When does the next shared container close, and when does it sail?
- Which warehouses handle my goods at each end?
- How will furniture and fragile items be packed?
- What happens to my goods if customs examines a shared container?
Signs a quote leaves gaps
- Sea freight with no word on shared or sole-use
- No container size for a sole-use shipment
- One time figure with no stages
- Silence on who sorts the goods at the destination
- No word on how fragile pieces are packed
Common questions about LCL and FCL
Is LCL cheaper than FCL?
Neither is cheaper by rule, because a container of your own is booked whole whether your goods fill it or not, while a shared one carries only your part of a box but adds warehouse handling at each end, so which costs you less depends on how much of a container your goods fill.
DP World's glossary lists lower costs for smaller loads under LCL and cost advantages at higher volumes under FCL. Ask every mover to quote both options for the same surveyed goods, with the same stops and the same scope.
Is FCL faster than LCL?
A container of your own can be quicker, because it skips the consolidation before the sailing and the sorting after it, which DP World says may make its transit times more predictable, while a shared container leaves only when the consolidator closes it and is unloaded at a warehouse before release.
Ask for the timing of each, stage by stage.
What does consolidation mean in shipping?
Consolidation means gathering the cargo of several shippers into one container before it sails, which is how a shared container is filled, and the reverse step at the destination, called deconsolidation, unloads the container and separates each shipper's goods again before they are cleared and delivered.
The company that does it is the consolidator. It books the container with the shipping line.
What size container does a household move need?
That depends on the volume a survey measures for your goods, since a standard 20-foot dry container holds 33.1 cubic metres inside and a 40-foot holds 67.6, according to the reference figures of the carrier Ocean Network Express, and a container of your own suits a shipment large enough to fill most of one.
A 40-foot high cube is taller inside. A smaller load can share a box, so ask the mover how much of a container your goods will fill.
What is a house bill of lading?
A house bill of lading is the bill issued for your goods by a company that does not run the ships, such as the consolidator of a shared container, while the shipping line issues its own bill to that company for the whole box, so your papers name your shipment even though you do not book the container yourself.
Keep a copy. Destination customs papers ask for the bill of lading.
Get started
Not sure whether to share a container?
Tell us where you're moving from and to, what you're taking and when you need it. We'll come back with a quote.