Services
- Air Freight Forwarding Services
- Sea, Freight Forwarding Services
- Road, Freight Forwarding Services
- FCL Full Container Load
- LCL Less Container Load
- LTL Less Truck Load
- FTL Full Truck Load
- CBM Cubic Meter
- Import Custom Clearance
- Export Custom Clearance
- Air Ticketing Reservation
Full Container Load (FCL) Services Guide
- 20ft/ 40ft
- 40ft High Cube (9ft 6ins external height)
- 20ft/ 40ft Double End (standard cargo doors at both ends)
- 20ft/ 40ft Open Top (no steel roof – covered by detachable PVC roofing)
- 20ft with Side Access (cargo doors opening and folding along one full side)
Full Container Load (FCL), is the standard form of shipping freight for those who have a large amount of goods to send.
The FCL definition seems to imply that you have to fill the container totally, but in fact, this is not the case – you are renting its exclusive use but if you cannot use every square metre it may still be the cheapest method.
You have to calculate, versus the option of LCL Shipping (Less than Container Load), whether FCL transport is the more cost-efficient. As a rough rule of thumb, if you have 12 pallets or more, FCL freight is likely to be the better solution.
The most popular sizes are:
20 foot: 20’ long x 8’ wide x 8 ½’ high external (c. 6.1m x 2.4m x 2.6m)
40 foot: 40’ long x 8’ wide x 8 ½’ high external (c. 12.2m x 2.4m x 2.6m)
Increasingly used by bulk shippers is the Hi-Cube 40 foot, which has a 9 ½’ height.
There are also refrigerated containers, which can be broader at 2.6m width.
Other specialist types that you may encounter include Flat Rack, Open Top, and ‘heavy tested’ 20’ containers that are suitable for heavy machinery.
The maximum payload mass for a 20’ container is approx. 22 tonnes: and for 40’, approx. 27 tonnes.
Other advantages are that you have less risk from other peoples’ cargo, and there is no bumping from the LCL consolidation/de consolidation process. If you have fragile goods this can be a deciding factor in favor of FCL Shipping.