What is FCL Shipping?
FCL shipping stands for Full Container Load shipping, which means that you pay for the use of the whole container instead of paying for the use of part of it. FCL shipping involves paying a flat rate for the container, which means you have access to all the space the container has. If you’re looking to ship large items that are more than 20cbm, then your best option is to ship FCL.
What Are the Benefits of FCL Shipping?
Only you and your supplier will touch the goods, this means that chance of your goods being damaged is much lower. If you have a large number of fragile goods that need shipping, FCL shipping would be ideal, as the goods are unlikely to be handled by many people. FCL shipments are loaded into a sealed container by your supplier, the container will then be delivered to you still sealed if Customs doesn’t stop the shipment.
Another benefit to FCL shipping is that transit times are usually a few days quicker than LCL shipping due to the longer process LCL shipments have to go through. LCL shipments contain lots of different goods from different people, which means there are additional steps in the process to load and offload goods. You won’t have to worry about that with FCL shipping as they aren’t loaded or unloaded together with other shipments.
FCL shipping is cheaper per cbm than LCL as you are paying a flat rate for the entire container instead of paying for the amount of space that you use. This makes it more beneficial to use FCL shipping if you have large goods.
What Are the Downsides to FCL Shipping?
Delivery for FCL shipments can be seen as being less convenient than LCL deliveries, as when you import using FCL shipping, your goods will be delivered to you via a large truck with a container stuck on its back. The container can’t be unloaded from the ground, so you’ll have to bring several people or a forklift to help you unload your goods from the container in a short window of time. If you need your goods to be dropped to the ground or have special delivery requirements, it can be expensive.
FCL shipments can only be delivered via a large truck, which might be a bit tricky if you’re on a small street.
At Alisped, we specialise in both FCL and LCL shipping. If you’re unsure of which would be best for you then feel free to get in touch with us, we’re more than happy to help.
