Sea freight from China: FCL or LCL, costs, transit times and break-even point

FCL (Full Container Load) means a container reserved for you alone. A 20-foot container offers about 33 m³ of internal volume, a 40-foot container about 67 m³. It is loaded and sealed, often at the factory, then cleared under your name. LCL (Less than Container Load) groups shipments from several shippers in one container. You pay for the volume your cartons occupy, not the whole container.

The choice is rarely based on the displayed price alone. In LCL, each step, from reception at the consolidation terminal to deconsolidation in France, generates fees. In FCL, you pay for a container, but you control sealing, customs clearance, and handling. Always compare the full door-to-door cost, never just the ocean freight: that is where unpleasant surprises hide.

Ocean freight is just one line on the invoice. Added to it are terminal handling charges (THC) at both ends, fuel surcharges, freight forwarder documentation fees, the ENS declaration required by the European Union, verified gross mass (VGM), pre-carriage in China, and final transport in France. The container price itself varies greatly by route, season, and available capacity: it rises sharply after Chinese New Year, then ahead of the October Golden Week.

On the loading side, a 20-foot container accepts about 33 m³ internal volume and a nominal payload close to 28 tonnes, often reduced to about 24 tonnes by European road regulations. A 40-foot container offers about 67 m³ but a comparable payload: it is used for voluminous shipments, not heavy ones. Prepare an accurate packing list and ensure weight distribution is respected during loading.

In LCL, freight is billed on a W/M basis: the carrier charges by volume in cubic meters or weight in tonnes, whichever yields more, with one m³ equivalent to one tonne. Consolidation terminals also apply a minimum billing amount, often around one to two m³, which impacts very small shipments. The rate quoted per m³ seems modest: the invoice depends on the details.

At destination, other charges appear: container deconsolidation, terminal handling, manifest fees, delivery order issuance, sometimes document inspection fees. These fees are billed to the importer, not the shipper. On average shipments, their total can equal the ocean freight itself. Before comparing two consolidation offers, request the complete breakdown of destination charges, line by line, and have each item confirmed in writing.

The most common rule of thumb among freight forwarders: beyond half a 20-foot container, i.e., about 12 to 15 m³ depending on the route and season, cumulative consolidation often costs more than a full container. The fixed costs of LCL, charged at each handling, eventually exceed the rental of a container you would not have filled.

The exact threshold depends on the rate per m³, the minimums applied, and destination charges. When you approach the tipping point, get quotes for both options on a door-to-door basis. Also note that FCL often transits faster: no consolidation wait at origin, no deconsolidation at destination, direct customs clearance. At equal volume, a full container simplifies the chain as much as it can make it less expensive.

Consolidation is not a small container: it is a chain of intermediaries and additional handling, in China as in France. The problems below recur regularly in cases. None are fatal if anticipated in writing.

Sorva is a brokerage and sourcing house located near your factories. Our sinophone team in Guangzhou consolidates your suppliers' volumes, checks the proforma and actual cubic volume, then puts freight forwarders in competition for freight, both FCL and LCL. We decide on the format at the time of the order, based on volume, schedule and value of the goods, and we follow the shipment up to customs clearance.

In most cases, you pay no fees: you open a file, we negotiate the goods for you and we take a commission on their ex-works value. Freight is negotiated in the same move as the purchase price: that is often where margin points are recovered.