FCL or LCL? Choosing How to Ship Your Cargo to Tanzania and Kenya
When you import by sea, the first decision is whether to book a whole container (FCL) or share one with other shippers (LCL). The right choice depends mainly on how much cargo you have, but also on how fast you need it and how fragile it is. Here's how to decide for shipments into Dar es Salaam and Mombasa.
What FCL and LCL mean
FCL (full container load): you book a container for your cargo alone. It's sealed at the supplier's premises or the origin depot and opened only at destination. You pay one price per container, however full it is.
LCL (less than container load): your cargo is delivered to a consolidation warehouse at origin, packed into a container with other shippers' goods, and unpacked at a container freight station at destination. You pay by volume (cubic metres, CBM) or weight, whichever is higher.
Container sizes
- 20ft: about 33 CBM inside; realistically 25–28 CBM of cartons
- 40ft: about 67 CBM inside; realistically 55–58 CBM
- 40ft high cube: about 76 CBM inside; realistically 65–68 CBM
Heavy cargo such as tiles, steel or bagged goods often reaches the weight limit before the container is full. Road weight limits between the port and your site matter too.
Cost: where the break-even is
LCL is priced per CBM, with extra charges for consolidation at origin and unpacking at destination. FCL is a fixed price per container. As a rough guide, once you have about 13–15 CBM, a 20ft container usually costs the same or less than LCL, and you get the other benefits of FCL. Below that, LCL is normally cheaper.
Compare the full door-to-door cost, not just the ocean freight. LCL destination charges per CBM can be high, and they are often left out of cheap-looking quotes.
Time
LCL takes longer. The cargo waits at origin until the consolidated container is full and sailing, and at destination it waits for the whole container to be cleared and unpacked. Expect LCL to take longer than FCL on the same route.
Handling and risk
An FCL container is loaded once and unloaded once. LCL cargo is handled several times and shares space with other goods, so good packing and palletising matter more. For fragile, high-value or sensitive cargo, FCL is safer even below the break-even volume.
Customs clearing
Both are cleared with the same documents. With LCL, the clearance of your goods can also be held up by problems with other shippers' cargo in the same container, because the container is unpacked only once it has been released. See our guide to clearing at Dar es Salaam port.
Quick decision guide
- Under about 13 CBM, not urgent, well packed: LCL
- Over about 15 CBM: FCL
- In between: get both prices door to door; FCL usually wins on time and handling
- Fragile, high-value or urgent: FCL, or air freight for small urgent shipments
- Regular orders from the same supplier: combine orders to fill an FCL
Frequently asked questions
Can I combine cargo from several suppliers in one container?
Yes. Your forwarder can collect from several suppliers into a consolidation warehouse at origin and load one FCL just for you, which often costs less than several LCL shipments.
How do I measure my cargo in CBM?
Multiply length × width × height of each carton in metres, then by the number of cartons. Our quote page has a CBM calculator.
Not sure which suits your shipment? Send us the volume, weight and origin and we'll price both options door to door. More about our sea freight service.
