Sourcing glossary
FCL
Also known as: Full Container Load
A sea freight service in which you book an entire container for your cargo alone and pay a flat rate per container, whether or not you fill it.
With FCL, the container is loaded at the factory or your consolidation warehouse, sealed, and not opened again until it reaches you, unless customs examines it. That means fewer handoffs, less damage risk and usually a faster release than shared LCL cargo.
The common sizes are 20ft (about 33 m³ internal volume), 40ft (about 67 m³) and 40ft high cube (about 76 m³), per Maersk's equipment specifications. See LCL vs FCL for when a full container pays off.
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Part of Shipping & Logistics.