FCL — Full Container Load — describes an ocean shipment where one shipper books an entire container under a single bill of lading, regardless of whether the container is actually full. The cargo is stuffed at origin and remains sealed in the same container until the consignee unstuffs it at destination.
FCL is priced per container, not per cubic meter. A 40-foot container moving Shanghai to Long Beach has a single freight rate whether it carries 65 cubic meters of furniture or 30 cubic meters of bulky-but-light cargo. The breakeven point versus LCL depends on lane, but a shipment typically becomes FCL-economical around 15 cubic meters.
Standard equipment options:
- 20' DC (dry container) — ~33 cubic meters, ~28,000 kg max gross weight
- 40' DC — ~67 cubic meters, ~30,500 kg
- 40' HC (high-cube) — ~76 cubic meters, ~30,500 kg
- 45' HC — ~86 cubic meters
FCL clears customs as a single entry. The container moves from origin port to destination port to consignee's facility (or a deconsolidation warehouse) without being opened, which lowers handling damage risk and theft exposure relative to LCL. Importers control loading and dunnage decisions directly.
FCL shipments incur demurrage at the destination port if not picked up within free time, and detention if the container isn't returned to the carrier yard on time.