AnalysisCarriers and ports · The crossover, and what moves it
What is the cheapest way to ship a container, and where the LCL saving disappears
Below roughly 13-15 cubic metres, sharing a container is normally cheaper. Above it, a full container usually wins, and the crossover moves with density because LCL bills per cubic metre or per revenue ton, whichever is higher. The saving disappears faster than most calculators suggest, because LCL adds a destination charge that FCL does not: CFS handling, published between $15 and $165 per CBM across the pages SeaRates measured.
The unit is the whole argument
A full container is priced per box, whatever is inside it. Less-than-container load is priced on weight or measure — per cubic metre or per revenue ton, whichever produces the larger number. One cubic metre is 35.3 cubic feet, and the revenue ton is conventionally one tonne against one cubic metre.
Dense cargo therefore bills on weight and light cargo on volume, and the same 10 CBM shipment can cost materially different amounts depending on what it is. Any comparison that does not state which side of the weight-or-measure rule the cargo falls on is guessing.
Where the saving actually goes
The headline LCL rate is not the LCL total. Consolidated cargo passes through a container freight station at each end, and the destination CFS bills the consignee directly, after the quote was accepted.
| Line | FCL | LCL |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight | Per container | Per CBM or revenue ton, whichever is higher |
| Terminal handling | $138-340 per container | Usually inside the per-CBM rate |
| CFS handling / deconsolidation | None | $15-165 per CBM, billed at destination |
| Free time before demurrage | 3-7 days typical | Often shorter, and starts on the whole consignment |
Across the 23 pages ranking for LCL consolidator queries, none publishes a destination CFS charge. It is the single line most likely to reverse an LCL-versus-FCL decision, and the corpus is silent on it.
The schedule cost nobody prices
Consolidation takes time on both ends. Cargo waits for the box to fill, then waits again to be broken out. Where an FCL booking moves on the vessel schedule, an LCL booking moves on the consolidator's filling schedule, and the gap is routinely a week at each end.
That is not a cost until it is: a shipment arriving after a season, a promotion or a warehouse appointment window has spent its saving several times over. For Amazon FBA cargo, where the appointment is the constraint, the schedule risk usually decides the mode before the arithmetic does.
What to compare, in one line each
- Get both quotes for the same scope. Port-to-port
against port-to-port, door-to-door against door-to-door.
- Ask the LCL quote for the destination CFS charge in writing. If it is not stated, it is not
in the number you were given.
- Ask what the free time is and when it starts. On LCL, the clock frequently starts on the
whole consignment rather than on your share.
- Convert once and stick to it. 1 CBM = 35.3 cubic feet; mixing units is where most home-made
comparisons go wrong.
Where this goes next
Three pages carry the rest of this question: the number behind it, the comparison of whoever would do it, and the check that runs before you pay.
- the arithmetic of the total, duty and federal fees included — the figure behind it
- what the China to USA lists are built on — who does it
- the two-minute check that runs before you pay — check the licence
Two neighbouring pieces sit closer to this one than any of them: How can I reduce container shipping costs, and what an overseas move is priced on.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to ship a container?
For less than roughly 13-15 CBM, sharing a container is usually cheaper. Above that a full container generally wins, and the exact crossover moves with density because LCL bills per cubic metre or per revenue ton, whichever is higher.
What is the cheapest way to ship internationally from the USA?
By sea, and by the largest unit your volume justifies. Air is priced on chargeable weight and runs several times higher; courier parcels are a different product again and price per kilo.
What does W/M stand for in LCL shipping?
Weight or measure: the carrier bills whichever of tonnes or cubic metres produces the larger figure. It is why dense cargo can lose the LCL saving entirely.
When should I use LCL shipping?
When the volume is genuinely small, the schedule has slack, and the destination CFS charge has been quoted in writing. Without that third condition the comparison is incomplete.
How many CBM fit in a 20-foot container?
Roughly 33 CBM of usable space, and about 67 in a 40-foot box. Practical loading rarely reaches either figure, which is part of why the FCL crossover sits well below the nominal capacity.
Sources
- SeaRates measurement of 23 pages ranking for LCL consolidator queries, 07/26/2026 — none publishes a destination CFS charge.
- SeaRates measurement of 299 pages ranking for landed cost queries, 07/26/2026 — published ranges for CFS handling and terminal handling.
- Unit conventions: 1 CBM = 35.3 cubic feet; revenue ton as one tonne against one cubic metre.