What is FCL & LCL on Rail Freight ?

FCL and LCL are simple term used in export import business.

FCL: means Full Container Load

Shipping FCL does not mean you need to have enough cargo to fill an entire container. You may ship a partially filled container as FCL. The benefit is that your cargo will not share a container with other shipments, like it would happen if you picked as a less than a container load (LCL).

LCL: means Less Container Load

If a shipment does not have enough goods to accommodate in a fully loaded container, we can arrange to book your cargo this way. This type of shipment is called LCL shipment. We will arranges a full container (FCL) with a main shipping carrier, and consoles the shipments of other shippers. Means the freight forwarder who books a full container accepts goods from different shippers and consolidates all such goods in to one container as a Fully Loaded Container – FCL. The freight forwarder sorts out these goods at destination or at transshipment points, meant for different consignees at different ports.