What does FCL stand for?

Posted by FBASZ

FCL refers to goods that can fill one or more containers, and the shipper is solely responsible for packing, counting, stowing and sealing the goods. The whole box of goods can be unpacked by the consignee, or it can be entrusted to the carrier to unpack at the freight station. However, the carrier is not responsible for the damage or difference in goods in the box when unpacking (unless the cargo party provides proof of damage or difference in goods) It is indeed the carrier’s fault)

In the transportation of FCL cargo, the carrier uses the box as the handover unit. As long as the appearance of the container does not change much when the goods are transported to the destination port (compared to the time of packing) and the lead seal is intact, then the carrier is considered complete Carrier liability

The differences between FCL and LCL goods are as follows:

  1. Different forms. LCL is divided into three forms: one shipper to multiple shippers, multiple shippers to one consignee, and multiple consignees to multiple consignees. The other two are easier to understand. As for “multiple consignees to multiple consignees”, it is an emerging form of LCL shipment. For example, multiple buyers are entrusted by multiple merchants in a certain country to purchase from a third country. For multiple commodities, the multiple purchasers here are “multiple consignees”. The commodities are then transported by the carrier to multiple consignees in a “certain country”. This is the “multiple consignees to multiple consignees”. “Consignee”, there are currently many such LCL shipments, and they have shown a trend of regional development. Full container goods are divided into two types: one shipper to one consignee, and multiple shippers to one consignee.
  2. The operations are different. FCL goods require one customs declaration, while LCL goods require N customs declarations. There is no need to consider the volume of FCL goods, just fill them up, while LCL goods need to consider the volume of the goods to maximize the use of the container space. , and container diagrams will be drawn if necessary.
  3. The process is different. FCL cargo is relatively simple, that is, the shipper packs the boxes, counts them, fills out the shipping form, then seals them with customs, and then transports them. For LCL cargo, the carrier is responsible for classifying the goods according to their nature and destination, and then grouping the goods with the same nature and destination together for transportation.
  4. Customs clearance procedures are different. As the smallest unit for customs inspection, sealing and release, containers can be released after completing the procedures and paying taxes as long as the cargo documents are legal and complete. LCL goods are more troublesome. As long as there is a problem with one order, the entire box of goods cannot be released.
  5. The costs are different. LCL goods have more assembly and unpacking costs than FCL goods.
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