Not every order fills a container. With a part load (LCL, less than container load, also called groupage), your goods share a container with other importers' cargo, and you pay only for the space you use. It's the most economical way to ship from about one pallet up to around 15 cubic metres.
We run LCL shipments to the UK from China, Bangladesh, India and the Gulf, consolidated by our own team in Bangladesh and our agent offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Mumbai, Dubai, Jeddah and Kuwait.
How LCL works
- Delivery to the consolidation warehouse. Your supplier delivers the goods to a warehouse at the origin port, or we collect them.
- Checking and consolidation. The cargo is checked against the paperwork, measured, and loaded into a shared container with other shipments for the UK.
- Sea voyage. The container sails to Felixstowe, Southampton or London Gateway.
- UK devanning. The container is unpacked at a UK depot.
- Customs clearance. Our Essex team clears your goods through customs.
- Delivery. Your goods are delivered to your door, or you collect from the depot.
How LCL is priced
LCL is charged per revenue tonne: 1 cubic metre or 1,000 kg, whichever is greater. Most goods are light enough to be charged by volume.
A typical LCL quote includes:
- Origin charges: warehouse handling, documentation and export clearance
- Ocean freight: charged per cubic metre, usually with a 1 cubic metre minimum
- UK destination charges: devanning, depot handling and documentation
- Customs clearance
- Delivery to your address
- Duty and VAT on the goods, paid to HMRC
The fixed charges at each end are why LCL gets expensive as volume grows, and why very small shipments can cost almost as much as one cubic metre. We quote all-in so you can see the true cost per unit.
Typical transit times
LCL takes a little longer than a full container, because of consolidation at origin and unpacking in the UK. As a guide, allow around one week more than the FCL transit times on our full container page. We confirm the expected timing when we quote.
Who LCL suits
- Smaller importers and online businesses
- First orders with a new supplier, before committing to full containers
- Top-up stock between larger shipments
- Samples and trial ranges that are too big for courier
- Anyone shipping 1–15 cubic metres who isn't in a hurry
Getting the best out of LCL
- Pack for multiple handling. Use strong export cartons and palletise where possible. Part loads are handled several times between factory and door.
- Label every carton with your company name, carton number and destination.
- Give accurate measurements. You're charged on volume, so dimensions matter.
- Combine suppliers. Buying from several suppliers in the same country? We can collect from each and send them as one consolidated shipment, with one clearance in the UK.
- Insure the cargo. It's inexpensive and protects you against loss or damage. See our article on marine cargo insurance.
LCL, air or full container?
| Your shipment | Usually best |
|---|---|
| Under ~1 cubic metre, or urgent | Air freight or courier |
| 1–15 cubic metres, not urgent | Sea part load (LCL) |
| 15 cubic metres or more | Full container (FCL) |
Read our guide to importing small cargo from China for a worked comparison.
What we need from you to quote
- Origin city or port, and your UK delivery postcode
- Number of cartons or pallets, with dimensions and weights
- What the goods are
- Cargo-ready date
Get an LCL quote. We answer within 4 working hours.