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Full Container Load (FCL) Ocean Services

FCL is the abbreviation for "Full Container Load" used in the International Ocean Freight Industry for Exporting and Importing cargo to and from the US. This term is commonly used to describe an international sea freight service that is designed for ocean freight shipments of cargo where the shipper has exclusive use of a sea freight multimodal container. As a rule, ocean freight containers are loaded and sealed by the shipper at the shipper's facility. Then it is transported by ocean, rail, and/or truck directly to the point of final destination.

NOTE: If you have cargo sufficient to fill a 20 foot sea freight container, we still recommend you to compare FCL ocean freight service to an LCL option. In certain circumstances, you may find that using international LCL ocean freight services for shipping goods overseas may be more convenient and cost-effective for you than FCL. Our online calculator will inform you if this would be the case and it would be more cost-effective to look at FCL prices.

Put our expertise to work for your ocean freight:

International Multimodal Ocean Freight Containers Specifications:

Besides commonly used 20' STD and 40' STD ocean freight containers, there are numerous other types of ocean containers used in the international ocean freight industry, including 45' High Cube, Open Tops, and Flat Racks sizes of 20' and 40' HC etc. However, as a rule these types of sea freight containers are subject to equipment availability from the steam ship lines(direct ocean freight carriers, international ocean freight transportation companies). In certain circumstances it can be limited. Then, if you are shipping a regular cargo by sea, we suggest planning your international ocean freight shipment by using one of these three types of multimodal sea freight containers below:

20' Standard Multimodal Sea Freight Container

Interior Dimensions(L x W x H):
5.919 m x 2.340 m x 2.380 m (19'-5" x 7'-8" x 7'-9 1/2")

Door Opening (W x H):
2.286 m x 2.278 m (7'-6" x 7'-5 1/2")

Tare Weight:
1,900 kg (4,198 lbs)

Cubic Capacity:
33.0 cbm (1,165 cubic ft)

Payload* :
22,100 kg (48,721 lbs)
40' Standard Multimodal Sea Freight Container

Interior Dimensions (L x W x H):
12.051 m x 2.340 m x 2.380 m (39'-6 1/2" x 7'-9 1/2")

Door Opening (W x H):
2.286 m x 2.278 m (7'-6" x 7'-5 1/2")

Tare Weight:
2,084 kg (6,799 lbs)

Cubic Capacity:
67.3 cbm (2,377 cubic feet)

Payload* :
27,397 kg (60,401 lbs)
40' High Cube Multimodal Sea Freight Container

Interior Dimensions (L x W x H):
12.056 m x 2.347 m x 2.684 m (39'-6 1/2" x 7'-8 1/4" x 8'-9 1/2"

Door Opening (W x H):
2.340 m x 2.585 m (7'-8" x 8'-5 3/4")

Tare Weight:
2,900 kg (6,393 lbs)

Cubic Capacity:
76.0 cbm (2,684 cubic ft)

Payload* :
29,600 kg (65,256 lbs)


*Payload weight exceeds over the road legal limits in US and Canada. Recommended maximum ocean freight containers payload for the US and Canada is 35,000 lbs per 20' and 42,000 lbs per 40'.

Three Methods of Sea Freight Container Stuffing:

  1. A Live Load - means that international ocean freight shipping company's trucker will deliver an ocean freight container to your location and wait while you load, secure and seal the container for the international shipment. Free loading time may vary from one to two hours. If you exceed the free time limit, then you'll have to pay $50-75+ per hour for each additional hour of loading time.
  2. A Drop And Pick - means that international ocean freight shipping company's driver will deliver and leave the ocean freight container at your location for several days. Then he will return to pick up the loaded, secured, and sealed sea freight container to the international transportation company's container yard(CY) for the international shipment by sea. In respect of calculation of total shipping cost of your international shipment by sea, the inland part of the shipping cost at origin with 'drop and pick' generally costs twice as much as with 'live load'. However, 'drop and pick' has the advantage that the shipper can take their time on loading and securing the commodity in the sea freight container.
  3. In A Warehouse Quality Loading - means that the shipper self-delivers loose cargo to an international ocean freight shipping company's warehouse or to a loading dock of a company, which specializes in quality loading of cargo into sea freight containers for international shipments. Once goods are received and accepted by the shipping warehouse, it will be loaded and secured in the ocean freight container. Then the sealed ocean freight container will be delivered to the ocean carrier's container yard(CY) assigned for your international shipment.

Put our expertise to work for your ocean freight: