LCL or FCL for a wholesale lot: how many cubic metres before a container pays off

LCL and FCL are not about comfort — they are about volume

LCL (Less than Container Load, groupage) means your lot travels in one container together with other shippers’ cargo, and you pay for the volume or weight of your own share. FCL (Full Container Load) means a whole container is booked for one consignment, and you pay for the container regardless of how full it is. We handle both formats through our consolidation warehouse in Rotterdam: small and medium lots as LCL, larger ones as FCL in a 20ft or 40ft container.

We take orders only from companies and sole traders, the minimum service fee is €200, lots start from 50 kg, and we do not handle personal parcels. On our Rotterdam → St Petersburg line, up to about 30 m³ LCL is almost always the better value; above that, FCL usually starts to win.

Where the crossover sits: volume, LDM and weight

Industry practice often puts the LCL advantage at up to 10–15 m³, but on our Rotterdam → St Petersburg line LCL stays cheaper than a 20ft container (€4,900) up to about 30 m³: 19 pallet spaces (30.4 m³) cost €4,900, and 20 pallet spaces (32 m³) cost €5,000 — less than a 40ft (€5,900). Above that the per-cubic-metre container rate is lower and the schedule more predictable. A standard 20ft container has a practical capacity of about 28–30 m³ (nominally around 33 m³); a 40ft container holds about 58–60 m³ in practice. If your lot is approaching these figures, it is worth asking for a quote on both options.

Chargeable weight is the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight. Use our [weight calculator](/kalkulyator-vesa) and [delivery calculator](/kalkulyator-dostavki) to work out both before you commit to either option.

LCL via Rotterdam: how groupage is put together

At our Rotterdam warehouse groupage starts from €693 per pallet space (1.6 m³). Goods are received Monday to Wednesday, and the consolidated container sails at the weekend. We can lodge the EX1 export declaration for you on site at Rotterdam for €150, or remotely from €450 if your goods take a different route to the warehouse. LCL suits irregular or trial shipments well; for regular shipments of a consistent volume, FCL is often the better choice even with spare capacity left in the container, simply because the schedule is more predictable.

FCL in a 20ft or 40ft container: when a whole container pays off

With FCL your goods are not handled alongside anyone else’s — fewer transhipment points mean less risk of damage, which matters for fragile or high-value cargo. The choice between 20ft and 40ft comes down to weight: a 20ft container has a lower maximum payload, so heavy, compact cargo (metal goods, machinery, building materials) reaches its weight limit before it fills the space. Light, bulky goods (furniture, appliances, textiles) usually make better use of a 40ft container. On our Rotterdam → St Petersburg line a 20ft container costs from €4,900 and a 40ft from €5,900; on other routes the rate is calculated individually for the route, season and loading.

Customs, documents and insurance are the same for both formats

Both LCL and FCL need the same paperwork: an EX1 with an MRN, a commercial invoice, a packing list and, where relevant, a conformity certificate or declaration. The difference is in physical handling — an FCL container is sealed once, while an LCL lot passes through the consolidation warehouse alongside other shippers’ cargo. We arrange [customs clearance](/usluga/customs) end to end — declaration, duties, VAT, certification — the same way for both formats.

Sanctions screening comes first

We only handle goods that are not subject to EU, UK, Swiss or US sanctions. Before we quote, we check the HS code of every item and screen all parties to the deal; if a product or a party is restricted, we decline the order, whatever the route or the price.

Insurance matters more for LCL

We do not carry sanctioned or dual-use goods in either LCL or FCL — we check the HS code against TARIC at the quoting stage for both formats. Cargo insurance starts at 0.3% of the declared value; it matters especially for LCL, which passes through more handling points than a sealed FCL container.

Worked example: a 12 m³ lot calculated both ways

Hypothetical lot: office furniture and IT equipment, about 12 m³, roughly 2.8 tonnes, 8 euro-pallets. For a one-off shipment this weight leaves the 20ft container under-used, so LCL is the better value. For regular shipments of the same volume, FCL usually wins on predictability and lower handling risk.

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