LCL vs FCL Calculator — Is a Full Container Cheaper for Your Shipment?

Should this shipment go LCL or in its own container?

Enter your volume, weight and the quotes you were given. You get the cost of LCL and of each container size, the volume where a full container starts to win, and the freight cost per unit, with the cost of tying up your stock for the extra LCL days. Importers routinely pay for a shared box they could have filled, or a whole container they only half used.

Calculated in this browser tab. No account, no upload. The example is made up. A planning estimate, not a quote.

1. Your cargo

Shipment volume (CBM)

Gross weight (kg)

Units in the shipment (optional)

Goods value ($, optional)

Shipments like this per week (optional)

2. The LCL quote

LCL rate ($ per CBM or tonne)

LCL minimum (CBM)

LCL fixed charges ($ per shipment: CFS, docs, handling)

3. The full-container quotes, and your assumptions

Leave a container price blank if you were not quoted one.

20' container, all-in ($)

40' container, all-in ($)

40' high cube, all-in ($)

FCL fixed charges ($ per shipment: docs, THC not in rate)

Your cost of money (% per year)

Extra days LCL takes vs a container

Enter your cargo and quotes, or load the example, then click Compare.

The arithmetic, and what it leaves out

LCL is billed on the greater of volume (CBM) and weight (tonnes), with a minimum, plus your fixed per-shipment charges.
A container is a flat price. Capacity used is about 28, 58 and 68 CBM for a 20', 40' and 40' high cube, and about 26 to 26.5 tonnes of payload; weight or volume can force a second box.
The break-even assumes your cargo keeps the same density as you entered, and is searched in half-CBM steps up to 200.
Carrying cost is goods value × annual cost of money × the extra LCL days ÷ 365.
Not modelled: peak-season and currency surcharges, port-specific fees, duty, insurance, drayage, free time and demurrage, and each carrier's own rounding. Confirm every figure with your forwarder.

Common questions

When is FCL cheaper than LCL?

When the cheapest full container costs no more than the LCL charge for your volume. LCL is billed per cubic metre (or per tonne if the cargo is dense), so its cost rises with every CBM, while a container is a flat price. Past roughly half a 20-foot box, many lanes already favour the container; this tool finds the line from your own quotes.

What is the LCL minimum and the W/M rule?

Most consolidators charge the greater of volume in CBM and weight in tonnes (W/M, 'weight or measure'), with a minimum of about 1 CBM. A dense pallet of 5 CBM weighing 9 tonnes is billed as 9.

How many CBM fit in a 20ft, 40ft and 40ft high-cube container?

Practical loadable space is about 28 CBM, 58 CBM and 68 CBM. Payload is roughly 26 tonnes for a 20-foot and 26.5 tonnes for a 40-foot. The tool uses these and lets weight force a second box.

Why does a half-empty container sometimes still win?

Because LCL carries per-CBM rates plus consolidation, handling and documentation charges, and adds days at the origin and destination warehouses. Add the cost of stock sitting in transit and the container can come out ahead.

What does this leave out?

Port-specific surcharges, peak-season and currency adjustments, customs duty, insurance, drayage, free-time and demurrage, and the carrier's own definition of chargeable weight. Use it to compare quotes, then confirm with your forwarder.

Is my data uploaded?

No. Everything runs in your browser tab and nothing is sent anywhere. There are no accounts.