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2.2 Importing by sea: FCL, LCL and ports

Sea is the cheapest route per kilo, but it requires planning for weeks of transit. Learn to choose between FCL and LCL, to read the bill of lading and to choose a port.

Module 2: Transport for your import · Reviewed on 20/10/2026 · Español

Goal: Choose between FCL and LCL by calculating the charging basis and the break-even point, and explain what the B/L and free days are for.

Sea carries most of world trade and is the normal option for heavy, bulky or low-value-per-kilo cargo. It costs much less than air, but it takes longer: from Asia it is 25 to 45 days port to port, depending on whether the service is direct or with transshipments, plus the procedures at origin and destination. Plan ahead and keep a safety stock.

You have two ways to book. In FCL (Full Container Load) you rent the whole container for your goods. The most used are the 20-foot (about 33 m³) and the 40-foot (about 67 m³). In LCL (Less than Container Load) your cargo shares a container with that of other importers and a consolidator groups it together. You pay per cubic meter or per ton, whichever is greater, taking 1 m³ as equivalent to 1 ton.

There is no fixed volume for moving from LCL to FCL. As a reference, between 15 and 20 m³ it is worth comparing with a 20-foot container, because LCL adds consolidation and deconsolidation charges (grouping and separating the cargo). LCL is also slower and the goods are handled more times. Quote both options with the total cost to your warehouse and calculate the break-even point.

The key document is the bill of lading (B/L). The shipping line or the consolidator issues it, and it is a receipt for the cargo, a transport contract and, if it is negotiable, a document of title. To pick up the container you present the original B/L or an electronic release. At destination you pay the shipping line's local charges, terminal handling and transport to the warehouse. Negotiate the free days: the days with no demurrage charge for the container or storage charge for the cargo.

In Peru, most import containers come in through the port of Callao, with terminals such as Muelle Sur and Muelle Norte. Paita, Pisco and Matarani also operate. In November 2024 the port of Chancay, north of Lima, was inaugurated, with direct routes to Asia. Choose the port by the service available, the total cost and the distance to your warehouse, not only by the sea freight.

Not all cargo goes in a standard container. There are refrigerated containers for cold cargo, tank containers and flexitanks for liquids, and bulk carriers for grains such as wheat. Equipment and sea transport are covered in depth in the course on International Cargo Transport and Insurance. The import simulator on this site goes through several of these cases.

Key ideas

Sea costs much less per kilo than air, but it requires planning for weeks of transit and keeping a safety stock.
FCL is the whole container at one rate per unit; LCL is shared cargo and is charged per m³ or ton, whichever is greater.
The move from LCL to FCL depends on the break-even point between real quotes; as a reference, it is between 15 and 20 m³.
The B/L is a receipt, a contract and, if negotiable, a document of title: without it or its electronic release you cannot pick up the container.
Negotiate the free days to avoid demurrage and storage charges, which add up day by day.
Choose the port by service, total cost and distance to your warehouse: Callao handles most of it and Chancay is a new option.

Criterion	FCL (full container)	LCL (consolidated cargo)
When it makes sense	Large volumes or cargo that justifies its own container	Small loads or trial orders
How it is charged	Rate per container (20 or 40 feet)	Per m³ or ton, whichever is greater, plus fixed charges
Time	Leaves with the vessel, without waiting to gather cargo	Adds consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at destination
Handling	Less: it travels sealed and is opened at destination	More: the cargo is moved when consolidated and deconsolidated
Document	B/L issued in your name	House B/L from the consolidator, under a master B/L

Worked example

Oficina Plus compares LCL and FCL on two orders

Oficina Plus S.A.C. (Lima) imports office chairs from Ningbo. The first order takes up 16 m³ and weighs 3,200 kg. The next one will be 20 m³. It wants to know which option works out better in each case.
It calculates the charging basis in LCL: 3,200 kg is 3.2 tons, and the volume is 16 m³. Since 1 m³ equals 1 ton, the greater is charged: the basis is 16 m³.
LCL quote: US$ 105 per m³ (freight, consolidation and deconsolidation) plus US$ 90 for documents. For 16 m³: 16 × 105 = US$ 1,680; with documents, US$ 1,770.
FCL quote for a 20-foot container, all included to the warehouse in Lima (freight, surcharges, terminal handling and local charges): US$ 1,950.
For 16 m³, LCL costs 1,950 − 1,770 = US$ 180 less than FCL.
It calculates the break-even point: (1,950 − 90) ÷ 105 = 17.7 m³. Below that volume LCL wins; above it, FCL.
For the 20 m³ order: LCL = 20 × 105 + 90 = US$ 2,190. FCL = US$ 1,950. Here FCL costs 2,190 − 1,950 = US$ 240 less, and 20 m³ fit in a 20-foot container.
It looks at what the price does not show. Assume LCL takes about 12 days longer and the chairs are handled more times. With a tight delivery date or fragile cargo, that US$ 180 saving may not make up for it.
Before closing, it asks for the free days of demurrage and storage, and agrees with the supplier how the B/L will arrive so as not to delay pickup.

Result: First order (16 m³): LCL, for US$ 1,770 against US$ 1,950, if there is no urgency. Second order (20 m³): FCL, for US$ 1,950 against US$ 2,190. The break-even point is at 17.7 m³.

Real cases

Chancay inaugurates a port with direct routes to Shanghai

14/11/2024

On 14/11/2024 the port of Chancay was inaugurated, on the central coast of Peru about 78 km north of Lima, with the presidents of China, Xi Jinping, and of Peru, Dina Boluarte, taking part by video link. In its press release, COSCO SHIPPING Ports announced two direct container routes between Shanghai and Chancay, with a transit from Peru to China of 23 days. For anyone importing from Asia, it is an alternative discharge port.

Quote more than one discharge port and ask the shipping line for the transit time in the direction of your import, because the published figure is from Peru to China.

Source: COSCO SHIPPING Ports – Inauguration Ceremony of Chancay Port (comunicado de prensa)

A deep-water port designed for 1 million TEU a year

15/11/2024

The same press release describes Chancay as a natural deep-water port, designed for 1 million TEU a year (the TEU is the unit equivalent to a 20-foot container). It has 4 berths, 2 for containers and 2 multipurpose, along 1,500 meters, and it can receive the largest container ships in the world. The port's capacity influences which shipping services call there.

Before choosing a port, ask your agent which shipping services really call there and how much it costs to move the container to your warehouse.

Source: COSCO SHIPPING Ports – Inauguration Ceremony of Chancay Port (comunicado de prensa)

Common mistakes

Comparing LCL and FCL on freight alone. Add consolidation, deconsolidation, local charges, storage and transport to the warehouse to compare the total cost.
Not asking for free days or reading the demurrage terms. Every day of delay costs money; negotiate the period before shipping.
Waiting for the original B/L by courier when the cargo has already arrived. Agree an electronic release or a non-negotiable B/L with the supplier to pick up on time.
Forgetting that the verified gross mass (VGM) of the container must be declared at origin. If the supplier does not provide it, the shipping line will not load the container.
Choosing the port by sea freight alone. Also calculate the land transfer to your warehouse.

Practise with the calculators, the COMEX Simulator and the review questions on the main page.

Open this topic in the calculator →

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