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FCL = Full Container Load. LCL = Less than Container Load, aka Groupage. They are two of common shipping terms used in the international logistics industry for export and import ocean freight cargo. LCL means you share space with others, also share cost.

LCL means Less Container Load. If a shipper does not have enough goods to accommodate in a fully loaded container, he arrange with a consolidator to book his cargo. This type of shipment is called LCL shipment.

The freight consolidator—consolidator or groupage operator—is an individual or firm who accepts less than container load (LCL) shipments from individual shippers, and then combines them for delivery to the carrier in full container load (FCL)shipment.

CBM stands for “cubic meter” in shipping. This measurement is calculated by multiplying the width, height and length together of one’s carton, and if one has multiple cartons to ship, by adding the CBMs of each carton together.

In shipping, break bulk cargo or general cargo are goods that must be loaded individually, and not in intermodal containers nor in bulk as with oil or grain. Ships that carry this sort of cargo are often called general cargo ships. The term break bulk derives from the phrase breaking bulk—the extraction of a portion of the cargo of a ship or the beginning of the unloading process from the ship’s holds. These goods may not be in shipping containers. Break bulk cargo is transported in bags, boxes, crates, drums, or barrels. Unit loads of items secured to a pallet or skid are also used.