Sea Freight from Turkey: When to Choose FCL and When LCL Makes Sense
Super Admin3 min read
Most goods bought from Turkish factories for the Middle East, North Africa and beyond travel by sea, through ports such as Ambarlı, Mersin, İzmir and Gemlik. The first decision you face is whether to book a full container load (FCL) or ship as less than container load (LCL).
What is the difference?
With FCL, you pay for a whole container, normally a 20-foot or 40-foot unit, whatever you put in it. It is loaded at the factory or warehouse, sealed, and opened only at destination.
With LCL, you pay for the space your goods occupy, usually per cubic metre, with a minimum charge. Your cargo shares a container with other shippers and is consolidated at a warehouse before loading and separated again at destination.
Volume: the main factor
As a rough guide, a 20-foot container holds around 25 to 28 cubic metres of cartons in practice, and a 40-foot about 55 to 60. LCL is usually cheaper for small volumes, but there is a point, often somewhere in the low-to-mid teens of cubic metres depending on the route, where a full 20-foot container costs about the same. Ask your forwarder for both prices once you pass about 10 cubic metres.
Weight matters too
Heavy goods such as tiles, stone, steel or liquids can reach the container's weight limit before filling the space. Road weight limits at origin and destination can be lower than the container's own maximum, so check them before you plan the load.
Time and handling
LCL cargo waits for consolidation, so add several days before departure and some days for de-consolidation after arrival.
LCL cargo is handled more, so it needs stronger packing and palletising.
FCL can be loaded directly at the factory, reducing handling and theft risk.
Costs beyond the freight rate
Compare complete quotes, not just ocean freight. Typical extra items include origin trucking, export clearance, terminal handling, documentation fees, destination handling, de-consolidation fees for LCL, customs clearance, and delivery to your warehouse. Also check the free time for containers at the destination port, as demurrage and detention charges add up quickly.
Which one should you choose?
Choose LCL for trial orders, samples, small replenishments and goods that tolerate handling.
Choose FCL for regular orders, heavy or fragile goods, high-value cargo and anything close to the break-even volume.
Consider consolidation of several suppliers into one FCL when you buy from multiple factories.
Plan your shipment
TurkLink helps buyers coordinate Turkish suppliers, packing and freight so you get the right container option at the right total cost.
Cover photo: Shipping container stacks - Port of Rotterdam - 2017 - 1 by AgainErick, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
