LCL shipping to the US lets you move a few pallets or cartons by ocean freight in a container shared with other importers' cargo, so you can ship what you have now instead of waiting to fill a box. Platton serves US importers with weekly sailings from Asia and Europe, and your LCL cargo gets space confirmed on the sailing you pick. One platform shows you every milestone, and the quote you accept is the invoice you get.
AI-powered LCL rate comparison
Our system pulls live LCL pricing across every major lane into the US.
You see the options ranked side by side: cost, transit time, sailing frequency, reliability score
Ocean freight visibility
Every LCL shipment we book is tracked through origin CFS receipt, container loading, vessel departure, ETA updates, US port arrival, customs release, and CFS deconsolidation.
You see the same data we see, in one dashboard. When the destination CFS gets backed up, you'll know on day one
Stable LCL rates and predictable transit times
We work off contract rates on the lanes we run most often, which keeps pricing inside a predictable band even when the spot market jumps. Your rate is locked at booking.
Most importers don't need a five-page SOP. Here's the actual process, from the moment you accept a quote to the day the cargo is released at the destination CFS
LCL booking and rate comparison
You send the basics: origin, destination, dimensions per pallet or carton, total weight, ready date, commodity. You get back a comparison of live LCL options ranked by total cost and transit time. You pick a sailing, we book the cargo with the carrier, and you get the booking confirmation along with cutoffs for cargo arrival at the origin CFS
CFS consolidation at origin
Your supplier delivers the cargo to the Container Freight Station, or we pick it up at the factory if you add origin pickup. There it gets consolidated with other LCL shipments into a shared 20ft or 40ft container. We collect and validate the packing list, commercial invoice, and supporting documents at this stage
Ocean transit and real-time tracking
After vessel departure, you'll see live milestones in your dashboard: ETD, transshipment events, port congestion alerts, updated ETA. If the vessel rolls or the box gets held for exam, you get an alert with the new ETA.
ISF and customs release
ISF (Importer Security Filing, or "10+2") gets filed at least 24 hours before the container loads at origin. The customs entry goes in before vessel arrival in the US.
CFS deconsolidation
On arrival, the container moves to a destination CFS for deconsolidation. If you add inland delivery, a carrier picks up your cargo once it is broken out and released and delivers it to your warehouse, 3PL, distribution center, or Amazon FBA facility on the appointment you booked.
LCL works for a wider range of cargo than most importers realize. Standard palletized goods are the bulk of what we move, but loose cartons and certain special-handling shipments are bookable too
Palletized LCL cargo
The most common format. Goods are stacked, shrink-wrapped, and secured to a standard pallet, usually a 48"×40" GMA in the US or a 1200×800 mm Euro pallet out of Europe. Palletized cargo moves through CFS faster, takes less abuse during consolidation and deconsolidation. Wooden pallets and crates need the ISPM-15 treatment stamp, and the pallet counts in the CBM you pay for, so ask your supplier for dimensions with the pallet included.
Loose and break-bulk LCL cargo
Loose LCL cargo ships in individual cartons, drums, crates, or bundles without a pallet underneath. Common for furniture, machinery parts, and oversized pieces that don't palletize cleanly. CFS handling for loose cargo runs slower and adds lift fees, so we'll flag the cost trade-off in the quote
Hazardous and special-handling LCL shipments
We book LCL cargo classified as hazardous (DG), temperature-sensitive, or oversized, as long as documentation, packaging, and CFS approvals are in place. Each special-handling booking gets reviewed against the carrier's and CFS's acceptance rules before we issue the quote
Each LCL quote prices the ocean leg per cbm and shows CFS handling at origin and at destination on their own lines.
LCL rate comparison
CFS consolidation at origin
Ocean freight on the sailing you pick
Live vessel and milestone tracking
ISF (10+2) filing for your shipment in the shared container, at least 24 hours before vessel loading
US customs entry
CFS deconsolidation at the US arrival port
Document management and automated milestone alerts
Also available for LCL cargo:
LCL rates are calculated per cubic meter (CBM) or per 1,000 kg, whichever is greater. That ratio is called chargeable weight, and it's the single line item importers most often misjudge when they're shopping LCL quotes
Factors that influence LCL freight rates
Cargo volume and weight. Origin and destination port. Carrier and CFS capacity that week. Bunker adjustments (BAF), terminal handling charges (THC), CFS handling fees, and seasonal demand.
Asia-to-US lanes (China, Vietnam, India) can swing 15 to 30 percent inside a single quarter when capacity tightens or peak season hits
How CBM and chargeable weight are calculated
CBM is volume in cubic meters: length × width × height in meters. Chargeable weight is whichever is higher, the CBM number or the weight in metric tons (1 cbm = 1,000 kg as the standard conversion).
| Cargo type | CBM | Weight | Chargeable weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apparel cartons | 2.5 | 800 kg | 2.5 (volume-based) |
| Auto parts (dense) | 1.2 | 1,400 kg | 1.4 W/M (weight-based) |
| Furniture | 4.0 | 2,200 kg | 4.0 (volume-based) |
W/M = weight or measure, whichever is greater
Total your cartons in the CBM calculator first, and the quote request arrives with the numbers it needs.
The break-even between LCL and FCL usually sits around 13 to 15 cbm for standard Asia-to-US cargo. Below that volume, LCL is typically cheaper because you only pay for the space you ship. Our guide to FCL vs LCL shipping compares cost, transit time and handling risk in detail.
In peak season, space in a shared container is often easier to find than a whole container on the same sailing. LCL also lets you test a new product or supplier with a small first order and keep less cash tied up in stock. Importers in many industries ship LCL with us, including:
We run LCL service on the highest-volume Asia-to-US lanes. Transit times below include CFS handling at both ends, not vessel time only
China 
US
LCL shipping from China to the US
Our highest-volume LCL lane. Origin ports include Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen (Yantian, Shekou), and Qingdao.
Transit runs 25 to 60 days depending on origin port and US destination, with weekly sailings into LA/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, NY/NJ, and Houston
India US
LCL shipping from India to the US
Origin ports include Nhava Sheva (Mumbai), Mundra, and Chennai. Transit runs 25 to 60 days, with biweekly to weekly sailings into the East Coast (NY/NJ, Savannah) and West Coast (LA/Long Beach).
Strong lane for textiles, home goods, and specialty manufactured items
Vietnam US
LCL shipping from Vietnam to the US
Origin ports include Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong. Transit runs 25 to 60 days into major US ports.
Vietnam volumes have grown sharply since 2020 as importers diversify away from China-only sourcing
Send us the lane, the cargo dimensions, and the ready date. You'll get back a comparison of live LCL freight rates with carrier, transit time, and total cost.
LCL (less than container load) is an ocean freight service where cargo from multiple importers gets combined into a shared container. You only pay for the space your goods occupy, calculated per CBM or chargeable weight, instead of paying for a full container. The same service is also called groupage.
LCL shipping typically takes 25 to 60 days on Asia-to-US lanes. Vessel transit is 14 to 18 days to the West Coast and 28 to 40 days to the East Coast; origin pickup and CFS consolidation add 5 to 7 days; US customs and CFS deconsolidation add 5 to 10; inland delivery adds 1 to 3 more.
It can. Every shipment in a shared container is unloaded at the same destination CFS, so if customs holds one shipment in the box for an exam, the whole container can wait until the exam is done. LCL cargo is also handled more often than cargo in a sealed full container, which is why good packing matters.
LCL shipping runs roughly $40 to $120 per CBM on Asia-to-US lanes, plus origin handling, CFS fees, and inland trucking. As a rough benchmark, a 5 cbm shipment from Shanghai to Los Angeles usually lands somewhere between $600 and $1,200 with those charges added.
LCL is calculated on chargeable weight, which is the higher of cargo volume in CBM or weight in metric tons. The standard conversion is 1 cbm = 1,000 kg. Dense cargo pays on weight; light cargo pays on volume.
LCL (less than container load) is ocean freight in shared containers between countries. LTL (less than truckload) is domestic trucking in shared trailers between US locations.
For shipments under roughly 13 to 15 cbm, yes.
The technical minimum is usually 1 cbm, though most carriers will accept smaller shipments at a flat minimum charge. We book LCL shipments from 0.5 cbm and up.
A single package can typically weigh up to 3,000 kg and measure up to 29 cbm, and a whole LCL booking can typically go up to 20,000 kg and 60 cbm. Limits vary by carrier and CFS, so oversized pieces are checked before booking.
The basic set is the commercial invoice, the packing list and the bill of lading, which the carrier or freight forwarder issues once the cargo is loaded. Permits or certificates are added for regulated goods.
Once your shipment is consistently above 13 to 15 cbm, LCL stops being the cheaper option per CBM, and the CFS handling time starts to add real friction to your inventory plan. The right move is usually to switch to FCL on the same lane.
Ready to ship a few pallets? Ask a Platton freight specialist for your LCL options.
