Paying for What You Use
LCL and Groupage from Dubai
LCL means your cargo travels in a container with other shippers' goods and you are charged on the volume it occupies. It is the sensible choice for consignments that would leave most of a box empty - which is a great deal of trade. The trade-off is time and handling: the container has to be filled before it sails and emptied before anyone gets their cargo. Part of our sea freight services.
When LCL Makes Sense
Choose a Shared Container When
The deciding factors are volume and how much slack the delivery date has.
- The consignment is a few pallets, not a container
- The delivery window is a range rather than a date
- The goods are packed to travel alongside others
- You import small quantities regularly
- A full container would sail half empty
- Freight cost matters more than transit time
Shipping Less Than a Container?
Send the volume, the weight and the two ports
Get an LCL Quote Call +971 4 239 7107What LCL Actually Costs
LCL quotes look simple and the real cost sits in three things the rate does not mention.
Volume, not weight
LCL is charged on cubic metres or weight, whichever is greater. Light bulky cargo pays on volume, which surprises shippers who think in kilos.
Consolidation time
The container waits to be filled before it sails. That wait is not in the transit time you were quoted, and it is the usual reason LCL feels slower than expected.
Destination handling
Deconsolidation charges at the far end can be substantial and are often quoted separately. Ask about them before comparing rates.
Packing matters more
Your cargo is handled more and stacked next to strangers' goods. See general cargo packing - poor packing costs more on LCL than on FCL.
Not the Same as LTL
Two Terms That Get Confused
These are different modes and asking for the wrong one produces a quote for the wrong service.
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LCL is sea freight
Your cargo shares an ocean container. Transit is weeks, and the paperwork is an import or export entry.
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LTL is road freight
Your cargo shares a truck. Transit is days at most - see less than truckload.
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They can combine
A shipment can arrive LCL and continue LTL, which is common for smaller consignments moving inland or across a GCC border.
Why Cannata
Shared Container, Named Owner
Groupage involves more handling by definition. What it should not involve is uncertainty about who is accountable for your pallets. Run from our facility inside Jebel Ali Free Zone, alongside the port.
Packed to survive it
Cargo prepared for the extra handling that consolidated freight receives, rather than shipped as it arrived.
Held at our own warehouse
Consignments can wait with us rather than at a terminal until there is a suitable sailing.
One point of contact
The same team books the space, clears the entry and delivers, so nobody hands you between depots.
Rate Request
Get a price for this shipment
Give us the route and the cargo and we will come back with a rate, usually within one working day.
Our FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What shippers ask about LCL and groupage.
