Sea Freight

FCL means taking a whole container, priced per container whether full or not. LCL means sharing a container, priced on volume or weight whichever is greater. Beyond roughly 13-15 CBM a 20 ft container is usually cheaper and faster, because LCL carries CFS charges at both ends and has to wait for the consolidation schedule.

Sailing time from the main Chinese ports to Laem Chabang is roughly 5-10 days depending on the origin port and whether the service is direct or transhipped. Southern ports such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou are faster than northern ones such as Qingdao or Tianjin. Allow extra time for the sailing schedule, consolidation if shipping LCL, and 1-3 days for destination clearance.

THC (terminal handling charge) covers lifting the container at the port, applied at both origin and destination, and is separate from ocean freight. Demurrage is the penalty for leaving a container inside the terminal beyond the free days the carrier allows, typically 3-7 days. Detention is the penalty for returning an empty container late. Both accrue daily and escalate the longer they run.

In practice a 20 ft container holds about 25-28 CBM with a payload around 21-22 tonnes; a 40 ft holds about 55-58 CBM at 26-27 tonnes; a 40 ft High Cube about 65-68 CBM. These are usable volumes after allowing for pallet stacking losses, not the nominal internal capacity.