LCL (Less than Container Load)

LCL sea freight allows your goods to share a shipping container with consignments belonging to other importers. It can be particularly suitable for smaller shipments, such as pallets, cartons or other cargo that does not require a complete container.

You normally pay according to the size and/or weight of your consignment, together with the applicable collection, handling, shipping and destination charges.

FCL (Full Container Load)

FCL sea freight provides a complete shipping container for your consignment. Common options include 20ft, 40ft and 40ft High Cube containers.

This is generally more suitable for larger shipments and can become more economical than LCL as the volume of cargo increases.

Which should I choose?

In most cases, the choice between LCL and FCL sea freight will be determined by the size and weight of your shipment. Smaller shipments will generally be more suited to LCL, while larger shipments may be more economical to ship as a full container.

However, freight rates and other costs can sometimes affect which option offers the best value. Contact a member of our team with your particular requirements and we can help you decide which shipping option is most suitable and cost-effective for your shipment.

Arranging sea freight from China to the UK can be relatively straightforward. Send us the details of your goods, together with the location of your supplier in China and your preferred delivery address in the UK, and we can provide you with a freight quotation.

Once instructed, we can arrange the shipping of your goods from the agreed port in China to the UK using either LCL or FCL sea freight, depending on your requirements. If required, we can also arrange collection from your supplier and transport to the appropriate port or consolidation warehouse in China.

On arrival, UK Import Services can also arrange UK Customs clearance and onward delivery to your preferred delivery address in the UK.

This gives you a single UK point of contact to coordinate the international shipping, Customs clearance and delivery of your goods.

When buying goods from China for shipping to the UK, you and your supplier will need to establish who is responsible for arranging and paying for the different stages involved in getting the goods from the supplier to you.

This may be discussed using an Incoterm, such as EXW, FOB, CFR or CIF, particularly when dealing with more established exporters. However, even where an Incoterm isn’t specifically mentioned, it is important to establish exactly what your supplier is providing and which costs and arrangements will be your responsibility.

The Incoterm you agree can have a significant effect on both the cost of shipping goods from China to the UK and the amount of control you have over the shipment.

For sea freight from China to the UK, we recommend asking your supplier to quote on FOB (Free On Board) terms. This generally allows the supplier to deal with the local origin costs and export arrangements in China, while you retain control over the main international freight and the costs you will incur in the UK.

It is therefore worth agreeing the Incoterm before placing your order, rather than simply accepting whichever shipping arrangement is offered by your supplier.

For a more detailed explanation of the different Incoterms and what they mean, see our Incoterms – International Commercial Terms page.

If you have found goods through Alibaba or another supplier in China, you may also have been offered a price for shipping the goods directly to the UK. While this can appear to be the simplest and cheapest option, we recommend obtaining an independent freight quotation before agreeing to the supplier’s shipping arrangements.

This is particularly important with LCL sea freight from China to the UK. A low shipping price quoted at origin may not represent the total cost of the shipment. Additional handling, agency and destination charges can sometimes become payable after the goods arrive in the UK. In our experience, these additional and often unexpected charges can catch importers out, particularly when they were not made clear before the goods were shipped.

This can make it difficult to compare a supplier’s shipping price with a quotation from a UK freight forwarder because the two prices may not be like-for-like. When UK Import Services prepares a quotation, we aim to identify as many of the expected charges as possible from the outset, giving you a clearer indication of the overall cost before deciding who should arrange the shipping.

Arranging your own sea freight from China to the UK, particularly when purchasing on FOB terms, gives you greater control over the freight arrangements and allows more of the expected costs to be established before the goods are shipped.

Already have a shipping price from your Chinese supplier? Contact UK Import Services and we can provide you with a no-obligation quotation for comparison.

In our experience, we have traditionally allowed around six weeks port-to-port for many sea freight shipments from China to the UK. However, transit times can vary depending on the port of departure, shipping line, service and route being used.

In recent years, disruption to shipping routes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal has resulted in some vessels being diverted around the Cape of Good Hope, adding considerable distance to the journey. Where this longer route is used, we have seen transit times increase to around eight weeks port-to-port, as well as contributing to increased shipping costs.

Shipping routes and transit times can change depending on the prevailing circumstances, so we recommend checking the expected transit time when arranging your shipment rather than relying solely on historic schedules.

It is also important to remember that port-to-port transit time is only part of the journey. In our experience, once the goods are ready in China, it is sensible to allow around 7–10 days before departure, depending on the shipping schedule and availability of space. Following arrival at the UK port, a further 7–10 days should generally be allowed before final delivery, particularly for LCL shipments where the container must first be unloaded and the individual consignments made available for collection.

As a practical guide, we would therefore currently recommend allowing approximately 10 weeks door-to-door for sea freight from China to the UK, although actual transit times will depend on the particular shipment and service being used.

If transit time is important, contact UK Import Services BEFORE placing your order and we can check the current shipping options from China to the UK for your particular consignment.