What is FCL SHIPPING?
FCL is short for Full Container Loading.
When you need to ship products in large quantity from China to UK , we would suggest FCL shipping.
After you choose FCL shipping, we will get an empty 20ft or 40ft container from vessel owner to load products from your Chinese factory . Then we ship the container from China to your door in UK. After you get the container in UK , you can unload products and then return the empty container to vessel owner.
FCL shipping is the most common international shipping way. Actually more than 80% shipping from China to UK is by FCL.
Normally there are two types of containers. They are 20FT(20GP) and 40FT.
And 40FT container can be divided into two kinds of containers, called 40GP and 40HQ.
Below is the inner size(length*width*height), weight(kgs) and volume(cubic meter) that 20ft/40ft can load.
| Container type | Length*width*height(meter) | Weight(kgs) | Volume(cubic meter) |
| 20GP(20ft) | 6m*2.35m*2.39m | About 26000kgs | About 28cubic meter |
| 40GP | 12m*2.35m*2.39m | About 26000kgs | About 60cubic meter |
| 40HQ | 12m*2.35m*2.69m | About 26000kgs | About 65cubic meter |
20FT
40GP
40HQ
How do we handle FCL shipping ?
1. Booking 20ft/40ft container space: We get cargo ready date from customers and then book a 20ft/40ft space with the vessel owner.
2. Container loading: We pick up the empty container from the Chinese port and send it to the Chinese factory for cargo loading. This is the main container loading way. Another way is that factories send products to our nearest warehouse and we load all the cargo into a container there. After container loading, we will truck the container to the Chinese port.
3. Chinese customs clearance: We will prepare Chinese customs docs and make Chinese customs clearance. For the special cargo, like solid wood cargo, it need to be fumigated. Like the cargo with batteries, we need to prepare the MSDS document.
4. Getting on board: After Chinese customs release, the Chinese port will get the container onto the booked vessel and ship the container from China to UK as per the shipping plan. Then we can trace the container online
5. UK customs clearance: After vessel departs from China, we will work with your Chinese factory to make commercial invoice and packing list etc to prepare UK customs docs. Then we will send the vessel name, container details and necessary docs to DAKA’s UK agent. Our UK team will monitor the vessel and contact consignee to make UK customs clearance when the vessel arrives at the UK port.
6. UK inland delivery to door: After the vessel arrives at the UK port, we will deliver the container to the consignee’s door in UK. Before we deliver the container, our UK agent will confirm the delivery date with consignee so that they can prepare for unloading. After the consignee gets the cargo in hand, we will return the empty container to UK port. In the meantime, we will confirm with our clients if products are in good condition.
*Above is only for general product shipping. If your products require quarantine/fumigation etc, we will add these steps and handle it accordingly.
When you buy from different suppliers in China and cargo from all factories together can meet a 20ft/40ft, you can still use FCL shipping . Under this situation, we will let all your suppliers send products to our Chinese warehouse and then our warehouse will load the container by ourselves. Then we will do as the above and ship the container to your door in the UK.
1. Booking
2. Container Loading
3. Chinese customs clearance
4. Getting on board
5. UK customs clearance
6. FCL delivery to door in UK
FCL shipping time and cost
How long is for the transit time for FCL shipping from China to the UK?
And how much is the price for FCL shipping from China to the UK?
The transit time will depend on which address is in China and which address is in the UK.
The price is related to how many products you need to ship.
To answer the above two questions clearly, we need below information:
1. What is your Chinese factory address pls? (If you don’t have a detailed address, a rough city name is OK)
2. What is your UK address with the post code pls?
3. What are the products? (As we need to check if we can ship these products. Some products may contain dangerous items which can be not shipped.)
4. Packaging information: How many packages and what are the total weight (kilograms) and volume (cubic meter)? Rough data is fine.
Would you like to leave a message so that we can quote FCL shipping cost from China to UK for your kind reference?
Few tips before you use FCL shipping
1. The more cargo were loaded into a container, the lower average shipping cost on each product. Before you decide to choose FCL shipping, you need to check with your shipping agent like DAKA if there is enough cargo for 20ft/40ft to minimize the shipping cost. When you use FCL shipping, we charge the same no matter how much cargo you loaded in the container.
2. You also need to consider if your destination address has enough place to hold a 20ft or 40ft container. In UK, many customers live in non-business areas and containers can't be delivered. Or the consignee needs to get the local government’s agreement in advance. In that case, when the container arrives at the UK port, the container needs to be sent to our UK warehouse for unpacking and then deliver in loose packages via normal trucking. But kindly remind that it will cost more than sending a container directly to a UK address.
