Shipping chairs: FCL vs. LCL, and how to not overpay on freight
Once your chairs are built, they have to cross an ocean — and how you ship them quietly decides a chunk of your landed cost. The first fork in the road is FCL vs. LCL. Here's the plain version for chairs.
FCL — full container load
You book a whole container (usually a 40HQ for chairs, because chairs hit the volume limit before the weight limit). You pay for the container whether it's 90% or 100% full.
- Best when: you have enough chairs to fill, or nearly fill, a container.
- Pros: lowest cost *per chair* when full; your goods aren't mixed with anyone's; less handling, lower damage risk.
- Watch-out: a half-empty FCL is expensive per unit — you're paying for air. If you can't fill it, rethink quantity or consider LCL.
LCL — less than container load
Your chairs share a container with other shippers' goods; you pay for the space you use (by CBM).
- Best when: small or trial orders that can't fill a container.
- Pros: you only pay for your volume; lets you start small.
- Watch-outs: higher cost *per CBM* than a full FCL, more handling (more damage risk — good packing matters even more), and destination charges can be a nasty surprise. On small LCL shipments, those fixed fees can rival the freight.
The rough rule: once your order approaches roughly half a container, do the math both ways. FCL often wins sooner than people expect.
The number that decides it: loadability
This comes back to packing. Because chairs are bulky, units-per-container drives your freight per chair more than almost anything. A well-engineered knock-down pack might fit 600 in a 40HQ where a bulky pack fits 480 — that's a 25% swing in freight per chair, on the same container cost. Always get units-per-container from your supplier before you choose FCL vs LCL (more on this in our container loading guide).
Don't forget the rest of the landed cost
Freight is only one line. Your real, all-in cost includes:
- FOB price (chairs loaded at Ningbo/Shanghai)
- Ocean freight (FCL or LCL)
- Destination charges (port, handling — easy to underestimate on LCL)
- Customs duty and taxes for your country
- Last-mile delivery to your warehouse
Budget all five, or the "cheap" chair lands expensive.
Keep it simple
Small or trial order? LCL to start. Approaching half a container or more? Price FCL — it usually wins. Either way, get units-per-container first so you're comparing real freight-per-chair, not guesses.
We'll give you units-per-container and a packing plan with every quote, and we ship FCL and LCL out of Ningbo/Shanghai. Tell us your quantity and destination at mail@ajrt.net or through the site, and we'll help you pick the cheaper route.
