FCL Shipping from China

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A 20ft carries the most weight per cubic metre and a 40HQ the most volume. Practical capacity is lower than the inside dimensions because cartons never stack perfectly to the roof.

In simple words: a 40ft gives roughly twice the volume of a 20ft but not twice the payload, so heavy cargo often fills a 20ft by weight long before it fills it by space.

Five steps take a full container from booking to delivery. Steps 2 and 3 are where most delays start.

1. Booking and Equipment Release After booking, the carrier issues a Shipping Order. The empty container is picked up from the depot and checked for holes, odour and floor damage before it goes to the factory.

2. Factory Loading and Sealing The supplier loads within the free time allowed for the trucker, usually a few hours. Heavy items go on the floor and are spread along the length; the doors are closed with an ISO 17712 high-security bolt seal.

3. Port Gate-In and VGM The loaded container must reach the terminal before the CY cut-off, and its verified gross mass must be submitted to the carrier. Under SOLAS, a container without a VGM is not loaded onto the vessel.

4. Export Customs and Sailing The export declaration is filed with China Customs before the customs cut-off. The Bill of Lading is issued after departure as an original bill, a telex release or a sea waybill.

5. Destination Clearance and Delivery The import entry is filed before arrival through a customs broker, port charges are paid, and the container is trucked or railed to the door. The empty box must be returned within the carrier's free time to avoid detention.

Choose from the packing list first, then check the destination roads, because a container that is legal at sea can be overweight on land.

1. Start with CBM and Weight Add up total CBM and gross weight. Under 25 CBM and heavy, book a 20ft; between 28 and 55 CBM, a 40GP; above 55 CBM, or light cargo near 60 CBM, a 40HQ.

2. Heavy Cargo: Watch the Payload Machinery, metal parts, tiles and liquids in drums usually hit the weight limit first, so a 20ft is often the right box even with empty space left at the doors.

3. Light Cargo: Use the Height Furniture, textiles and boxed consumer goods fill by volume first. A 40HQ adds about 10 CBM over a 40GP, and carriers often price the two at or near the same rate.

4. Check Road Limits at Destination In the US, the federal 80,000 lb gross vehicle limit usually leaves about 19–22 tonnes of cargo in a 40ft on a standard chassis, well below the 26,000 kg the container allows. Other markets set their own limits, so confirm before loading. For heavy routes we set a per-container cap when booking.